American manufacturer Tesla Motors, which sells only electric vehicles from its showroom and service centre on County Oak Way, has unveiled the latest version of its Model S.
The Model S P85D goes from 0 to 60mph in just 3.1 seconds – when set to "insane mode".
The difference between the new version and the previous Model S P85 – which hits 60mph in a slightly more sluggish 4.2 seconds – is that it has two electric motors.
Laura Hardy, a spokeswoman for the company, explained that the P stands for "performance".
"The P85D does 0 to 60mph in 3.1 seconds," she said. "It's as fast as a McLaren F1."
But while the McLaren F1 cost £540,000 when they were first sold in the mid-1990s, and now fetch millions because of how rare they are, the P85D starts from £79,900.
The car's two electric motors are in the front and rear, and drive all four wheels.
Its range on a single charge is around 250 miles, and the car can be topped up by plugging it in at home overnight.
The P85D's "insane mode" can be selected by pressing a button on a 17-inch touchscreen built into the dashboard.
Ms Hardy said: "Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, chose the name 'insane mode', because it is insane. It pulls 1g of g-force."
As a comparison, 1g equals the force of gravity at the Earth's surface
But despite its eye-watering acceleration, Ms Hardy says she has no safety concerns about the P85D.
When a car is delivered to a new owner they are taken through how it drives and how to charge it.
"The car has 12 sensors around it, a forward-facing camera and a rear-facing camera," she added.
"The car has a blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking.
"And, most importantly, a speed-limit warning, so if you're going more than the speed limit the car will warn you with a visual signal or a chime."
Asked why Tesla has seemingly focused on producing a car with superfast acceleration rather than one with a higher range that can be driven further, Ms Hardy explained that the company has already found the best performing battery possible.
"We believe the range is the optimum for an electric car," Ms Hardy said.
"Our CEO has talked about the car having a bigger battery, but there's no need as the car would have more weight.
"The 85 KWh battery is the optimum weight-versus-range ratio, which means most customers will charge at home on a daily basis or on long-distance journeys they can use our superchargers."
Tesla cars can be topped up at any electric charging point – such as the two at the Town Hall or the rapid-charge point at Pease Pottage service station – or at any of the company's 22 supercharger stations in the UK. And despite its supercar acceleration, the P85D – which can be converted to seat seven people – has a top speed of only 155mph.
The Model S P85D is available for purchase now, to be delivered in August.
As each Tesla can be customised, delivery of any version takes three to four months, with the cars being produced in California and then sent in two pieces to Amsterdam, where they are assembled, before the car is delivered to Crawley.
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