A strange thought lingered briefly in my mind the other dayfor about the same 9.34 seconds it takes the new Tesla Model S Plaid to clear the quarter mile: Is the Model S Plaid essentially just an electric Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye? The electric Jekyll to the Charger's internal combustion Hyde? Initially it sounds ridiculous to compare the Model S Plaid and Charger—and maybe it's the g forces talking—but they have a lot more in common than you probably think (aside from the fact we've actually compared them before). For starters, both are full-size American four-door sedans. The Charger went into production in 2011, the Model S in 2012. Both were only offered out of the gate with rear-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is available today. Both were also relatively pedestrian compared to their 2022 counterparts when they first hit the market: The Tesla made 416 horsepower in its most potent trim, and the Dodge Charger produced just 375 hp. New powertrains have been their only substantive updates since launch. Here are some other ways the latest Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye and the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid mirror each other: Stupid Amounts of Horsepower While Dodge has long sold a Charger SRT performance variant, it really took things to the next level when it launched the first Hellcat-powered Dodge Charger in 2015. Supplanting the 470-hp Charger SRT8 as the new top dog (cat?) in the Charger lineup, the then-new Charger SRT Hellcat made an unheard =0of 707 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. The power came courtesy of a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that drove the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Since 2015, the Charger Hellcat has grown wider and more powerful: Thanks to lessons learned on the Dodge Challenger Demon, the new 2021 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye gains 90 hp and 57 lb-ft, now producing 797 hp and 707 lb-ft. Tesla wasn't far behind in the horsepower race. Following on the Model S P85's heels was the first-ever dual-motor all-wheel-drive performance Tesla, the 2015 Model S P85D. Using front and rear motors, the Insane Mode-equipped P85D made 691 hp and 687 lb-ft of torque combined. After successive steps up the horsepower ladder with various Ludicrous models, Tesla recently released the 2022 Model S Plaid. It's Tesla's first-ever tri-motor vehicle, and the Model S Plaid makes a Hellcat-smashing 1,020 hp and 1,080 lb-ft of torque. With its horsepower and torque advantage over the Dodge, plus an all-important traction advantage, the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid is quicker than not just the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, but literally every other car we've tested. The Model S Plaid sprints to 60 mph in 2.07 seconds and on through the quarter mile in 9.34 seconds at 152.2 mph. The Charger Hellcat Redeye is no slouch, but its best 0-60-mph run is a respectable (and traction limited) 4.0 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 11.9 seconds at 126.6 mph. See All 36 Photos