Tesla Motors’ first car was the Roadster, and the company remains highly committed to it. Despite being busy with refreshing the Model S, rolling out the Model X and working on the Model 3, the EV firm is upgrading the tiny sports car it started its journey with.
Tesla charging $29,000 for 40% more energy
The Roadster 3.0 upgrade was announced by Tesla late last year, and now the company has begun taking orders for it. The upgrade has been priced at $29,000, which includes an upfront deposit of $5,000. Tesla has emphasized that it is only charging the upgrade fee and does not have any intentions of making a profit on the upgraded battery pack for the sports car. The new battery pack, which is entirely hand-built, squeezes out 40% more energy than the old one.
The cost of the car is not included in the price, and the customer will either need to have one or buy a used one since no new Roadster 3.0s are being made. Those who do not own a Roadster and do not want to buy a used one need not worry as the company has plans of releasing an all-new model in about four years.
No info on when the upgrade will be available
Once the parts come in, it will take just a few days for a local service center to complete the service, Tesla says, although it has not informed Roadster owners exactly how long it will take to get the parts. However, the EV firm did say that per week only two or three new Roadster battery packs will be made. Customers will receive a call from the company for the installation on availability of inventory.
Tesla has informed drivers that the Roadster 3.0 can be driven up to 400 miles on a single charge under a certain set of speeds and driving conditions. Demonstrating the range, the company drove a prototype of the Roadster 3.0 upgrade from San Jose, Calif. to Los Angeles on a single charge. The company informed drivers that 20 miles were left on the battery pack after driving 340 miles.
In 2008, the original Roadster’s battery was the most advanced lithium-ion battery, but the Model S surpassed it in terms of battery range and performance because of the acceleration in cell technology.
