The Tesla Roadster has been unveiled by Elon Musk, in what the CEO of the electric car manufacturer described as a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars”.
This new sports car was accompanied by an electric truck also produced by the corporation, and the early indication is that the sporty vehicle will be extremely impressive in spec terms. Musk has previously boasted about some of the capabilities of the company’s forthcoming vehicles, and the Tesla Roadster certainly seems to live up to the hype.
Rapid speed
The headline achievement of the Tesla Roadster is its rampant acceleration which means that it can go from zero to 60 in just 1.9 seconds. Musk also stated that this figure only refers to the prototype, and that production models may be able to reach the speed even more quickly.
Just to confirm, this means that the Roadster will be the fastest ever Tesla vehicle, able to reach 60 mph nearly half a second faster than the existing model S P100D, even when that latter vehicle is operating in the so-called Ludicrous Plus mode.
However, the performance of the Tesla Roadster also stands up very favorably against other production cars. In fact, it would seem to be faster than any comparable road car. The hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder is capable of doing 0-60 in 2.2 seconds, with the fastest time ever recorded being the 1.5 seconds of the AMZ Grimsel Electric Race Car.
Additionally, Tesla also claims that this new Roadster will reach 100 mph in 4.2 seconds (although the usefulness of this is questionable, considering that it cannot ever be done legally on any road anywhere in the world!), which is quicker than many sports cars are able to reach 60 mph.
The Tesla Roadster will also post a top speed of 250 mph, which is pretty competitive with almost any car available on the road. Again, to find a vehicle that seriously exceeds this speed, one needs to go for some extremely rare vehicles. The current record for top speed for a production car was achieved by the Koenigsegg Agera RS, which reached a speed of 277.87mph on November 4, in Pahrump, Nevada.
This incredible speed capability of the Tesla Roadster is achieved by an all-wheel drive system.
Three motors
Although the Tesla Roadster outperforms the Model S it is nonetheless based on similar technology and design. The Roadster will benefit from three motors, with one being located in the front of the vehicle with the task of driving the front wheels, and two in the rear of the car driving the rear wheels. This three-motor system provides the roadster with its all-wheel drive approach, which is so fundamental to its incredible performance.
Charging distance
However, outstanding performance is completely useless for an electric vehicle if its charge range is less than impressive. Fortunately, this aspect of electric vehicles is definitely heading in the right direction, and Musk made some bold claims regarding the capabilities of the Tesla Roadster in this area.
According to the Tesla CEO, the Tesla Roadster should be able to travel for approximately 630 miles of motorway driving on a single charge. This means that it is 50 percent more efficient than any previous Tesla release, with the Model S capable of 424 miles at 55 mph.
Whether the claims relating to the Tesla Roadster turn out to be accurate will remain to be seen, but we can certainly reasonably expect the charging capabilities of the vehicle to be in the 600 miles ballpark.
Vehicle size
Practicality has not been neglected by Tesla in designing the roadster, and thus the company has been able to reveal that four humans will fit in new vehicle. Described as a 2+2, the Tesla Roadster features to full-size seats in the front, with two smaller seats in the rear of the vehicle. This does mean that passengers sitting in the back seat are somewhat cramped for room, but the Tesla Roadster can be filed alongside vehicles such as the Audi TT coupe and the Porsche 911.
Price
Naturally the price of the vehicle will be central to the success or otherwise of the Tesla Roadster, and is thus vital to notice that the price will be rather hefty in the United States. The standard retail price of the Tesla Roadster will be $200,000, meaning it will be the most expensive Tesla vehicle yet manufactured. By comparison, a brand-new Model S costs around $185,000.
Nonetheless, although the Tesla Roadster will be beyond the price range of most motoring consumers, the amount of money it costs can still be considered relatively cheap considering its performance levels. For example, the Porsche 918 Spyder costs around $1 million, and there is no doubt that the new Tesla vehicle is comparable in performance terms to such vehicles.
Release date
Although Tesla has certainly whet the appetite of sports car fans with its revelation of the Roadster, keen consumers will have to wait a little while in order to purchase one. Elon Musk indicated that the Tesla Roadster will be available at some point in 2020, although there will be a good deal of scepticism that the manufacturer will actually achieve this release date.
Tesla has notoriously faced problems in achieving its stated release date for other vehicles, due to the logistical problems associated with manufacturing electric vehicles on a mass scale. If Tesla states that a likely release date is 2020, we can probably expect the actual release of the roadster to slip into 2021, or even, in pessimistic scenarios, 2022.
Reservations will be possible via the Tesla website in due course, and there is little doubt that this extremely impressive vehicle will attract a lot of attention.
Modus operandi
With the release of the Roadster, Tesla is attempting to cover every base with its vehicle range. It is interesting to note that the electric car manufacturer has taken an entirely different approach to such companies as Porsche; the German manufacturer being an obvious target with this new Tesla Roadster. While Porsche concentrates on luxury sports cars, Tesla is attempting to be all things to all people with its electric car releases.
Considering that Tesla already dominates the electric car marketplace, its potential to expand this dominance in the coming years appears to be quite considerable. On the one hand, the company is readying the $35,000 Model 3 for the more affordable end of the market, while also producing this ultra-high-performance electric vehicle as well.
With Tesla stock having increased by over 50 percent over the last 12 months, and nearly doubled at one stage during that time period, the meteoric rise of the electric vehicle manufacturer is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
