The future Tesla Roadster will push the limits
This page is translated from the original post "Le futur Tesla Roadster repoussera les limites" in French.
- 19/01/2023 8:00
Announced five years ago, the future Tesla Roadster keeps the suspense alive. But during a recent podcast, the head of design shared some confidences.
It was through him that the Tesla adventure began. It was in 2008. Produced in nearly 2,700 units and built on a Lotus platform, it was the first modern high-performance electric model. Once, its electric motor produced no less than 215 kW, equivalent to 292 hp, with a weight under 1,400 kg. An impressive power-to-weight ratio that allowed the Tesla Roadster to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. The battery life, which was 370 km theoretical at the time, was later extended to 540 km theoretical by the end of its production in 2016.
Since then, Tesla has built its success on sedans and SUVs, but is preparing to return to its early passions, especially as some competitors like MG with their Cyberster are also about to unveil high-performance electric roadsters.
For once, Franz von Holzhausen, the American brand’s chief designer, clarified that the production model would be even more incredible than the concept car! “We are developing the car. I think people know that as a company, we have priorities, and the priority is mass electrification. And the Roadster is not a mass-market product“, he said on the podcast Ride the Lightning. “And I believe that the time we took allowed us to improve almost all the measures we decided to take when we first unveiled it“.
1000 km of range?
According to Tesla, no fewer than three electric motors will be used in the future Roadster, similar to the Tesla Model S Plaid which exceeds 1,000 hp. A 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in less than 2 seconds could then be quite plausible. But beyond power and performance, the key point is the capacity of the supposed 200 kWh battery. Will there be enough space on a vehicle that is meant to be light and compact? Still, the most optimistic expect a claimed range of 1,000 km under American standards.
Estimates suggest that the price of the future Tesla Roadster could be set at $250,000 before taxes (announced about five years ago that its successor to the first electric car, the Roadster, would be launched in 2020). The super sports car, which costs at least $250,000 before taxes (about €231,000).
Read also: Tesla Model Y: How much does charging the electric SUV cost?
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