Tesla fans and reservation holders of the Roadster must be hoping that the long wait would be worth it. The current Model S already seems like the ultimate performance car from the EV maker, and the Tesla Roadster would need to surpass its sibling first to be the brand’s flagship. Wondering how fast the Roadster might be? Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk has an answer.
On the original Tesla Roadster
The debut of the Tesla Roadster in 2008 marked a watershed moment in the evolution of zero-emissions electric vehicles. It was Tesla’s first attempt to build an EV. It drew a massive crowd because it demonstrated that a high-performance electric car could be used in everyday life.
The first Tesla Roadster had a 53 kWh battery that powered a rear motor. Tesla did not build the original Roadster on a dedicated EV platform. Instead, it licensed the chassis from Lotus and used drivetrain technology from start-up AC Propulsion, working around the clock on the integration and making extensive changes to the chassis.
YouTuber Marques Brownlee drove a 2008 model for a few days and had said (via YouTube/Auto Focus) it was ahead of its time in many ways. Be it the 244-mile range, the 3.7-second 0-60 acceleration, or the raw experience that’s comparable to a gas-powered sports car, the original Roadster helped the company learn how to build EVs.
The original Roadster was never Tesla’s ultimate goal. Instead, it demonstrated the ludicrous performance that EVs could be capable of, paving the way for the now-successful Tesla EVs, including the Model S, X, 3, and Y.
Will outperform the Model S Plaid
In a conversation with Ride the Lightning podcast’s host Ryan McCaffrey on January 15, 2023, Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen said the Roadster will perform better on every metric than when it was first conceived. Franz cited the unhinged performance of the Model S Plaid which, despite its mass, fulfills every metric the company had set for it. Then, it stands to reason that the smaller and lighter Roadster will outperform the sedan. While there have been delays, the time afforded has been invaluable in improving the Roadster, the Chief Designer stated.
Before November 16, 2017, and ahead of the 2023 Tesla Roadster debut, ‘Ludicrous’ denoted Tesla’s highest possible performance spec or mode. During the unveiling of the new generation Roadster, Musk said, “There’s only one thing beyond Ludicrous, and that’s Plaid.” “The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest car (production car) ever made, period,” Musk said, displaying a 0-60 mph acceleration time of just 1.9 seconds for the 2023 Roadster. The world assumed that was the performance Tesla aimed for with the all-new Roadster in Plaid mode.
From June 2021 onwards, Tesla began selling the Model S in a ‘Plaid’ variant with a 0-60 mph acceleration time of just 1.99 seconds and subtracted rollout time. The rollout is the distance any car takes to get off the line. Including the rollout, the 0-60 mph time would be just over 2 seconds, which is still mind-bogglingly fast. We don’t know how far ahead the Roadster would be in terms of performance compared to the Model S Plaid, but Musk has promised that the two-door model will outperform the Model S Plaid.
“We have a few ideas for increasing torque & max rpm even further for new Roadster,” Musk said in a post on Twitter on June 13, 2021. “Definitely fun and exciting engineering ahead!” he added. The Model S Plaid uses three electric motors to produce 1,020 hp and 1,050 lb-ft for reference.
SpaceX package
Musk has stated that Tesla will offer the new Roadster with the optional ‘SpaceX package,’ which includes cold air thrusters around the car to improve top speed, braking, and cornering. When the CEO announced in January 2021, he stated that the SpaceX package would allow the Roadster to accelerate even faster, from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.1 seconds. At this point, the acceleration figures appear just unbelievable. We’ll have to wait for the production version to make it to the drag strips to witness the performance with our own eyes.
Tesla Roadster Interior
The next-gen Roadster has a minimalistic interior, which is typical of a Tesla. It features a sleek dashboard with carbon-fiber trim, a spaceship-themed steering yoke, and a curved, super-slim bridge-type center console that houses a large portrait touchscreen. A hollowed section below the center console provides extra storage for slightly large items like a grocery bag or a handbag. The central armrest houses a cupholder.
Tesla, much like Apple, has a certain way of doing things, which is not customer-friendly in some cases. Unlike other car companies that have embraced Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Tesla has avoided offering integration for these platforms. Current Teslas are devoid of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant as well. However, things are changing. In December 2022, the company introduced Apple Music support for its vehicles via a software update.
On December 31, 2022, Not a Tesla App reported that support for more audio streaming services in Tesla EVs could be on the way. Tesla has reportedly rebuilt parts of the audio player with HTML, Javascript, and CSS. In addition to Spotify and Apple Music, streaming services options in the future may include Amazon Music, Pandora, Tidal, etc.
At least one of the Roadster configurations will have four seats, and while the rear seats might not be comfortable for adults, it’s a rare feature in supercars. The car has a removable glass roof storable in the trunk.
