The New Tesla Roadster Aims to Astonish
The first Tesla Roadster, produced from 2008 to 2012, was stunningly fast for the time, capable in its fastest iteration of achieving 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds. And 244 miles of range was quite impressive, too. Just 2,450 were built. But, with the second Roadster due in 2020, Tesla is seriously increasing the stakes—and taking aim at the world’s supercars.
Let’s do the numbers. The all-wheel-drive Roadster, with three electric motors, will have four seats instead of the two in the previous car, a removable glass roof, and insane acceleration of 1.9 seconds to 60 mph. The company says 250 miles per hour is possible. The torque figure is given as an awesome 7,400 pound feet.
The Roadster will go 620 miles on a charge of the 200 kilowatt-hour battery pack, which tops any electric on the road. But the Roadster won’t be competitive just with other electric cars, but will rival the performance of any vehicle on the road today.
The price is squarely in supercar territory, too. The first cars will be “Founder’s Editions,” selling for a lofty $250,000—with the full amount due at reservation time. Only 1,000 will be built. After that, the car will go down to $200,000, and you’ll need a $50,000 deposit to get in line.
https://www.barrons.com/articles/the-new-tesla-roadster-aims-to-astonish-01549558591
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