Last week Elon Musk unveiled a brand new Tesla truck, but at the same event, he shocked everyone with an updated Tesla Roadster. A 0-60 mph time of just 1.9 seconds will make the new Tesla Roadster the fastest production car ever made, and it’s probably going to get quicker, too.
At the event, Elon Musk emphasised those specs for the entry-level version of the car and hinted that a performance version was also imminent. On Twitter earlier this week, Musk began to talk about the upcoming performance version of the roadster – and the word “rocket” was used.
In one tweet, Elon Musk stated once again that the specs released were for the base model of the Tesla Roadster, but also divulged some interesting information about the performance version of the car.
Musk says the Roadster could maybe fly for short hops, and even for the Tesla CEO this seems a bit too sci-fi. However, Musk then goes on to say “Rocket tech applied to a car opens up revolutionary possibilities,” and, that’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.
Elon Musk owns both SpaceX and Tesla, and he’s mentioned the ability to transfer technology between the two in the past. In fact, Electrek says that the Ludicrous mode in Tesla’s current road cars was partly enabled by using learnings from SpaceX R&D.
While Musk may be joking on the surface, it’s possible that the performance version of the Tesla Roadster could use technology originally from Space X. However, something tells me I shouldn’t rule out a flying roadster just yet – this is Elon Musk, after all.
Everything we know about the Tesla Roadster
After months of teasers and tweets, Tesla finally unveiled its all-electric lorry at an event earlier today – and then it upstaged it with something no one was expecting. At the same events, Elon Musk revealed all-new Tesla Roadster, and it’s set to be the fastest car in the world.
A remake of one of Tesla’s very first vehicles, the new Roadster has been kept under wraps for the last few months – so much so that no one really knew it was coming. From the outside at least, the new Roadster continues the design language we’ve seen on the Model X, Model 3 and updated Model S, but adds a more aggressive edge.
From dynamic-looking rear lights to a sharpened front end – complete with more pronounced wheel arches – the updated Tesla Roadster looks like the meaner cousin of the Model 3, and that can only be a good thing. It’s clearly the best looking car that Elon Musk’s
company has ever made.
The Tesla Model S is powered by a 200 kWh battery pack and three electric motors in total. The rear wheels are powered by one motor each, while the front wheels share power from another motor, and all three combine to give the new Roadster 10,000 Nm of torque – frankly ridiculous number. The Roadster’s range will top out at 620 miles or 1,000km too, though that’s almost certainly when you’re not using much of its performance.