Elon Musk is a master promoter for his array of high-end electric vehicles. He’s just announced two new products, including what he’s marketing as the fastest street-legal roadster ever made.
In addition to revealing plans for an electric semi-truck, Musk surprisingly announced the reboot of the roadster that launched his company. But it’s a far superior vehicle than debuted in 2008.
According to Musk, the new generation of the roadster via prototype track testing will accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. It’s predicted to have a top speed of more than 250 miles per hour. And it will have a range of 620 miles on one full charge.
The new Tesla Roadster won’t be available until 2020 and it will have a base price of $200,000.
In 2006, Tesla announced its first vehicle and it was available two years later. Tesla first electric sports car was rated by the EPA with a range of 244 miles and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in just under four seconds. It had a top speed of 125 mph.
Musk also stated in his announcement that the new “base model” roadster will advance from 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds and will complete the quarter mile in 8.9 seconds. (Media reports state the official specs state 8.8 seconds.)
The new roadster’s additional specs: three motors (two in rear, one in front) four seats and a removable glass roof that can be stored in the trunk. The all-wheel-drive, second-generation roadster will also have 10,000 Nm of torque.
During his unveiling, Musk said the new roadster would take drivers from San Francisco to Los Angeles at highway speeds on a single charge.
“The point of doing this is just to give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” Musk said. He also added: “Giant people simply wouldn’t fit in the rear.”
Article Last Updated: November 17, 2017.