Delays are slowly but surely becoming a part of Tesla’s business model
by Tudor Rus, onTesla had another moment of internet glory and hype as the Interwebs were filled with interior renders of the revised Model S and Model X. Specifically, it was the yoke-style steering wheel that caught everyone’s attention, even though it might not make it into production.
However, not everything is milk and sugar for the EV maker and its fan/customer base as the Roadster has been hit with a delay.
According to Inside EVs, Tesla will finish engineering the Roadster this year and production would only commence in 2022. The outlet quotes a response by Elon Musk on Twitter, who, when asked “what happened to the roadster?”, replied with “finishing engineering this year, production starts next year. Aiming to have release candidate design drivable late summer. Tri-motor drive system & advanced battery work were important precursors.”
The full thread is embedded below:
While we are not surprised by the delay itself given Tesla’s rap sheet, it is understandable that the carmaker wants to come up with an issue-free Roadster. After all, this is the nameplate that introduced Tesla to the car world and while it tends to be forgotten amid today’s SEXY + Cybertruck range, it still weighs heavy in the manufacturer’s history.
Just like the model before it, the new $200,000 Roadster is set to put Tesla on the performance map, too. Unlike its other vehicle, the Roadster is developed as an out-and-out sports car. We saw a prototype back in 2017 and around the same time Musk came out trumpeting mind-boggling specs, such as a 0-60 mph sprint doable in 1.9 seconds, 8.8-second quarter mile run, and a top speed of over 250 mph.
Elsewhere, the Roadster is not the only upcoming Tesla plagued by delays. According to Electrek, Elon Musk said during Tesla’s Q4 2020 earnings call that “if we [Tesla] get lucky, we’ll be able to do a few deliveries toward the end of this year, but I expect volume productions to begin in 2022.” This comes in the wake of Musk admitting that building the Cybertruck would pose challenges and ask for new manufacturing methods.
Without any more details on the topic, we expect both the Roadster and the Cybertruck to arrive in 2022. Otherwise, Tesla might have to deal with a bunch of frustrated, if not angry customers.
| 0-to-60 mph | 1.9 seconds |
|---|---|
| 0-to-100 mph | 4.2 seconds |
| Quarter mile | 8.9 seconds |
| Top speed | 250+ mph |
| Range per charge | 620 miles |
| Battery pack | 200 kWh |
| Electric motors | 3 (one in front, two in rear) |
| Torque | 10,000 Nm |
