2010 Tesla Roadster
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Tesla Roadster
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Year:2010
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Make:
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Model:
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Horsepower @ RPM:248 @ 4000
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Torque @ RPM:211 @ 0
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Energy:Electric
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0-60 time:3.7 sec.
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Top Speed:125 mph
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Price:109000
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car segment:
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car fuel:
Not long ago, it was hard to use the term "sporty" in the same sentence with the word “electric.” That being said, as the technology progressed, green cars have started to grow faster and stronger, being able to compete against any famous sports car that can be found on today’s roads.
Tesla had a major role in permanently changing our perception of electric cars. Its sporty model - the Roadster – was launched in 2006 and was based on the similarly sporty Lotus Elise. Though, despite sharing the same platform with the Elise, the Roadster was a totally different breed of car.
This green monster is powered by a 248 hp (185 kW) electric motor fed by a 53-kilowatt-hour battery that offers an autonomy of up to 200 miles. However, going green and sporty doesn’t come cheap, as the Tesla Roadster has a starting price of $109,000.
Hit the jump for more details on the Tesla Roadster.
Latest Tesla Roadster news and reviews:
The Roadster Is Probably Tesla’s Most Delayed Vehicle Ever
The second-generation Tesla Roadster, which is supposed to hit the market by 2020, is still nowhere to be seen. It’s nearly the end of 2021, and Tesla apparently has removed pricing information on its website, along with stopping reservations for the Founders Series.
Fastest Electric Cars in the World
There is no dearth of electric cars in the market now. We aren’t just talking about the urban commuters, but also fast electric cars. There are many new automakers that start their electric car journey with fast cars or electric supercars. Companies like Estrema, Aspark, and even Tesla, for that matter, came up with fast electric sports cars or electric supercars. While some have faded into oblivion after showing us promising concepts, some have weathered the storm and are either into production or will enter production.
Here’s a list of the eight fastest electric cars in the world today that are in the production stage or about to enter production. Some of these fast cars are from mainstream automakers, some from established EVmakers, and some from new start-ups.
Big Surprise: New Tesla Roadster Delayed Until At Least 2022
Tesla 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.
The Tesla Roadster Will Try to Straighten The Nürburgring in 2021
The news surrounding the Roadster has surely gotten us frustrated at some point or the other. It was unveiled in 2017 and was expected to hit the roads in 2020, but Tesla made it clear that the Roadster is not its priority and it will arrive later.
Although its arrival date is pushed to 2022 for now, we do get constant updates about it every now and then. This time, it comes from none other than the CEO himself about the Roadster going to Nurburgring. Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that the Roadster will hit the tarmac on the Green Hell next year. From what we know already, can it set a record?
How Much Does a Tesla Cost?
Tesla is, without question, one of the most popular automakers today. The California-based electric car company boasts a sexy — no pun intended — lineup of EVs, ranging from the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. It also has several models in the pipeline, including the Cybertruck, Semi, and the new Roadster. Tesla’s appeal as a car brand is palpable in the streets. You see one, and your eyes immediately gravitate towards the vehicle, as if it’s asking why you haven’t bought a Tesla yet. There, though, lies the rub. See Tesla’s are expensive. The entry-level Model 3 starts at $37,990, but that’s without the myriad of options, accessories, and add-ons that you’re going to be compelled to buy to make the ownership experience worth it. Ultimately, you’re going to have to spend at least $50,000 to get a loaded Tesla Model 3, and that price hits six figures when you opt for the Model S and Model X. So, how much does a Tesla cost when you factor in all the options that are available to a specific model? We took a look at each model that’s out on the market and those that have yet to arrive to give you a clearer picture of how you have to spend.
Will Someone Be Dumb Enough to Pay $1.49 Million for the Very Last First-Gen Tesla Roadster Built?
Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to make a quick detour to Switzerland today, where the last Tesla Roadster ever built popped up on Car For You, a local car sales website. Nothing unusual so far, until you get to see how much the owner is asking for the Roadster.
Can a First-Gen Tesla Roadster Really Pull a Massive Ford F-650?
Tug-of-war became a super hit after Tesla released a video of the Cybertruck towing the F-150 with ease. Since then, we’ve seen all sorts of such wars involving cars; some that are on par with each other, and some radically different. We even saw one vehicle take on three other cars at a time
The two vehicles in question are a Tesla Roadster and a Ford F-650. There is nothing in common between them. It’s more like a family feud that’s still not over. Will the F-650 get the redemption for Ford, or will the Roadster push the scoreboard to 2-0 for Tesla?
This Rendered Video of The Tesla Roadster Shows What a 1.1-Second Sprint to 60 MPH Would Look Like
When Musk announced that the next-gen Roadster will be offered a SpaceX option package that includes rocket thrusters, it took many people by surprise. Although he said that the Roadster pack will “definitely enable it to fly short hops.”, it also meant it will be much faster than the 1.9-second claim. J
Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained worked out the math and concluded that the next-gen Roadster with rocket thrusters will do the sprint in just 1.1 seconds.
Based on this figure, a CGI artist has created a video that depicts what that specific run could look like. Check out the video in the tweet below.
Engineering Explained Says the Tesla Roadster Can Get to 60 MPH in 1.1 Seconds With SpaceX Thrusters
The next-gen Tesla Roadster is going to be a revolutionary car and there’s no doubt about that. The automaker has claimed an 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds for the base model. However, this could probably be the slowest trim in the lineup.
Elon Musk has already said that Tesla will offer the Roadster with a SpaceX option package. According to Engineering Explained’s Jason Fenske, the Roadster with this package will be able to sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 1.1 seconds! Phew!
Did You Know That All Of Tesla’s Products Are Acronymized To Spell SEXY CARS?
Back in February this year, Tesla took part in the Scaled Machine Learning Conference. Tesla’s Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence Andrej Karpathy gave a presentation on the use of artificial intelligence for full self driving.
While the whole presentation is informative and throws light on Tesla’s scaling machine learning models, data algorithms, and infrastructure, there was one particular slide that caught our attention. This showed the whole Tesla range consisting of eight products and the font used to depict them spells out as SEXY CARS. Is this a mere coincidence or an intentional wordplay?
Tesla’s Stock Price Surged By 20 Percent In A Single Day
In a marketplace where companies are finding it hard to compete against one another to maintain steadiness and consistency, Tesla is in a league of its own. The Musk-led company’s stock shot up by 20 percent in a single day, which happens to be its biggest gain in one day since 2013.
The spike happened courtesy of Panasonic’s earnings in its U.S. battery business with Tesla. Tesla stocks are trading at $780 at the time of writing. To put things into perspective, TSLA shares traded at $354 the day the Cybertruck was launched in November, and in just over two months, the prices have more than doubled. Guess it’s time to invest in Tesla if you haven’t already.
You Can Now Buy a Painfully Accurate 1:18 Scale Diecast Model of the 2021 Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is one of the most anticipated vehicles for 2020. Not because the American firm is reviving the nameplate, but because the Roadster 2.0 promises outstanding performance, like more than 7,000 pound-feet of torque, a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 1.9 seconds, and a top speed of more than 250 mph. But all these spectacular figures will come at a cost - an estimated $250,000. Obviously not many will be able to afford the Roadster 2.0, but now you can buy a scale model for just 0.1-percent of the price.
Can the Tesla Roadster Really Be Faster Than Expected or Is This News Just Damage Control for Missed Targets?
0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds. 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds. A quarter-mile run in 8.8 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250 mph. All with a car that can go over 620 miles on a single charge. These were Elon Musk’s claims about the second-generation Tesla Roadster two years ago. If you’re still impressed, don’t be because, apparently, the production version will blow to smithereens the prototype. Or so says its designer.
Elon Musk’s Latest Claim About the Tesla Roadster is As Absurd as it is Potentially Awesome
Elon Musk has made another bold claim regarding the Tesla Roadster’s optional SpaceX package. If the package’s “cold-air thrusters” aren’t ambitious enough, Musk indicated that these thrusters would allow the Roadster to fly. At first, he qualified the term “fly” as the ability to hover or make hops over stretched distances. Now, he’s saying that the Roadster can actually do something akin to the hovering DeLorean from Back to the Future. Perhaps it’s best to assume that Musk is being a little cheeky with this latest boast, but for what it’s worth, he’s also followed through on past claims that were deemed ridiculous at the time. Is this a case of Musk finally biting off more than he can chew, or is he up to something yet again? Either way, the idea of a flying Tesla Roadster is so absurd that it’s actually awesome. Here’s to hoping that there’s more to Tesla’s SpaceX package than what we’ve been let on.
Elon Musk Will Hide the Tesla Roadster’s Rocket Booster in an Odd but Innovative Place
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is no stranger to making bombastic claims, and while some of these claims can be attributed to nothing more than chest-puffing, Musk has proven to follow through on a lot of them. I bring this up because Musk was at it again, revealing new information about the Tesla Roadster’s SpaceX options package, which apparently will include cold air thrusters to help improve the Roadster’s performance capabilities. The thrusters, Musk claims, will “dramatically improve (the Roadster’s) acceleration, top speed, braking, and cornering.” They’ll also be subtle and hidden in plain sight — Musk says they’ll be hidden behind the license plate — suggesting that the thrusters that will come with the Roadster’s SpaceX options package will look less like the ones found in the Batmobile and more like the ones you’d normally see in one of James Bond’s vehicles. Either way, the thought of a car with cold air thrusters in it sounds hokey even in today’s world. But nothing about Elon Musk counts as normal. This is the same dude who built and sold flame throwers because he wanted to. If he says that cold air thrusters will be included in an options package for the upcoming Tesla Roadster, then we’ll probably see it at some point in the future.
Thanks to Tesla’s Autonomy Day, We Get to See the Real Interior of the 2020 Tesla Roadster, Including the Rear Seats
Three days before Tesla reported its devastating losses per share for the Q1 2019, Twitter user Hamid published a compelling and somewhat surprising video of the 2020 Tesla Roadster on its Twitter feed. For the first time, we can see the rear seats and the interior of the upcoming Tesla Roadster. In a short video, Hamid managed to film the interior, show us how to open the 2020 Tesla Roadster doors and reveal the overly minimalistic dashboard. 2020 Tesla Roadster intimate pictures do show a few other curious tidbits too.
This 2020 Tesla Roadster Shooting Brake Has My Mind Firing on All Cylinders
There’s no denying that Tesla has come a long way since it threw a battery pack and a badge on a Lotus and called in the Tesla Roadster. The brand now has four models in its range with a pickup truck and a semi on the way, potential range has nearly doubled compared to the original roadster, and Tesla is on the horizon of finding some pretty stiff competition in a segment it once had a dominating stronghold on. A decade after the original Roadster debuted, Elon Musk presented us with what is, essentially, the second-gen Roadster. This time around, however, it holds the title of being Tesla’s most aggressive-looking model and even delivers supercar-like performance with the caveat that it also comes with a supercar-like price in its best form. So, while the original Tesla Roadster has broken the record by traveling more than any other car in human history (Elon Musk’s roadster that was sent into space), the new roadster is breaking its own records. Even with figures like 7,376 pound-feet of torque, 620 miles per charge, or 0-to-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, we’re never truly happy and always want more. And, that’s exactly why this rendering of the Tesla Roadster as a shooting brake as tickled our interest in a way that few renderings ever do. It’s a forbidden fruit and ever seeing one is a long shot, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream, right?
Elon Musk Makes More Crazy Promises About the Tesla Roadster
We were utterly floored when Tesla dropped details on the forthcoming Roadster 2.0 back in 2017. While we have yet to see this thing outside the confines of a Tesla press release, the new Roadster promises a long list of amazing specs, from a 1.9-second 0-to-60 mph time to 620 miles of range per charge. Now, Musk is upping the insanity to all-new levels, with claims that the new Roadster will offer a SpaceX package that includes rocket thrusters.
Starman and Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster Cruise Past Mars on the Way to Deep Space Nine
Starman seems to be an “out-of-the-world” driver. Giving stiff competition to Le Mans drivers, Starman, in Musk’s Tesla Roadster, has been on it for nine months and has gone beyond the Red Planet. SpaceX shared Starman’s current position in a diagram, showing that the Roadster has reached beyond Mars.
Tesla Launches "Track Mode," Turns Model 3 Into Drift Machine
One of the coolest advantages of electric powertrains over internal combustion engines is that power and torque are available instantly. And this is one of the reasons why the Tesla Model S is the quickest production car with a 0-to-60 benchmark of only 2.5 seconds. Now, Tesla wants to put the Model 3’s instant torque to good use on the race track through a new driving mode. It’s called Track Mode and turns the compact sedan into a drift machine.
Tesla Summon - Your Solution to Two Hour Parking Laws
You could argue that the original automobile was invented to get around the hassle of dealing with horses and all the difficulties associated with using a giant mammal to get from A to B. Sure, that’s a gross simplification, and there were certainly other factors at play, but convenience undoubtedly played a major role all the same. Now, with the advent of autonomous drive systems, our lives are about to get a whole lot easier, as evidenced by this Tesla owner’s novel use of the Summon feature.
Hot Wheels Re-Issues the Tesla Roadster as a Hat Tip to its Falcon Heavy Launch
Hot Wheels is reissuing the Tesla Roadster to commemorate the launch of Elon Musk’s Falcon Heavy rocket earlier this year. The 1:64 scale die-cast comes in a Metallic Dark Red paint, drawing similarities to Elon Musk’s own Roadster, which made the trip to space inside Falcon Heavy. Unfortunately, neither “Starman” nor a 1:4096 miniature Roadster on the dashboard are included in 1:64 scale Roadster
The 2020 Tesla Roadster is a Real Kick in the Ass for Koenigsegg
Koenigsegg has admitted to being bowled over by Tesla’s performance claims for its new Roadster to the point that company engineers went straight to work after realizing that the Roadster’s performance times were indeed possible. Speaking with Top Gear, Koenigsegg chief Christian von Koenigsegg admitted that Tesla had thrown the gauntlet, and it was up to his company to respond. In typical bravado fashion, Koenigsegg is embracing the challenge with plans that could set up an industry-altering showdown with Tesla.
Can You Spot What’s Different on This Tesla Roadster Prototype?
Tesla’s annual shareholder’s meeting had its share of surprises, but one of the biggest highlights from the event was the unveiling of a new prototype for the upcoming Tesla Roadster. The prototype was spotted at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, sitting alongside a Model 3, Model S, Model X, and a Tesla Semi prototype. Curiously, the Roadster was the only model that was cordoned off, suggesting that Tesla wasn’t keen on the idea of letting people get an up-close look at it.
New Tesla Roadster To Run Off Hopes, Dreams, and Unicorn Farts
Introduced in a surprise debut just last November, the next-generation Tesla Roadster sent waves through the industry thanks to its stunning good looks, impressive list of features, and high-tech powertrain. And what a powertrain - Tesla claims it’ll go an incredible 620 miles between plug-ins and hit 60 mph in less than 2 seconds, all while laying down an absurd 10,000 Nm (7,376 pound-feet) of torque through its trio of electric motors. Numbers like these beg belief, but now, in a TopSpeed exclusive, we’re learning just how Tesla’s engineers managed to make them a reality.
Continue reading for the full story.
Budget Direct Renders 7 Sports Cars Built For Off-Roading
These days, it seems like you can’t turn around without bumping into some new SUV tuned to perform like a sports car. But what if you went the other way around, taking a sports car and adding a dash of off-roading goodness? Or maybe try a gallon of off-roading goodness. Well, that’s exactly what Budget Direct did with the following seven renderings.
Continue reading for the full story.
Tesla Roadster 2.0 vs the Rimac C Two - Did Rimac Just Beat Tesla To The Punch?
The world went gaga when Tesla dropped a surprise debut of its next-gen Roadster last November, with analysts and speed fans alike drooling over the claims made by the high-tech EV sports machine. Some of the numbers and specs seemed insane for a street-legal road car, but with an official on-sale date still several years away, there was time for the rest of the industry to catch up. Now, it looks like the Tesla just got one-upped before it could even hit the road, as Rimac dropped the C Two in Geneva with a list of numbers capable of delivering a K.O. punch to the upcoming Roadster 2.0.
Continue reading for the full story.
Falcon Heavy Launch Sends Tesla Roadster And Starman Into The Great Beyond, But Now What?
Earlier this week, SpaceX lit the fuse on its biggest, baddest rocket to date. Dubbed the Falcon Heavy, the test flight was, more or less, a success. But the question remains – where do we go from here? Read on for a full rundown on what happened with the launch, as well as what to expect next.
Continue reading for the full story.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch A Success; Tesla Roadster And Starman Begin Their Journey
Earlier this afternoon, as a multitude of anxious space exploration fans watched with bated breath, the Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from the NASA Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. With all 27 individual Merlin engines lit, the trio of boosters providing more than 5 million pounds of thrust, the Falcon Heavy became the world’s most powerful rocket currently in service, officially launching us into a second Space Age.
Once the first stage was complete, the spent rockets were jettisoned and aimed back at Earth. Moments later, the two side boosters successfully touched down simultaneously on the ground in Florida. The third booster was supposed to land on a drone ship out in the Atlantic, but as it approached, the camera feed cut out due to the extreme vibrations. It’s not yet known if it landed successfully or not, but it’s believed to have crashed into the ocean.
The reusable rockets were designed to make space flight less expensive in the long run. Each Falcon Heavy launch is expected cost around $90 million, while similar flights from government organizations like NASA could cost upwards of $1 billion.
Most importantly though, the Falcon Heavy successfully delivered its payload into orbit. Strapped to the tip of the Falcon Heavy was a first-generation Tesla Roadster (painted in red, or course), complete with “Starman” strapped in at the wheel (Starman being a dummy wearing the SpaceX spacesuit). On the Roadster’s primary infotainment screen were the words “Don’t Panic!”, a reference to Douglas Adam’s classic novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
The goal is to get the Roadster and its Starman passenger into an orbit around the sun that’ll take it by Mars, with the intention being to eventually launch a manned mission to the Red Planet. This successful test launch is the first big step towards that goal. But before it slingshots through the solar system, the Roadster will need to pass through the radiation-filled Van Allen belts, after which there will be a final burn to send Starman towards our planetary neighbor.
Since the launch, social media has been filled with breathtaking imagery, including several shots taken live from the space-traveling drop-top. Make sure to check out the live feed of Starman on YouTube.
The world’s most powerful rocket in operation is about to make its maiden voyage into the heavens. It’s been a long ride with crazy tweets from Elon Musk himself, but sure enough, his very own Tesla Roadster — with Starman at the helm — is the primary payload. And, you better believe Space Oddity will be playing at full blast on repeat for the entire trip.
There’s no telling what will happen. Musk himself has said that it will either be "an exciting success or an exciting failure." Of course, we’re hoping for the former as there’s just something about a Tesla Roadster floating around the solar system that tickles our manhood a little bit. For now, there’s been a small delay thanks to some atmospheric winds, but the launch is scheduled to take place at 3:45 pm EST should everything continue to pan out. For now, we’ll be watching, and you should too!
Elon Musk is Launching His 2008 Tesla Roadster into Space Today
What does a CEO of both an automaker and a rocketmaker do to cross-promote? Why launch a sports car into space. That’s exactly what Elon Musk is doing with his personal 2008 Tesla Roadster during today’s first flight of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket.
The rocket will launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, February 6 with its flight computer programmed for Mars. “[It’s a] red car for a red planet,” Musk tweeted back in December. The module atop the Falcon Heavy will then enter a hyperbolic orbit between Mars and the Sun, which it could theoretically maintain for a billion years. Better yet, the car’s radio will be playing Zarathustra, the theme song from 2001: A Space Odyssey. A mannequin affectionately named “Starman” will also be behind the wheel a wearing a SpaceX spacesuit.
The Falcon Heavy rocket is a huge milestone for SpaceX. While the Tesla Roadster is more of a silly payload, this trial launch will prove SpaceX has its math right. The Falcon Heavy is currently the largest and most powerful rocket in operation and is second only to NASA’s mighty Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo series in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Falcon Heavy is said to have a payload capacity of 70 tons – roughly 2.6 times that of NASA’s shuttle orbiter.
Like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the Falcon Heavy’s main stage will launch its payload toward space before separating and landing itself back on earth. The second stage will continue to run as it escapes earth’s atmosphere and gravitational pull. Of course, Musk isn’t planning to send a fleet of Tesla vehicles into space, but rather has plans for manned missions to the Moon and then onto Mars.
The launch is scheduled to happen between 1:30 and 4:30 pm EST from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, the same one used for Apollo and Shuttle launches.
Elon Musk Demonstrates Falcon Heavy Launch With Tesla Roadster And Starman Payload
We here at TopSpeed are getting stoked for the launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket tomorrow, and this latest animation is just fanning the flames. The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to blast off at 1:30 EST from the NASA Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. Powered by 27 individual Merlin first-stage rockets doling out a combined 5 million pounds of thrust, the Falcon Heavy will be carrying a payload consisting of a first-gen Tesla Roadster, plus “Starman,” a dummy wearing the SpaceX spacesuit, in the driver’s seat.
At about 3-and-a-half minutes in length, the video is an animation that walks us through each stage of the mission, from initial takeoff, to the booster recovery, to the final sendoff for the payload, all of which is set to the audio backdrop of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars?”. All very fitting, considering the endgame is a manned mission to the Red Planet some time in the future. The Roadster will be set on a heliocentric orbit that’ll take it between the Earth and Mars, possibly laying the groundwork for a future Martian colony supply line. While typically these sorts of test missions involve simple weights, the addition of a red sports drop-top manned by a dummy adds a certain artistic quality to it, don’t you think?
SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy Tomorrow With Starman At The Helm Of Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster
The final countdown is now imminent. Following a successful static test, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is now cleared for the real thing, with liftoff scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The payload will include a deep-red first-gen Tesla Roadster with “Starman” strapped into the driver’s seat.
Continue reading for the full story.
Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster Heads to Space Aboard Falcon Heavy on February 6th
Mark your calendars, people. February 6 is going to be a historic day for Elon Musk and SpaceX. After months of hype and speculation, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket space ship will finally make its maiden voyage to space. The launch is historic for so many reasons. It once again puts Musk in the spotlight as the real-life equivalent of Tony Stark, a man whose ego is as big as his goals in life. It so happens that one of Musk’s goals is to build the biggest operational rocket in human history at a third of the cost of more contemporary spaceships. As long as Falcon Heavy’s launch happens without a glitch, Musk will once again be on top of the world, bested only by his Cherry Red Tesla Roadster that’s joining Falcon Heavy in its launch to space.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket to Launch for the First Time in December; Could Carry Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster Into Space
Back in July, we announced the new that Elon Musk might shoot off SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Rocket for the first time before the turn of the year. Come December 1st and Musk has tweeted that the rocket will, indeed, launch soon, but it won’t be until next month, or as of the date of that post, sometime in January of 2018. That goes beyond the “this year” timeframe but is quite exciting considering the number of times that Falcon Heavy has been delayed in the past. According to Musk, it will have double the thrust of the next largest rocket and the launch is “guaranteed to be exciting, one way or another.” Not long after that, Musk tweeted what seems to be a joke, saying “Payload will be my midnight cherry Tesla Roadster playing Space Oddity. Destination is Mars Orbit. Will be in deep space for a billion years or so if it doesn’t blow up on ascent.”
Elon Musk Claims The Tesla Roadster Can Go From 0 to 60 Mph in 1.9 Seconds?
Elon Musk is no stranger to making bombastic claims. This is the same man who once said that autonomous driving technology was at our fingertips. He’s also the same man who said that civilian space travel is possible and traveling at supersonic speeds inside a pressure-sealed tube is the future of public transportation. Don’t look now, but Musk is at it again with a new proclamation that has everyone in the auto industry buzzing. According to him, the new Tesla Roadster, which is scheduled to debut in 2020, is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, becoming the first production car in history to reach that mark in less than two seconds.
The Tesla Roadster Looks like a Blurry Version of the Honda NSX
When the new Aston Martin Vantage came out, I criticized the brand for producing a car that looked like a serious rip off of the Mazda MX-5 Miata. Now, as I was looking over the news from the past week, I see that there’s another look-alike out there, and this time, it looks like Tesla decided to copy the Honda NSX and slap a Tesla Roadster badge on it. Now, it isn’t a blatant and condemning rip-off, and maybe not even as bad as the Vantage vs. MX-5 copying scheme, but it’s pretty bad. I would say the Roadster looks like a blurry version of the NSX – almost like cars in 128-bit video games used to look compared to their real-life counterparts. Don’t believe me? Check out the quick comparison below.
Pops’ Rants: Tesla Needs to Learn that Hype and Fast Cars don’t Pay the Bills
I don’t know about you, but I had way too much Tesla Roadster in my feed this week. If I read one more of those "oh my god, 1.9 seconds to 60 mph" I will probably puke. Heck, I actually feel like puking right now, but I popped in to say "I told you so!" In my previous rant, I slammed the second-generation Roadster and its incredible performance features for being Elon Musk’s desperate attempt to bring in some cash without actually giving something in return. Although the Roadster won’t be available until 2020, Tesla is asking $50,000 for preorders of the regular model and a full $250,000 down payment for the Founders Series. With the latter limited to 1,000 units, we’re talking at least $250 million from preorders for a car that’s three years away. And I’m not even including the Semi truck.
Tesla is in big trouble financially, and making matters worse is the fact that it can’t deliver new products. The Model 3 is behind schedule a few months, with orders for non-Tesla employees opened this month. But customers who have already ordered one won’t get it anytime soon, with full production to commence in March. If we are to believe Tesla of course because more delays are very likely. And the company is losing money big time. What’s more, according to Bloomberg, Tesla spent no less than $4.2 billion over the past 12 months. That’s $8,000 a minute or nearly half a million bucks an hour!
Keep reading for the full story.
Tesla is Hemorrhaging Money at an Alarming Rate
Elon Musk may have surprised the world by debuting the next Tesla Roadster side-by-side with the new Tesla Semi, but that’s not the biggest surprise to come out of the Tesla garage. The title of “biggest surprise” would be reserved for the fact that the company is burning through $8,000 per minute, $480,000 per hour, or $1 billion per quarter. And, at the current rate of expenditure, it is predicted that the company will run out of cash as soon as August of next year.
Thanksgiving Day Special – 7 Cars We’re Thankful For
Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle of daily life, and in the process, forget about all the good things you’ve got going for you. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on those blessings, providing an opportunity to be grateful for what you have. For us car lovers, 2017 brought all kinds of new stuff to be thankful for, with a bevy of outrageous hypercars to drool over and bench race. As such, we’ve put together a list of cars we’re thankful for right here for your enjoyment.
While 2017 certainly brought the goods in terms of high-end performance, we had to toss in a few other models as well, ya know, just to remind us how truly fortunate we are. And, per usual, we wanna know what cars you’re thankful for. It doesn’t have to be some top-shelf, 250-mph insane-o machine. Perhaps you’re thankful for your trusty daily driver, which reliably ferries you to and fro without issue. Let us know in the comments. And oh yeah – Happy Thanksgiving!
Continue reading to learn more about the cars we’re thankful for.
Is Tesla Working on a Flying Version of the Roadster?
Tesla just unveiled the next-generation Roadster and the preliminary (still theoretical) performance figures are downright shocking. From 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and a top speed of over 250 mph to a range of at least 600 miles, the second-generation Roadster will move the electric car (and the entire automobile industry for that matter) into a whole new era. Assuming it will live up Elon Musk’s claims, that is! But things got even more interested over the weekend when Musk tweeted that the crazy numbers above are for the base model, with an upgrade to take things up a notch.
"Should clarify that this is the base model performance. There will be a special option package that takes it to the next level," he said. Holy molly. What does that even mean? Will the Roadster get even quicker that 1.9 seconds to 60 mph? Will the range increase to 700 or 800 miles on a single charge? Are we getting some sort of track-spec model? Is Elon Musk on drugs or something?
But wait, there’s more. On Sunday, Must tweeted again, now saying that the special performance upgrade could enable the Roadster to fly "short hops." I kid you not; these are his words: "Not saying the next-gen Roadster special upgrade package *will* definitely enable it to fly short hops, but maybe... Certainly possible. Just a question of safety. Rocket tech applied to a car opens up revolutionary possibilities."
Is Musk Serious about This?
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Pops’ Rants: Tesla’s Uber-fast Roadster Is Proof that Elon Musk Is Desperate
Boy, these past two weeks have been all about high-speed and high-power action. I barely had time to get over Koenigsegg’s new world speed record and Chevrolet launched its monstrous Corvette ZR1 yet. Now, with the weekend upon us, Tesla took the wraps off its new semi truck and the second-generation Roadster. Neither are ready to go into production just yet, but the preliminary data hints at tremendous performance and new benchmarks for the electric car market. The Roadster’s 0-to-60 mph sprint only 1.9 seconds probably caused a few heart strokes over at Ferrari quarters. And I have a feeling that the guys working on the next-generation Nissan GT-R Nismo aren’t feeling better either. But behind Tesla’s new tour de force hides Elon Musk’s fear that his automobile brand may not succeed as planned.
It may seem that Tesla is simply pushing the envelope and presenting the world with revolutionary electric cars, but there’s more to this showcase. Tesla is actually struggling to keep its promises. The new Model 3, which is supposed to become the affordable electric car everyone is dreaming about, is late to the party. Production isn’t going as planned and it seems that the Model X fiasco is happening all over again. On top of that, the Model S isn’t getting the best reviews and Consumer Reports isn’t very optimistic about the Model 3’s reliability. So Tesla needs to find a way to keep all the hype alive, and the upcoming Roadster is the perfect car for this. The strategy is simple, unveiled a cool looking prototype, claim it will hit 60 mph in less than two seconds, set a big preorder price, and wait for the cash to fix ongoing problems.
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Quick Comparo: Tesla Roadster - New vs. Old
Tesla just unveiled the second-generation Roadster and launched a big shock wave around the world. It’s not the Roadster’s return that took us by surprise, but the incredible specs that the car comes with. Not only set to become the quickest production vehicle ever with a 0-to-60 mph sprint of only 1.9 seconds, it also has a 250-mph top speed. The latter is downright spectacular for gasoline-powered supercar and I honestly didn’t think I’d live to see a production EV hit that much. But before we get overly excited, we must remember that the second-gen Roadster won’t become available until 2020. And given Tesla’s habit of delaying production, it may take a bit longer than that.
Many details are still under wraps, but Tesla made sure that all the new Roadster’s spectacular features hit the news. So we now have quite a few figures to compare with the first-generation Roadster. It takes just a quick glance to notice that Tesla made tremendous progress since 2008, and this is exactly why we need to put the numbers next to each other. While the first Roadster marked Tesla’s debut on the market and the beginning of a spectacular career for the California-based brand (albeit sprinkled with plenty of issues), the second Roadster could take Elon Musk’s firm to new heights. If all goes according to plan of course, because it may happen the other way around too.
This comparison is far from complete given that the latest Roadster is far from being a production model, but the aim is to look at Tesla’s progress rather than provide an comprehensive comparo.
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2020 Tesla Roadster
Back in 2008, a little upstart EV company named Tesla threw a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor into a Lotus Elise and called it the Roadster. It was the very first model to bear the Tesla badge, and it was the first highway-legal series production all-electric car to travel more than 200 miles in a single charge. Now, nearly 10 years and several remarkable models later, Tesla is at it again, revealing a second-generation Roadster in a surprise debut alongside its new all-electric semi truck. While it’s still several years away from hitting public roads, Tesla dropped a variety of specs and numbers for the Roadster 2.0, and long story short, this thing is shaping up to be an absolute monster. If it really can do everything that Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims it can, the second-gen Roadster will set numerous performance records, including quickest to 60 mph, quickest to 100 mph, and quickest in the quarter mile. And that includes internal combustion-based production vehicles, by the way. It’ll also set new standards for EVs in the realms of range per charge and top speed. This is faster than Insane Mode. This is faster than Ludicrous Mode. This, dear readers, is straight up Plaid.
While we knew Tesla had a new Roadster coming down the pipeline, few would have guessed what it might be capable of. We even put together a speculative piece about a potential Tesla supercar a while back, but it turns out the California automaker combined the two ideas into one incredible world-beater. “The point of doing this is to just give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” says Musk. “Driving a gasoline sports car is gonna feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.” Indeed, the Tesla Roadster 2.0 is framed as a bona fide halo car, an ultra-quick speed machine that’ll show Tesla’s true performance potential. Read on for the details.
Updated 11/17/2017: Tesla just revealed the new Roadster!
Continue reading to learn more about the 2020 Tesla Roadster.
Tesla Makes Surprise Debut Of Next-Gen Roadster
Following the debut of its new semi truck, Tesla dropped a bombshell with the surprise reveal of its second-generation Roadster. The specs on this thing are simply outlandish – 0-to-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, which would make it the first production car to break the 2-second barrier in the test. The sprint to 100 mph will take 4.2 seconds, while the quarter mile is dispatched in 8.9 seconds. Top speed is rated at over 250 mph. Torque output comes to a mind-bending 10,000 Nm (that’s 7,376 pound-feet, by the way). This thing is a world-beater in every single sense, capable of setting multiple world records, and Musk knows it, quipping that the new Roadster is basically a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,” and that after driving the Roadster 2.0, internal combustion would feel like “a steam engine with a side of quiche.”
No kidding. Not only do the acceleration specs blow away the current crop of dino juice sports cars, but the new Tesla Roadster also has the stamina to back its insane performance. Packing a 200-kWh battery and three motors (yep, its AWD), range-per-charge is an astonishing 620 miles on the highway, which means it would have the most range of any production electric car ever made. Throw in the 2+2 seating arrangement and some decent storage (frunk for the win?), and you can bet the big makes are feeling the heat right about now. And oh yeah, it also looks fantastic, rocking a targa top for extra headroom if you want it. The cherry on top? This is the base model, which means more range and more speed are on the way.
Availability for the second-gen Tesla Roadster is scheduled for 2020. Pricing will be around $200,000, although the first 1,000 units will be dubbed the Founder series and will cost at least $250,000. Reservations are open now, with a $50,000 deposit required for the standard model and the full $250,000 required to reserve a unit from the Founder series.
Is Tesla Bringing Back The Model That Started It All?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter account is a great follow, largely because he uses it as a tool to drop some pretty important information about the company. Remember that “big announcement” that turned out to be the next-generation Autopilot system? Well, Musk’s at it again when he replied to a question posed by Uber Design Manager Jelle Prins, who asked Musk if Tesla had plans to bring back the Tesla Roadster.
Musk’s reply? “Some years away, but yes.”
The revelation isn’t exactly “new” news because talk of a new Tesla Roadster has been inside the oven for quite some time. In fact, Tesla’s Nordic Countries manager Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen made similar comments back in May when he said that the Roadster will not only make a return, but it would also look “a little different, little faster, and little bigger” than the original model that was sold from 2008 to 2012.
Bardenfleth-Hansen’s comments were significant, but not as important as coming from the man that runs the whole company. With Musk essentially confirming that the Roadster will return, the speculation surrounding the car will undoubtedly pick up steam as more information about it becomes available.
For better or worse though, such information is unlikely to come soon, since, as Musk put it, the model is still “some years away.” In addition, talk of a Roadster wasn’t even included in Tesla’s second “Master Plan” that Musk outlined back in July 2016. Recent rumors about the new Roadster event pegged it for a 2019 debut so that’s still a full two years away.
A lot can happen in that time and while Musk’s comments are the clearest response we’ve had of the new Roadster’s status, additional details about it are obviously most welcome.
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This Tesla Roadster Prototype Could Be Yours For $1 Million
Valued at more than $4 billion, Tesla Motors is among the 100 most valuable brands in the world as of 2016. This spectacular achievement is the result of the success the company had with the Model S and Model X, but it’s also due to the massive investments the company made to create innovative technology that made owning an electric car a much simpler experience. With Tesla experiencing its greatest period yet, some owners are now trying to make a few extra bucks off the company’s increasingly popular name. Specifically, someone listed an early Tesla Roadster prototype on eBay for no less than $1 million.
The vehicle in question was built in 2008 and based on its VIN, is the 32nd Roadster ever made. This makes it one of approximately 33 prototypes built, some of which were destroyed for crash testing. Not only rare, the electric drop-top also features the early gear shift knob not found on most production model and it’s in tip-top condition, with just 18,100 miles on the clock.
Now with its third owner, the Roadster is registered in California and it’s in perfect working condition with a battery range of about 160 miles. The owner claims to have detailed service records, including documentation from when the power module replaced by Tesla’s service center, and says that this specific model was originally used as a marketing vehicle. The car comes with a hard top, soft top, portable charger, and 240V wall charger.
The ad will expire Monday, October 17, unless someone actually pays one million bucks. The "Make Offer" button suggests that the owner is willing to negotiate.
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In case it hasn’t been quite obvious until now, Tesla Motors does things rather differently than other carmakers, newer or older. Which is why you can learn about about some of its future plans just by having a look at its CEO’s Twitter posts, something that cannot be said about any other car manufacturer. The latest example comes in the form of a Tweet by Elon Musk, who mentions that his company is working on a rather special type of charger. "Btw, we are actually working on a charger that automatically moves out from the wall & connects like a solid metal snake. For realz." That is direct quote from Musk’s verified Twitter account, by the way.
After recently announcing that it has started to test a battery-swapping system and then that the Roadster gets a rather thorough "3.0" update, all in the span of two weeks, Tesla keeps the shocking news (no pun intended) coming into 2015 as well. From the pretty direct explanation that Musk gave, the new charger should look very much like the cameras used by SWAT teams to look around corners in certain missions. Instead of being controlled by a person, it would find the car’s charging socket on its own, automatically — kind of like those robotic vacuum cleaners that go back to their charging station by themselves.
Since this is all the information that was contained in that Tweet, it is pretty hard to speculate more on the specifications of this autonomous charger and/or when it will be available. We will just have to let Elon Musk surprise us again in the future and release the charging thingamajig later in 2015.
Click past the jump to read more about Tesla’s future charger.
Introduced back in 2008, the Roadster was Tesla’s first-ever production vehicle and the first car to become a rolling ambassador for the brand, so it is only natural that the Californian company has nothing but love for it. Essentially, the car is a thoroughly modified Lotus Elise that has been converted to run exclusively on electricity, thus also making it the first-ever electric sports car that was produced in a significant number. In total, around 2,600 units were manufactured, with production ending back in 2012. As we enter the 2015 model year, there is not a new Roadster coming, but instead an update to the older models that extends its EV range.
Its 4-pole AC induction motor was reworked in the Roadster S version to give the car a naught-to-60-mph acceleration of just 3.7 seconds, not exactly bad numbers considering its EPA range of 244 miles. With the "3.0 package," Tesla reckons that its range will increase by a predicted 40 to 50 percent in ideal conditions, and it will try to put its money where its mouth is by taking an updated Roadster over 400 miles in a non-stop drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the beginning of 2015. According to the company, a new battery pack needs to finish a safety validation before appointments for upgrading Roadsters will commence sometime in the Spring of 2015, when all owners can receive the new modifications that will enhance their range.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 Tesla Roadster 3.0.
With most Tesla fans and owners getting a little bit tired with all the unkept promises that the American EV company has made in the last couple of years, one of Elon Musk’s recent Tweets will probably come as a huge surprise. The Tony Stark-like CEO announced that the many-times postponed Tesla Roadster update will finally arrive in the last week of 2014. While his single Tweet about the matter is about as full of suspense as a Hitchcock movie, Musk also revealed that "Several crisis issues w higher priority pushed this out longer than expected," leaving everyone to guess what actually happened.
Since the original news of the update came at the 2014 annual shareholder meeting, quite a lot of media outlets have tried to speculate on what the improvement(s) will consist off. Currently the best bet is on a retrofit kit for the Roadster, which should finally make it compatible with the ever-growing Supercharger network. This would allow even much more usage of the British-born and American-powered sports car, especially since most of them were sold in California, where Superchargers are all over the place.
The second bet, which would also be a rather significant update, is the availability of a new and improved battery pack that can allow the Tesla Roadster to drastically improve its EPA range of 244 miles. Naturally, both ideas could be implemented in the update, letting owners choose which one they want, if not both. Either way, Elon Musk promised something "fairly exciting," so it should be something much more than just a new software version. Maybe even more power?
Click past the jump to read more about Tesla Roadster.
Not long ago, it was hard to use the term "sporty" in the same sentence with the word “electric.” That being said, as the technology progressed, green cars have started to grow faster and stronger, being able to compete against any famous sports car that can be found on today’s roads.
Tesla had a major role in permanently changing our perception of electric cars. Its sporty model - the Roadster – was launched in 2006 and was based on the similarly sporty Lotus Elise. Though, despite sharing the same platform with the Elise, the Roadster was a totally different breed of car.
This green monster is powered by a 248 hp (185 kW) electric motor fed by a 53-kilowatt-hour battery that offers an autonomy of up to 200 miles. However, going green and sporty doesn’t come cheap, as the Tesla Roadster has a starting price of $109,000.
Hit the jump for more details on the Tesla Roadster.