Although it feels like Tesla is in the process of self-immolating, slowly becoming a has-been car company, there’s apparently still stuff being developed behind closed doors. Personally, I’ve been waiting for the second-generation Roadster since Tesla announced it more than five years ago.
But in recent months, I gave up on that dream as nothing seemed to be going well for the automaker after Tesla CEO Elon Musk threw an H bomb at his company, a bomb fueled by his erratic behavior and far-right political activism, to say nothing of his awkward intimacy with President Donald Trump.
It all had a disastrous effect on Tesla’s reputation, too, which directly translated into poor sales throughout Q1 and Q2, particularly for the equally controversial Cybertruck. Anyway, it seems like the Roadster project is still in the works. At least, according to a Tesla executive. A working “demo” will apparently soon see the light of day.
The Second-Generation Roadster Will Be The Embodiment Of Tesla’s Performance Legacy
Historically, Tesla has been known not just for its innovation in battery technology, charging, and autonomous cars, but for performance, too. Models like the first Roadster, as well as the Performance and Plaid models, have allowed Tesla to become highly respected by enthusiasts alike. Including myself. The Roadster is also where everything started at Tesla, back when Tesla was the cool, hip EV startup nobody saw coming.
So, this new one is a big deal for many reasons. Tesla, along with Musk, has also pumped us up with very high expectations; that the car will be one hell of a performance machine, with promises of it being the fastest-accelerating production car in the world, and even borrowing rocket-ship technology from SpaceX. There’s a lot of hype here!
Anyway, Lars Moravi, Tesla’s Vice President of vehicle engineering, re-opened the Roadster book during an interview on the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley YouTube channel. In a nutshell, he promised that a functional, running example would be presented by the end of this year. Moravi added that in a world of automation, and as Tesla pushes its robotaxi agenda, the Roadster will be the last best driver’s car.
Roadster is definitely still in development. It’s a super-cool product. We have spent a lot of time over the last few years rethinking what we did and why we did it. Trying to make the best driver’s car, I guess. Given where Tesla is going with autonomy, and driving cars is turning into a luxury, then the Roadster’s got to be the best.
– Lars Moravi, Tesla’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering
In many ways, the next Roadster will be the embodiment of everything Tesla has brought to the world of performance. It’s expected to launch harder than even the most visceral Rimac, achieve top speeds never before seen by a Tesla-branded vehicle, and even out-handle the best supercars on sale. At least, these have all been Musk’s claims about his upcoming convertible electric sports car. We’ll have to see it to believe it.
Tesla Apparently Showed Elon “Some Cool Demos”
Moravi went on to say that his team showed Musk some running demos of the new Roadster and that Elon was impressed and excited about the future of this nameplate. He also admitted that the SpaceX package, which is rumored to use thrusters to enhance the car’s performance (not sure how that will happen), is obviously a difficult “hurdle” in the car’s development. Lars Moravi underlined the engineering challenges related to fuel-to-weight ratios between a car and a rocketship. I can’t believe I just wrote that.
But Lars said that his team has found solutions around these roadblocks, stating that they (Tesla) found ways to “put the mass where it needs to be”, making sure the car’s weight-distribution isn’t set off by the added technology. Tesla and SpaceX have actively been working in sync on the Roadster project, he says, which, according to Moravi, has been a super-fun and enriching experience as an engineer.
At the same time, Lars Moravi reflected on Tesla’s reputation in recent months, and how it has affected him and his team during the development of new projects. He says that, in engineering, it’s quite easy to put your head down and just grind, and his team has been doing a lot of that lately.
He basically summed it up by saying that he and his team focused on the products they were working on, which kept them motivated to move forward with new ideas like the recently revealed Tesla Diner. As for the new Roadster, it’s still unclear what kind of battery will power it, or how much horsepower it’ll put down. There’s no information on range and charging either, and no pricing yet announced. We’ll keep following its development closely and will report back here once we know more.
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