Tesla’s new Roadster wows on public debut
DEPOSIT holders and potential future customers were invited to take a closer look at the new Tesla Roadster last week when the electric supercar made its first public appearance in Switzerland.
Following a surprise unveiling last November, the display at Grand Basel in Switzerland was the first opportunity to take a closer look at the model, which Tesla boss Elon Musk says will “give a hardcore smack down to gasoline cars”.
The Roadster on display is still a prototype, but is representative of the car that will go into production in 2020.
Instead of an electrically retractable hard-top, the car will have a glass section of roof that has to be removed by hand and stowed in a dedicated compartment. The Roadster’s cabin was off-limits because the US firm is planning to officially reveal the interior at a later date. However, we do know it will feature a 2+2 seating layout.
Power comes from a 200kwh battery pack and three electric motors. Two motors power each of the rear wheels, with a single motor feeding the front wheels, making it four-wheel drive. Tesla says the new Roadster produces 10,000Nm of “wheel torque” and has a range of 1,000km (620 miles).
The car’s top speed will be above 250mph, and Musk claims 0-60mph will take 1.9 seconds. While production of the Roadster will begin in 2020, we don’t know when the first models will be delivered; buyers can place a $50,000 (£38,600) deposit to reserve one.