Remember the Tesla Roadster? Of course, you do – it’s the perpetually delayed sports car that Elon Musk has teased for years. With wild promises about record-breaking acceleration, space-age technology, and enough hype to fill the Grand Canyon, the Roadster is supposed to redefine electric performance. But lately, the updates have been few and far between, leaving enthusiasts and curious onlookers unsure about the Roadster’s fate.
After months of silence, Musk has taken to social media with new claims about this mythical electric vehicle. And while we would love to experience a 2.7g acceleration those are really hard to believe.
Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster.
There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2024
Let’s cut to the chase: Musk is now claiming the Roadster will catapult from 0 to 97 km/h in under one second. Even more outlandishly, he’s hinting at a collaboration with SpaceX to – we kid you not – put rocket thrusters on the car. These bold pronouncements arrive on the heels of years of delays and revised specs, raising more than a few eyebrows among Tesla fans and critics alike.
So, after countless delays, what does Tesla actually have on its hands? Musk says a production design will be finalized this year, with shipments aiming for 2025. Even if we set aside the talk of rocket boosters, the numbers quoted are rather iffu. Tesla claims it will be a four-seater with a removable glass roof. That’s hardly what you’d call a traditional ‘roadster,’ but then again, breaking the mold is what Tesla does, right?
Here’s where things get even more unbelievable: If Musk’s claims prove true, we’re looking at a car with a 0-60 mph time that will not only eclipse hypercars, but will also bend the laws of physics. The reported top speed exceeds 402 km/h, and the range of 998 km will derive from a massive battery pack. The price tag? A cool €190,000 to start, with a Founders Edition bumping that up to €233,000.
Lately Elon Musk is arguably better known for his showmanship than he is for his electric vehicles. For nearly a decade he’s been hyping up self-driving capabilities that are still in development, and his recent Twitter acquisition has seen more drama than most prime-time television shows. The man knows how to create a buzz and make headlines. But we’ve been down this road before with the Roadster. First announced back in 2017, if it ever becomes real, it’ll be Tesla’s most delayed project.
You only need to look at the Cybertruck, which after numerous delays is finally shipping and owners are realizing nobody, not even Tesla’s genius engineers can quite deliver what Elon promised. So it’s fair to be both excited and skeptical about the Tesla Roadster. The potential for a truly groundbreaking EV is there, but odds of it making any deadlines or matching the performance promised by the CEO are slim to none. .
