Tesla’s Next Gen Roadster is a beast: 0-60 in 1.9 sec., 620 miles of range

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the wraps off of the “something else” at the Tesla Semi event Thursday night, revealing the company’s next generation Roadster. Making a grand entrance onto the airport runway before thousands in attendance at the Jet Center in Hawthorne, CA was a gorgeous red Roadster piloted by Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen.

The second generation of its first ever production car released in 2008, the Tesla Roadster, will not only be the company’s quickest accelerating car in its fleet, but also the world’s quickest on many levels. The Next Gen Roadster will accelerate from 0-60mph in a vertigo-inducing 1.9 seconds and 1/4 mile in 8.9 seconds. By comparison, supercar exotics like the Bugatti Veyron, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren 720s tip the 1/4 mile scales at just shy of 10 seconds.

And why build something so seemingly outrageous? “The point of doing this is to give a hardcore smack down to gasoline cars” says Musk before a cheering crowd at the event. “These are all world records.” he adds.

Musk revealed the following specification for Tesla’s Next Gen Roadster:

• 0-60 mph: 1.9 seconds (before upgrades)
• 1/4 mile: 8.9 seconds (first time any production car has broken 9 seconds in 1/4 mile)
• Power: 10,000 nm Torque
• Range: 620 miles (998 kilometers)
• Battery size: 200 kWh
• Top speed: 250+ mph
• Production timeline: 2020
• Drivetrain: 3 electric motors
• Seating: 4 passengers in a 2+2 configuration
• Amenities: removable roof

Capable of traveling 620 miles of range per single charge, nearly 1,000 kilometers, the Roadster’s 200 kWh battery pack will be the company’s largest yet and double the battery capacity of its current flagship P100D and 100D vehicles. Musk noted during his presentation that the Next Gen Roadster will be able to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and back, without needing to stop and charge.

Musk did not reveal a price for the electric hot rod but did hint at a 2020 production.

Tesla’s Roadster was the first highway legal production all-electric car to travel more than 200 miles (320 km) per charge released in 2008 in limited production. The Silicon Valley-based electric car maker sold approximately 2,450 Roadsters in over 30 countries before discontinuing production and making way for its long-range Model S sedan.

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