Rumors and some leaked information from The Information suggest that Tesla is gearing up for the launch event of the next-gen Roadster electric sports car.
There has been no official word on this matter, even days after this report went viral. According to Reuters, Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on this either.
Today is 17th August; we are less than a couple of weeks away from the end of the month. In my opinion, if this grand unveiling were so near, Tesla would have at least released a teaser, followed by invites to investors, the media, and influencers.
Tesla Roadster has a special place in the company’s history. It was the first car that unlocked the feasibility of electric cars as practical.
Therefore, the US-based EV maker wants to keep the Roadster special in several ways and to make it technologically more advanced than any other sports car on the market today. I see a very slim chance of the Roadster launch event this month.
Earlier this year, Elon Musk said that the Roadster will be unveiled in April. However, for reasons largely unknown, Tesla had to forgo the 2nd unveiling of the Roadster (the first was in 2017, along with the Semi-truck).
At his last Tesla Roadster unveiling, Musk said that the event would be a “banger next-level”. This shows his intention to be loud about the matter, not discreet. He likes to play with the mainstream media all the time; this information leak about the August reveal might just be intentional.
Flying Tesla Roadster (No)
Headlines have been suggesting a ‘flying’ Tesla Roadster. However, this is not the case in actuality, even though he once said, “The new Tesla Roadster can fly.”
What Musk promised with SpaceX rocket thrusters is an insane 0-60 mph acceleration time of around 1 second. This was in 2020.
In the last 6 years, Tesla and SpaceX have advanced their respective technologies and vehicle engineering. The 0-60 mph time with SpaceX thrusters can even be below 1 second.
While the new Tesla Roadster will be capable of short bursts of power through specially designed SpaceX rocket thruster technology, this doesn’t mean it will become a flying car.
SpaceX thrusters will be mostly used for forward acceleration; at these speeds, the car can feel like it’s flying. Tesla can offer a function that rotates the thrusters downward when the car is in Park (stationary), levitating it for brief moments.
Even this is going to be very interesting to observe and for owners to have. A flying sports car is totally a different thing.
New Roadster Design-Refresh
As we’ve discussed above, it has been almost 9 years since Tesla unveiled the prototype of the new Tesla Roadster. Tesla Roadster’s design already appears outdated. It also does not complement the new cyber design language that’s visible in the Cybertruck, the Cybercab, and the new Model Y Juniper.
After the Tesla Semi-truck design update, the new Tesla Roadster will be the second vehicle from the automaker to receive a design refresh in its prototype stage.
Tesla is going to give the next-gen Tesla Roadster a major makeover. It will look considerably different compared to the current Roadster prototypes. Elon Musk has previously said that it will get ‘radical design changes’.
The front fascia and headlights of the Roadster prototype have already been transitioned to the new Tesla Model 3 Highland. Tesla is not going to repeat this front design on the Roadster.
This new design update is most probably going to be the best yet by Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and his team at the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California.
Performance, Engineering, Expected Specs
In the last decade, Tesla has made astonishing progress in the physical and software engineering of its vehicles. In addition to the design update that it will get, it will also boast a ton of subtle and noticeable technological upgrades.
According to Tesla’s claims, the current first-generation Roadster prototypes have a 200 kWh battery pack (the Cybertruck has ~123 kWh for reference). It’s another debate about how Tesla managed to fit such a large battery.
Tesla is eyeing a 0-60 mph acceleration time of less than 1 second for the new Roadster. With advancements in battery tech, design, engineering, and software over the years, this looks much more feasible than when it was first revealed in 2017.
A reasonable range number will suffice for most customers if the Roadster delivers its performance in a straight line and on race tracks.
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Related Tesla Roadster News, Videos, and Updates
- Tesla to reportedly unveil the next-gen Roadster in August, with SpaceX thrusters of-course
- Musk hints at new Tesla Roadster unveiling date, “It will be a banger next-level,” he says
- Tesla teases a big launch on Tuesday, 10/7 — is it the new Roadster?
- Tesla Roadster to get radical design changes, an even better 0-60 time, and shipped next year — Elon Musk
- Next-gen Tesla Roadster production to start next year, says Elon Musk
- Tesla’s Next-gen Roadster is on display at the Petersen Auto Museum (pics, video)
 intends to unveil the next-gen Roadster in August. Know if it will happen or is it going to be a flying car or not.){kind=link}