When Tesla introduced a new Roadster, It noted that the 1.9-second 0-60 MPH time was a present in the base model implying that there may be headroom for even higher performance. but is there? Apparently, yes. Elon Musk has clarified that there’ll be a “special features package” that with the Roadster’s speed to “the next level.” It’s vague, to make sure (does this include Founders Edition models?), but it will indicate that what Tesla quoted wasn’t necessarily the best it could muster.
Should clarify that this is the base model performance. There will be a special option package that takes it to the next level.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2017
Tesla is easy to make these promises once the 1st Roadsters are not expected to ship until 2020. This gives a lot of time to tackle the challenge and find out exactly how much power they are wringing out from this design. However, it is far more reliable than a faster car. Holding a 200kWh battery is the key to the Roadster’s breakneck pace (twice what a Model S P100D has) into a compact body. It does not take a dramatically big power pack to see significant gains, also considering the added weight that typically comes with larger eV batteries.
However, even a modest improvement could make the Roadster hard to beat, at least in some situations. Currently, a 0-60 time fastest factory outside of Tesla belongs to Dodge’s challenger SRT Demon at 2.3 sec, and that is a stripped down single seater. There are cars with higher high speeds, like Koenigsegg’s Agera RS, but they are either no longer in production or are not as quick to hit the 60 MPH mark. Given by the roadster to up to Tesla’s bragging, it may just face serious competition once other car manufacturers commit to electric super-cars.
