Photo: Theophilus Chin
When asked about the possibility of bringing a successor to the Tesla Roadster to market, Elon Musk tweeted back what is, in essence, an a-OK. “Some years away, but yes,” he said. Now that the fire is lit, the time is high for us to pour a bit of gas on it.
Officially dead since the fourth quarter of 2012, the Tesla Roadster is the car that got the ball rolling for the Palo Alto-based electric vehicle manufacturer. Over the course of four years, Tesla sold just about 2,500 units of the thing.
Exclusivity aside, the Roadster wasn’t exactly the game changer the Model S is. The range wasn’t exactly brilliant, nor was the styling or interior appointments. Its party trick, however, was acceleration and handling. After all, bear in mind that the Roadster is, at heart, a Lotus Elise sports car with an electric motor instead of a supercharged four-cylinder Toyota engine.
Elon Musk’s tweet announcing a successor for the Roadster shouldn’t come as a surprise to diehard Tesla fans. Last year, the automaker’s official blog posted a story titled “Three Dog Day”, which ends with the following words: “There is of course only one thing beyond ludicrous, but that speed is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid.”
Not so fast, though. Remember that Tesla currently has its hands full with three projects: the Model 3, Gigafactory 1, and the expansion of the Fremont factory. Another task that has the potential to set back the debut for the second-generation Tesla Roadster comes in the automaker’s relentless efforts in making Level 5 fully autonomous driving technology a reality.
What's more, Tesla Motors has a record of not being able to keep its promises. With hindsight, the second-gen Roadster could be pushed backed to 2020, maybe later. On that note, Model R would be a fitting name.
Exclusivity aside, the Roadster wasn’t exactly the game changer the Model S is. The range wasn’t exactly brilliant, nor was the styling or interior appointments. Its party trick, however, was acceleration and handling. After all, bear in mind that the Roadster is, at heart, a Lotus Elise sports car with an electric motor instead of a supercharged four-cylinder Toyota engine.
Elon Musk’s tweet announcing a successor for the Roadster shouldn’t come as a surprise to diehard Tesla fans. Last year, the automaker’s official blog posted a story titled “Three Dog Day”, which ends with the following words: “There is of course only one thing beyond ludicrous, but that speed is reserved for the next generation Roadster in 4 years: maximum plaid.”
Not so fast, though. Remember that Tesla currently has its hands full with three projects: the Model 3, Gigafactory 1, and the expansion of the Fremont factory. Another task that has the potential to set back the debut for the second-generation Tesla Roadster comes in the automaker’s relentless efforts in making Level 5 fully autonomous driving technology a reality.
What's more, Tesla Motors has a record of not being able to keep its promises. With hindsight, the second-gen Roadster could be pushed backed to 2020, maybe later. On that note, Model R would be a fitting name.
@jelleprins Some years away, but yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 23, 2016
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