Photo: Elon Musk on Twitter; Tesla; image edited by autoevolution
The Roadster wasn't just a Lotus Elise with a big battery up its bottom, but Tesla Motors' first ever try at making an all-electric vehicle that can be used every day. Almost 7 years since production started, the Roadster is going to get its long-rumoured Update 3.0 and boy you'll like what you hear next.
Boy wonder Elon Musk teased us about it earlier this week, but now we can provide you all the specifications you've been waiting for: "The Roadster 3.0 package applies what we've learned in Model S to Roadster." reads an entry in the official Tesla blog.
As expected, the biggest detail of the 3.0 is a battery swap. While the original Roadster is using a lithium-ion pack, battery technology moved on to the next level, with the new unit delivering 70 kWh and 31 percent more zap "in the same package as the original battery."
While the 2008 Roadster claimed a rolling resitance coefficient (Crr) of 11.0 kg per ton, the Tesla Roadster 3.0 claims roughly 8.9 kg per ton, which is 20 percent better than before. Overall, these improvements combined equal a range improvement of 40 to 50 percent over the original Tesla Roadster from 2008.
Tesla is adamant that "There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles [643 kilometers]. We will be demonstrating this in the real world during a non-stop drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the early weeks of 2015."
Last but not least, appointments for upgrading Roadster vehicles will be taken this coming spring.
As expected, the biggest detail of the 3.0 is a battery swap. While the original Roadster is using a lithium-ion pack, battery technology moved on to the next level, with the new unit delivering 70 kWh and 31 percent more zap "in the same package as the original battery."
The second highlight of the Tesla Roadster 3.0 upgrade boils down to better aerodynamics
A drag coefficient of Cd 0.36 is what the original Roadster boasted with, but Tesla Motors' new retrofit aerodynamic kit drops it to Cd 0.31, which translates to a 15 percent improvement. Rolling resistance was the last detail engineers took care of.While the 2008 Roadster claimed a rolling resitance coefficient (Crr) of 11.0 kg per ton, the Tesla Roadster 3.0 claims roughly 8.9 kg per ton, which is 20 percent better than before. Overall, these improvements combined equal a range improvement of 40 to 50 percent over the original Tesla Roadster from 2008.
Tesla is adamant that "There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles [643 kilometers]. We will be demonstrating this in the real world during a non-stop drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the early weeks of 2015."
Last but not least, appointments for upgrading Roadster vehicles will be taken this coming spring.
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