So, you want to know about the history of the Tesla Roadster? It all started with two enterprising individuals who found a way to innovate with batteries. They were able to make significant progress and then Musk stepped into the picture.
Elon Musk, a founding member of PayPal, an American electronic money payment operator, became CEO of Tesla Motors in 2008. A few state that Musk would change the course of the history of Tesla with his investments and his different style of leadership.
Mr. Musk believed that just continuing to consume nonrenewable energy will not bring about a sustainable future for humankind, so he was interested in making Tesla a catalyst in the vehicle industry. The firm would specialize in fantastic electric vehicles after bringing about one of the most intriguing cars ever.
The Tesla Roadster would be the first performance-oriented electric vehicle that would place Tesla’s name on the map. This would the first step in a journey of a million miles.
The Initial Tesla Roadster
People may forget about the Tesla Roadster. There were almost 2,400 sold, and that too was under the radar.
When the beautiful car was launched, it used to be $110,000. That is a heavy price tag but it was one that appealed to many different individuals from Clooney to other celebrities and fabulously wealthy people. Conversely, the Tesla Roadster was not of much interest to the average consumer. That was far from surprising as the Tesla Roadster took the premium and aspirational approach.
The initial vehicle design was found to be a two-door Lotus-based roadster, which was not very helpful.
The first iteration of the roadster was seen in the year 2006.
Like the car it was based on, the Roadster was known to be rear-wheel-drive, and it has the motor attached behind the driver’s seat. As it varied by model, the car consisted of 248 horsepower or even 288 horsepower engines.
This initial model seems to be good, fantastic looking, safe, and people enjoyed driving it.
It was considered successful by every means. At the same time, it was the first of many vehicles that the firm would start to roll out over the next few years. This was far from the ambitions of today and was not the car that Tesla would tout for its automation or other capabilities. It was merely the best stylish EV sports car on the market to have at that time.
What Else Was Intriguing About The Initial Tesla Roadster?
There were 2,500 Lotus shells allocated by Tesla for this project. The orders were made from 2008 till 2011, and the project was finished by the end of 2012.
This car was retrofitted with an electric powertrain. Further, they didn’t make a new vehicle of the model.
The car used to do 0-60 in just a few seconds and can take one for about 245 miles in one charge.
The CEO, Elon Musk, also said that it changed many cars and helped the production of worthy vehicles by removing all the bugs it had to deliver.
Two Generations of the Roadster
The first generation of the Tesla Roadster would roll out from 2008 to 2012. The second generation of the Tesla Roadster is yet to be seen out in the wild and open roads.
Tesla took pre-orders for the vehicle in 2017 with the pre-order price range starting at $50,000.
This second generation is still in the process of production. Elon Musk has noted that production will start to take place in 2022. Indeed, Tesla enthusiasts eagerly await the rollout of this new Tesla Roadster.
Albert Fleenor has been a developer and engineer for more than 10 years. He had quite made a few innovations himself and made assistance to some. He had also been a speaker to colleges to inspire future engineers and developers.