It seems as if Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk always has something up his sleeve. On November 16th, the press gathered at Tesla’s facility in Hawthorne, California to watch as Elon unveiled the Semi Truck, the first ever truck built by the automaker. What they didn’t expect was a revamp of their original sportscar: the Roadster 2.
Elon Musk walks across the darkened stage after revealing the Tesla Semi Truck. Dramatic music begins to play, a car engine revs, and from the back of the truck, the Roadster emerges. Tesla fans were roaring as the striking red Roadster drove out of the truck towards Musk. Elon jokingly dismisses the Roadster 2 as extra cargo, but can’t hold onto his joke for much longer.
The new sportscar looks sleeker than ever, with all of its curves packaged into a compact steel frame. Just like the original Roadster, the Roadster 2 is advertised to break all the records. The car goes from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds, traveling a quarter mile in 8.9 seconds. Those kinds of speeds are unheard of in any car, electric or gas powered. Even more, Tesla believes that the car can travel 621 miles on a single charge, almost triple that of the original Roadster. Reserves for the car start at $50,000—with the base price of $200,000 paid later—but if you have all the money now, Tesla is selling 1000 Founder Editions of the Roadster 2 for $250,000.
Again and again, Tesla continues to push for mass-produced electric vehicles with its Model 3, Semi Truck and now with the Roadster 2. Tesla’s recently announced Model 3 is advertised as their $35,000 entry-level electric car, making the switch from gas to electric more affordable for consumers. The Semi Truck plans to cut dependency on diesel fuel in the cargo transport industry, relying on Tesla’s faster and more energy efficient trucks to carry more cargo. Musk tells the crowd in Hawthorne that the Roadster 2 is an attempt to smackdown gas-fueled cars. Full production of Tesla’s new vehicles will start in 2018 for the Model 3, 2019 for the Semi, and 2020 for the Roadster 2. With an eventful 2017, we can only hope that Tesla will deliver on those promises.