The Genius of the Tesla Roadster: Past, Present, and Future

The History of the Original Roadster

Tesla jumped into the Electric Vehicle game with its first-generation Tesla Roadster. And it would not be wrong to say that the Tesla Roadster put Tesla on the map. But that's not the only historic thing about the Tesla Roadster. It also has the honor of being the first car in space. As part of a flight test for SpaceX Falcon Heavy, it was revealed that the reusable rocket was carrying a Tesla Roadster in its nose cone. The cherry-red electric sports car belonged to none other than Elon Musk himself. Its stereo was programmed to play David Bowie's Space Oddity, and there was a big "DON'T PANIC" text display on the screen, a reference to the words on the cover of the famous science fiction book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by famous American writer Douglas Adams.

Tesla released the first generation of Roadster in 2008, and it came with a range of 245 miles or 394 kilometers on a single charge. This kind of range was unheard of for battery electric vehicles back then. Not only that, but real-life performance tests also showed that its performance was comparable to that of many gasoline-powered sports cars: The Roadster could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds and could reach a top speed of 125 miles per hour [1]. Combine that with the fact that the Roadster produced no tailpipe emissions, and the car was an immediate hit.

The body of the car was made of carbon fiber to make it as lightweight as possible. And since it was a fully electric vehicle and didn't use an internal combustion engine like the other cars of the time, there were no tailpipe emissions. The car was clean, it was fast, and it looked sexy!

Elon Musk himself got the first-ever Tesla Roadster made. The company produced 500 similar vehicles through June 2009. Tesla would go on to sell about 2,450 Tesla Roadsters in over 30 countries all over the world. An interesting fact is that most of the Roadsters were sold in Europe and Asia. Even with a government incentive such as a $7,500 tax credit, the first-generation Roadster cost $109,000, making the car more of a luxury vehicle.

The secret sauce behind the Roadster's performance and its range was just one simple thing: Tesla's proprietary storage solution. This was a 200-kWh battery pack. It was composed of 6,800 tiny 18650 lithium-ion cells. The naming convention of these cells is based on their physical dimensions. An 18650 cell is 18mm in diameter and 65mm in length. Using small lithium-ion cells and combining them to make a large battery pack was unheard of back then.

In fact, J.B. Straubel, the mastermind behind Tesla's energy storage solutions and the battery pack, in his 2006 paper explains the reasoning behind using small lithium-ion cells that were previously just used in phones and laptops. Straubel said, "We started our design by purposely picking a small form factor battery cell. Due to its small size, the cell contains a limited amount of energy. If a failure event occurs with this cell, the effect will be much less than that expected from a cell many times larger." [2] And since then, Tesla has been using the same formula, developing small lithium-ion cells and combining thousands of those to make a big battery pack.

The first generation of the Roadster was Tesla's way of testing the waters in terms of both their technological capability and how the public would receive a fully electric vehicle. And on both sides, it was a great success. The same battery technology that Tesla developed for the Roadster would go on to set an industry standard for what is to be expected from an electric vehicle.

The Second-Generation Roadster

Tesla stopped the production of the original Roadster back in 2012 as they moved their focus to the production of the more widely released and successful Model S in 2015. However, Tesla did not forget about the Roadster. They had plans for the next generation of the Roadster, which was to be released in 2017.

Elon Musk unveiled the Roadster in a special event, and people were just spellbound by what the Roadster had to offer. To be clear, the Tesla Roadster still hasn't made it to commercial production, but Tesla plans to start production by 2022 at the latest. So let's take a closer look at what makes the new Tesla Roadster such an amazing vehicle.

Performance and Specifications

According to details on Tesla's official website, the new Roadster will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 1.9 seconds. For reference, the gas-powered McLaren 750S does the same 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds, taking the McLaren a whole second more than the Roadster to achieve that speed. The Roadster will have a top speed of 250 miles per hour and a range of 620 miles on a single charge. These specifications are simply amazing, making the new Roadster a regular sports car, but with specs elevated to the league of supercars.

The powertrain of the new Roadster will use three electric motors, one in the front and two in the back, giving it all-wheel drive capability. The new Roadster will be powered using a 200-kWh battery pack, the same as the original Roadster. However, this pack will be using Tesla's upcoming 4680 battery cells, which are larger and more energy-dense than the previous 18650 cells used in the original Roadster.

Unique Features

The new Roadster will have a removable roof and can seat four people, though the back seats may be a bit cozy. The Roadster will come in an all-wheel-drive configuration with a wheel torque of over 10,000 Newton-meters.

Tesla plans to surprise the world with a price tag of $200,000 for the base model, with an additional $50,000 for the limited-edition Founder Series. Not much is known about the Founder Series, but it has been revealed that there will only be 1,000 of these models produced.

Crazy Features

One of the most exciting features Elon Musk has revealed about the new Roadster is the "SpaceX package." This package will consist of several cold gas rocket thrusters that are claimed to make the Roadster accelerate and handle better. These thrusters may even pop out from the license plate, making the Roadster seem like something out of a James Bond movie.

Musk has also mentioned the inclusion of "under-body thrusters" in the SpaceX package, which he discussed in detail on the Joe Rogan podcast. These thrusters are supposed to provide additional thrust, improving the Roadster's acceleration and enabling it to achieve greater speeds and better cornering.

Tesla also plans to use its latest 4680 battery cell technology to increase the Roadster's driving range by using less electricity and providing better aerodynamics by hiding the wiper on the hood when not in use.

The Future of Tesla's Battery Technology

The 4680 battery cell technology that will power the new Roadster is a significant advancement in Tesla's battery technology. The 4680 cell is larger than the previous 18650 cells, measuring 46mm in diameter and 80mm in height. This larger size allows for more electrical energy storage, with the 4680 cell having five times the energy storage capacity of the 2170 cells used in the Model 3 production.

This increased energy density means longer ranges and more enjoyable driving experiences for Tesla owners. The 4680 cells also have a structural design that allows for a shorter electron flow path, resulting in faster charging times and higher power output.

Furthermore, Tesla is committed to making the 4680 cells more environmentally friendly, aiming to reduce the use of cobalt and make the battery 90% recyclable. The actual process of producing the 4680 cells is also more environmentally friendly, with reduced water consumption and other sustainability efforts.

The new Roadster will be powered by the most cutting-edge battery technology on the market, showcasing Tesla's continuous innovation and commitment to pushing the boundaries of electric vehicle performance and sustainability.

Conclusion

The Tesla Roadster, both past and present, is a true marvel of engineering. The original Roadster put Tesla on the map and set the standard for what was expected from an electric vehicle. The upcoming second-generation Roadster promises to take that legacy to new heights, with mind-bending performance, cutting-edge battery technology, and innovative features that push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of electric sports cars.

As Tesla continues to refine and improve its battery technology, the Roadster's performance and capabilities will only continue to grow, solidifying its status as a true engineering masterpiece. Whether it's blasting off the line with the help of rocket thrusters or silently cruising down the highway, the Tesla Roadster is a testament to the genius of Tesla's vision and the relentless pursuit of innovation that has defined the company from the very beginning.