exhilarating speed
JUST PLAIN FAST In November 2017, Tesla revealed the second-generation Roadster. Plans were made for a 2021 release, but it’s now expected to arrive for the 2022 model year. The good news? Until then, you could visit one on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. Tesla hasn’t been bringing out the new Roadster prototype often since the unveiling. This is understandable, considering the production version has been delayed several times. Tesla is not looking to promote it too soon or too much. But this past summer it was in the rare situation where anyone who wanted to buy a ticket for the Petersen Automotive Museum could go and see it. And now you can order it as well. There, next to the car, was an interesting plaque that reveals a startling zero-to-60 mile-per-hour time of 1.1 seconds, when equipped with the SpaceX package. Huh? Musk took to Twitter to confirm the revelation, saying that it’s possible with “the SpaceX rocket thruster option package.” In true James Bond fashion, the Roadster might have cold air thrusters, supplied by compressed air tanks, with the thrusters hidden behind the license plate that’ll help propel the all-wheel-drive sports car to cruising speeds. Without the package, Tesla claims the car should be able to hit 60 mph (96 kilometers per hour) in 1.9 seconds, still mind-blowing, to say the least.
Musk has made a lot of promises with the Roadster, claiming the car will offer 620 miles of range with its tri-motor configuration — one in the front and two in the back — that will power all four wheels. The power and range will come from a 250-kilowatt-hour battery. When Tesla revealed it in 2017, the company said the car would offer 7,375 pound-feet (10,000 Newton-meters) of torque and that it would hit 100 mph (160 kph) in 4.2 seconds, which is quicker than most cars to 60. It would complete the quarter-mile in 8.8 seconds. All that performance won’t be cheap, as the car will be capable of reaching speeds over 250 mph (402 kph). The base Roadster starts at $200,000 with the Founders Series car, of which only 1,000 will be made, costing $250,000 each. Tesla required $50,000 to reserve one, and it should be a stunning performance car when it arrives. Musk often remained vague about a new official timeline for the electric hypercar program, but he confirmed earlier this year that the engineering of the new Tesla Roadster will be completed this year in order to enter production in 2022. He even said that he expects Tesla to have a new drivable release candidate by the end of the summer and that version should end up being the production version available next year.
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