(REPOST: The Guardian)
Tesla announced a new version of its very first car, the Roadster, turning it into an electric supercar described as a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars” by company founder Elon Musk.
The new sports car was unveiled alongside Tesla’s new electric truck, and promises to wow drivers with some extraordinary statistics that make it look like a Top Trumps card turned into an electrified reality.
Here’s everything we know about the new Tesla Roadster.
1. Zero to 60 in 1.9 seconds
Musk said prototypes of the “base model” are able to hit 60mph from a standstill in 1.9 seconds and that a production version of the car may be able to accelerate even faster.
That’s a full 0.4 seconds faster to 60mph than the current fastest Tesla, the Model S P100D, in the so-called ludicrous plus mode, which hits 60mph in 2.3 seconds. But it would also be faster than any current production car, with the performance hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder the current king with a 0-60mph time of 2.2 seconds. The fastest 0-60mph time ever recorded was 1.5 seconds by the AMZ Grimsel Electric Race Car.
2. Zero to 100mph in 4.2 seconds
If hitting 60mph in 1.9 seconds wasn’t enough, Tesla reckons the Roadster will be able to reach 100mph from a standstill in 4.2 seconds and go on to do a quarter-of-a-mile time of 8.9 seconds, should Vin Diesel ever come calling.