1,350 Horsepower…
The Tesla Roadster’s going to get another trick up its sleeve. Rather than chasing some other impossible aerial maneuver, it looks like Tesla is targeting something else in the near future. With over a thousand horsepower, the electric performance vehicle can deliver a riveting performance.
Now, there is news that Tesla is targeting 330 miles per hour with the Performance trim of the Roadster. That model is capable of 1,350 horsepower and 1,033 lb-ft of torque. Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, and Vehicle Engineering VP, Lars Moravy, told Top Gear that a future version will reach 330 miles per hour.
Tesla
… 330 miles per hour
How the team will achieve this has yet to be seen. According to initial top-speed claims, the Roadster can reach up to 214 miles per hour in its current form. However, the brand still wants more out of the Roadster, and it has set its sights on a much higher top speed.
The current record holder is the Yangwang U9 Xtreme (U9X), with a top speed of 308.4 miles per hour, logged at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg facility in Germany. It appears that Tesla is setting its sights on an even bigger goal for the production road car land speed record. At 330 miles per hour, things get intense, and we know brands like Bugatti go to extreme lengths to push their cars past 250 miles per hour. Safe to say, Tesla has its work cut out for it.
One of the first things Tesla may need to do is increase motor output. The Yangwang makes 3,000 horsepower, while the Tesla only makes 1,350 at the moment. Reaching 330 miles per hour may boost the Roadster’s output to around the same level. Tesla hasn’t clearly stated how it’ll achieve the eye-watering top speed just yet; however, I think the brand should focus on releasing the model to consumers first, especially those who have already put down a reservation.
Variables
At the moment, the Tesla Roadster’s other specifications remain under wraps; however, we do know the model will deliver up to 1,350 horsepower and 1,033 lb-ft of torque, and can achieve up to 320 miles of range on a single charge. Battery capacity is still unknown, but the Roadster charges from 10% to 80% in just under 15 minutes with 500kW charging.
Beyond the powertrain, the Tesla Roadster also looks like a serious performance machine. Top Gear reported that it weighs less than 3,747 lbs in its lightest configuration. The numbers alone are enough to consider it a serious performance vehicle. Add the fact that it has a few party tricks up its sleeve, and that Tesla is not done improving it, and you could say that the near-decade-long wait is about to be extremely worthwhile.
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