Tesla unveils the mind-blowing Roadster. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in one second and almost ‘flies’. But it’s still a prototype
A full nine years after announcing the arrival of the car’s second generation, Tesla has unveiled the supercar in what is expected to be its final form. It is due to go into production in 2028 (and we’ll see if that happens). However, no technical details have been provided and there has been no mention of prices, only how to reserve one.
Oops!…I Did It Again!. Tesla has finally unveiled the new Roadster. Or rather, it has relaunched the sports car nine years after the announcement of the second generation. The car’s official launch (is that really the case?), attended by CEO Elon Musk, has not – at least for the time being – been accompanied by the announcement of the car’s technical specifications, apart from its acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h, which takes less than 1 second, or rather 0.8 seconds.
On the other hand, the design of the new Roadster has changed radically compared to the one shown by Tesla in its first announcement of the second generation in 2017, as it has moved away from a shape more in line with the brand’s recent models, the Cybertruck (a landmark failure) and the Cybercab – although it must be said that it seems to draw direct inspiration from the wedge-shaped supercars of the 1980s. The similarities with Lamborghinis of the past are striking and border on plagiarism.
Crazy demonstrations
The highlight of the new Roadster’s unveiling, however, came when, thanks to a suction system, the car demonstrated its ability to climb a vertical ramp before coming to a halt upside down, thanks to the ground effect. It then returned to its starting point using a cold gas jet, which brought it back down to the ground with the aid of additional boosters. In a second test, the same system was used to enable the car to fly over a row of five Tesla models before landing again, unscathed, thanks to ten compressed-air nozzles which Musk explained are powered by an air tank that can be refilled by the car itself.
Goalkeeper with seagull wings
The cabin is perhaps the most unremarkable part of the new Roadster; it is no coincidence that the CEO did not dwell on it for very long. Judging by the first images, it is expected to feature two sports seats with integrated armrests. In the centre is a large display facing the driver and an aviation-style steering wheel with two small integrated displays. The only technology specified is steer-by-wire – a system with no mechanical links to the wheels – a solution that many new cars are also introducing. One detail worth noting is that the two doors open in a ‘gull-wing’ style – a system already used on the most extreme supercars, with the hinges mounted on the roof rather than on the B-pillar.
A speed of up to Mach 0.5
Whilst range has long been a key focus for the electric car manufacturer, CEO Elon Musk has stated that the new Roadster is a long-term project and will be the only manual-drive car that Tesla will produce. Whilst the stunts may not be reproducible on the production model, it is likely that what enabled the car to move up the ramp and end up upside down was a significant amount of downforce, which kept it firmly on the road. Musk added that the new Roadster will also be capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 0.5, half the speed of sound. Two option packages for the Roadster have been listed on Tesla’s US website.
