Tesla Roadster 2020 - Insane Specifications

https://www.tesla.com/roadster
https://electrek.co/2017/11/20/teslas-next-gen-roadster-technical-analysis/

The new Tesla Roaster is scheduled to be released in 2020. Elon Musk called it a “hardcore smackdown to gas-powered cars.”. Tesla finally have a supercar with beautiful design and insane specifications with the base mode:

• Acceleration 0-60 mph: 1.9 sec
• Acceleration 0-100 mph: 4.2 sec
• Acceleration 1/4 mile: 8.8 sec
• Top Speed: Over 250 mph
• Wheel Torque: 10,000 Nm
• Power: Over 1,000 HP
• Mile Range: 620 miles
• Seating: 4
• Drive:All-Wheel Drive
• Base Price: $200,000
• Base Reservation: $50,000
• Founders Series Price: $250,000
• Founders Series Reservation: (1,000 reservations available) $250,000

Christian von Koenigsegg, the head of supercar maker Koenigsegg, says that the Roadster’s performance was “embarrassing” them and they had to up their game following the unveiling.

On specification alone the new Tesla Roadster will beat anything including any production, road legal supercar... yet how will it perform on the track and does it really matter? Most supercar owners do not take their cars to the track as you might hope nor are they capable of driving a supercar.. So track performance, while technically valid, doesn’t really apply to most buyers. Yet everyone occasionally likes to put their foot down and go fast and the Roadster will be able to deliver like no other supercar. 

Yet electric car are undoubtedly the future, we have already seen that electric cars can be competitive on the track. The NIO EP9 has proved that electric cars can have blistering performance, on May 12, 2017, the NIO EP9 set a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, achieving a lap time of 6m 45s:

Nürburgring lap record is about as big as bragging rights get in the car industry and it is clearly that electric vehicles can be capable.

With electric cars when significant significant current draws from the batteries the batteries heat up and require cooling. Some sceptics doubt whether Tesla can overcome the battery heat issue that was previously experienced with Tesla Model S when taken on a track.  When Tesla Model S was on the track the car the car would go into "reduced power mode" due to excess battery heat. The Model S even though it was a fast accelerating car was a 4 door family sedan that was never intended to be competitive on a track. 

Yet heat is not a new problem. On a internal combustion engine the power comes from thousands of small explosions in the cylinders. That explosive energy is converted to mechanical energy and heat. Lots of heat and two thirds energy is lost as heat and noise. Some of the heat exhausted out the tailpipe but a lot is transferred to the engine itself which must then be cooled. The amount of heat produced by electric motors and batteries is  miniscule compared to a combustion engine. The heat issue is overcome with a front grill and radiator and water cooling. So heat issue can be overcome on electric vehicles too.

The Tesla Roaster is design from the ground up to be a high performance supercar and has huge 200 kWh battery that can distribute the load across many more cells hence each cell is responsible for much less loads and produce less heat. 

The Roadster will be an amazingly fast car but it is not a purpose made race car. I hope it will be very competitive on the track with Nürburgring lap time close to say legendary Porsche GT3. Yet I doubt it will be perform best over distances above 50km track race. The Roadster will have some design limitations.

• Tesla have no race heritage or experience
• too heavy (est 1700kg) with massive 200 kWh battery (est 900kg), entertainment system and computer for autonomous driving
• it does not generate downforce 
• no roll cage 

Future multimillion dollar hypercars are hybrids such Mercedes-AMG Project One, LaFerrari, Porsche 918,  Aston Martin Valkerie and McLaren Speedtail may be faster on long distance races but will be slower than Tesla Roadser in acceleration. Furthermore most owners do not take them to a track to race. Many new buyers will leave traditional car makers for the all electric, high tech Roadster and this will enable Tesla to gain even more experience and volume with electric supercars thereby making it more even challenging for legacy car companies to learn and compete.  Tesla fanbois can expect tech from Roadster to trickle down to future production.

The future is all electric! Formula One's motorsport director Ross Brawn says the sport could go all electric within the next ten years if it provides a better spectacle for the fans. 

Petrolheads will complain about the Roadster “Yeah, but mine makes a lot of noise.” Okay, great. Noise is inefficiency. Every decibel the combustion engine produces is another watt that isn’t making it to the road. If you want to go fast, buy a Tesla. If you want noise, buy some speakers. See you in the rear view mirror, dirty combustion. 

The Roadster is a hardcore smackdown at a bargain price! High end disruption coming?