What’s the quickest car in the world? Well, in terms of production cars, it looks like it will be the new, 2020 Tesla Roadster ‘2.0′, coming in, you guessed it, 2020.
That’s right. Tesla has unveiled a new version of the Roadster, reigniting the spirit of its first production vehicle. The new model is quick. Bloody quick. Featuring a potent electric battery system said to be somewhere in the region of 200kWh – twice the capacity of its current most powerful unit.
Some of the more detailed specs haven’t been revealed yet, but company boss gave an audience a surprise presentation of the new model during the unveiling of the Tesla Semi truck. The Tesla Semi itself is an interesting bit of gear, offering a range of around 800km while hauling a load, and a 0-60mph time of 5.0 seconds without a load.
Back to the new Roadster though. Tesla’s boss Elon Musk says the car can accelerate from 0-60mph (97km/h) in just 1.9 seconds, making it the quickest production car in the world. It also offers a quarter mile time of just 8.8 seconds, according to the Tesla website, and a top speed of over 400km/h. And this is just the base model, Musk says.
This is a real game-changer for the world of supercars. When Tesla blew the world away with the Model S P90D, then the P95D and P100D, we all knew it would only be a matter of time before it really took a shot at the supercar world. As you may know, the Model S P100D is currently the quickest production sedan in the world, with a 0-60mph time of just 2.7 seconds.
Power output details haven’t been confirmed but the range is pitched at an impressive 1000km, with an at-wheels torque figure of 10,000Nm. That’s a serious amount of torque, so obviously this is sent through an all-wheel drive system like in the P100D.
Tesla is taking deposits of US$50,000 now, with the base model to kick off from US$200,000. Production is penned in to begin in 2020, with an Australian introduction likely taking place a year later.
