Tesla Roadster will go into production next year, Elon Musk says
Musk says a drivable prototype should be ready this summer.
With all the news about the Tesla Model S' new interior (and that dumb new steering yoke), the Model X Plaid, the upcoming Cybertruck and even the company's Full Self-Driving software, fans of the automaker are right to ask: Where the hell is the Roadster? It's been more than three years since we first saw the new Tesla Roadster and, more importantly, since customers began forking over $50,000(!) deposits. But fear not, Tesla CEO Elon Musk says, the Roadster is still on the way.
When asked about Tesla's upcoming sports car on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the automaker "finished engineering this year" and that "production starts next year." Musk says Tesla is "aiming to have [a] release candidate design drivable [by] late summer."
Finishing engineering this year, production starts next year. Aiming to have release candidate design drivable late summer. Tri-motor drive system & advanced battery work were important precursors.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2021
Musk first confirmed the Roadster's delay last spring. The hold-up is apparently due to the development of the tri-motor drive system and "advanced battery work," according to Musk.
When Tesla announced the second-generation Roadster in late 2017, it promised some pretty impressive specs. Accelerating to 60 mph is said to take less than 2 seconds and the car will be able to go 620 miles on a single charge. Of course, we're taking all of that with a massive grain of salt, but perhaps we'll have some more concrete data if and when a Roadster prototype arrives later this year.
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