Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5
Introduction
The Tesla Roadster was originally revealed to the public in July 2006 at a private invite-only event at Santa Monica Airport. This was a very early preview intended to generate pre-orders and investment, and it worked, affluent buyers were excited by the prospect of an all-electric sports car and this way the production numbers would be manageable. During its development from 2006 to 2008 the choice of gearbox changed several times as the difficulty of producing a two-speed gearbox which could handle the torque produced by the electric motor was too challenging, eventually Tesla settled on a 'single-speed' BorgWarner gearbox and differential onto which the three-phase induction motor is bolted. Switching to a single-speed gearbox compromised top speed (maximum 125 mph, a non-issue for most owners) but still delivered blistering acceleration and had the bonus of less weight and a simpler design.
The Roadsters chassis was developed in conjunction with Lotus, based on that of the Elise but with several structural changes to properly house the battery and take its weight. Today the Roadster is a product of several countries; the carbon-fiber body panels are produced in France and shipped to Lotus (Tesla have their own staff there) in the UK where the chassis are made and the car is built to the 'rolling chassis' stage (everything, including the interiors but excluding the battery and powertrain). These rolling chassis are then shipped to either California (for North American customers) or are finished in Hethel, UK (the home of Lotus) for Roadsters destined for Europe and the rest of the world (see this very interesting 'Final Assembly' gallery by Bill Arnett). The battery (Tesla prefer to refer to it as the Energy Storage System - ESS), originally destined to be produced in Thailand, is made in California.
Model history
- Roadster 1.5 (2008)
- Roadster 2.0 & Roadster Sport 2.0 (2010)
- Roadster 2.5 & Roadster Sport 2.5 (2011)
Specifications (Roadster 2.5)
| Price (base) | US: $112,000 / $128,500 (Sport) UK: £87,000 / £102,000 (Sport) Singapore: S$343,888 / S$427,888 (Sport) |
|---|---|
| Type | Two seater soft-top convertible sports car |
| Chassis | Bonded extruded aluminum |
| Body shell | Carbon Fiber composite |
| Motor | 375 volt AC induction air-cooled Copper rotor 14,000 rpm max Regenerative braking |
| Power train layout | Mid-engine rear-wheel drive (MR) |
| Torque | 273 lbft 295 lbft (Sport) |
| Horsepower | 288 hp (215 kW) |
| Transmission | Single speed BorgWarner fixed gear 8.28:1 ratio |
| Specified 0-60 mph | 3.9 sec 3.7 sec (Sport) |
| Specified top speed | 125 mph (212 kph) |
| Brakes | 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes with ABS |
| Suspension | Fully independent double-wishbone with anti-roll bars (front & rear) Sport: 10 way adjustable (at dealer) |
| Weight distribution | Rear: 35% Front: 65% |
| Wheels & tyres | Yokohama Neova AD07 LTS tires Front: 6J x 16 Forged Aluminum with 175/55 R16 tyres Rear: 7.5J x 17 Forged Aluminum with 225/45 R17 tyres |
| Battery | 56 kWh capacity 215 kW maximum output Weight ≈ 450 kg Energy density ≈ 124 Wh/kg (0.448 MJ/kg) 6831 x 18650 cells in 11 sheets Liquid cooled / heated 7 year expected life (about 100,000 miles) |
| Range | 245 miles (394 km) * * LA4 & HFEDS driving cycle |
| Charging | HPC: 120-240 V, up to 70 A - 3.5 hours fastest (56 miles range / hour) UMC: 120-240 V, up to 40 A - 6 hours fastest (32 miles range / hour) SMC: 120-240 V, up to 15 A - 40 hours (5 miles range / hour) |
| Standard features | Cruise control Heated seats Leather sport steering wheel Vehicle information touch screen Power windows and door locks Air conditioning Retractable cup holder |
| Notable options | Infotainment system (Alpine AV system with sat-nav and reversing camera) Premium leather / microfiber seats Executive leather package Executive leather and carbon fiber package Clear coat carbon fiber body accents Clear coat carbon fiber hardtop Solar Guard windshield Paint armor |
| Safety features | Four-sensor, four-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS) Front & Rear crumple zones Side impact beams Traction control Tire pressure monitoring system Driver and passenger airbags Occupant safety cell Seatbelt pretensioners Emergency tire inflation system |
| Security features | Vehicle alarm system Immobilizer Programmable PIN code Valet mode |
| Exterior lights | Headlights: Halogen low and high-beam Tail lights: LED |
| Cargo space | 160 l (6 ft³) |
| Roof | Manually operated soft-top (storage in trunk) Optional carbon fiber hard-top |
| Length | 3,939 mm (12.9 ft) |
| Width | 1,851 mm (6.1 ft) - including mirrors |
| Height | 1,126 mm (3.7 ft) |
| Wheelbase | 2,352 mm (7.7 ft) |
| Ground clearance | 129 mm (5.1 in) |
| Track width | Front: 1,464 mm (4.8 ft) Rear: 1,499 mm (4.9 ft) |
| Curb weight | 1,235 kg (2,723 lb) |