Tesla just unveiled the revived Roadster.
Sound familiar? It certainly should.
On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk took the covers off the latest version of Tesla’s halo sports car and said the EV maker is eyeing production in 2028.
Read more I went to see why Silicon Valley can’t stop laughing at Elizabeth Holmes
It’s the second time the company has unveiled a prototype vehicle that it says will carry on the Roadster nameplate. In 2017, Musk unveiled a smoother-looking and very different type of Roadster.
The 2017 version simply drove onto a stage next to Elon, then spun its tires and raced away. The 2028 version — on a track placed a safe distance away from spectators — drove up a vertical wall, hung upside down, hovered in the air, and did a “kick flip” over a line of other Teslas.
Read more When AI and robots work together, Anthropic says these jobs are at risk. Should gardeners worry?
Turns out, a lot can change in nine extra years of product development.
A lot of the nuts and bolts powering the Roadster changed — and so did the car’s metrics. So, we put together a chart comparing Tesla’s old Roadster promises with the new ones.
Read more MapQuest now shows you Flock and other license plate reader cameras on your route
Here’s what we found:
| Metric or feature | 2017 Roadster | 2028 Roadster |
| Range | 620 miles | 310 to 320 miles |
| 0-to-60 speed | 1.9 seconds | 0.8 seconds |
| Top speed | Above 250 MPH | 214 MPH “for now” |
| Drivetrain | Three motors, all-wheel drive | Two motors, rear-wheel drive only |
| Battery size | 200 kWh | Not specified |
| Charging | Not specified | 15% to 85% in 10 minutes, nearly 500 kW |
| Seating | Two front seats, two rear seats | Two front seats; Rocket trim only has one |
| Variants | Founder Series, SpaceX trim option | Performance, Thrust, and Rocket |
| Flying/Hopping | Not demonstrated | Demonstrated autonomously |
| Price | $250,000 for the Founder Series | Not specified |
About the Author
