Is it possible to convert a LHD Roadster to RHD ?

[kjm]

Can anybody clue me up on what's involved in converting a LH drive roadster to RH drive? Roadsters are toxically expensive here in Australia (>$200k) & I was wondering about picking up a good used stateside & having the steering swapped over?
Also I've seen a few salvage jobs (won't drive/won't run). Is there a simple & obvious test that a car inspection service can do that establishes battery condition? My pocket is not deep enough to repeat Arild's experience with a bricked battery.

 

[TEG]

I am not aware of ANY Roadsters that have been converted from LHD to RHD. I think you would be in uncharted territory there.

I don't think any of the 2008 1.5's were RHD, so RHD parts for them might not be available. (So look to 2.x 2010/2011/2012 version.)
Also, if there are differences in the aluminum tub it may be completely impractical to do a conversion after the fact.
Maybe you would be better off trying to find a UK spec RHD to (gray market) import to Australia?

 

[pharma5]

Can anybody clue me up on what's involved in converting a LH drive roadster to RH drive? Roadsters are toxically expensive here in Australia (>$200k) & I was wondering about picking up a good used stateside & having the steering swapped over?
Also I've seen a few salvage jobs (won't drive/won't run). Is there a simple & obvious test that a car inspection service can do that establishes battery condition? My pocket is not deep enough to repeat Arild's experience with a bricked battery.

How about ~$143k AUD, no need to switch? Cheapest one on this U.K. link (Very Orange) converts to that:

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/11273-Three-(3)-Roadsters-for-sale-Maidenhead-U-K

Any (other) advantage to getting it from inside the commonwealth?

 

[pgwoosley]

Can anybody clue me up on what's involved in converting a LH drive roadster to RH drive? Roadsters are toxically expensive here in Australia (>$200k) & I was wondering about picking up a good used stateside & having the steering swapped over?

First, you might want to reevaluate how important it is that your Tesla be RHD. If required by law, that is one thing. But if not required by law consider that many RHD cars are driven in LHD countries all of the time, and I drove a LHD car in England without too many problems.

If RHD is imperative, you might check out Tesla's cousins Vauxhaul VX220 and Opel Speedster for possible conversion parts. You might get lucky and find that some of the steering parts are interchangeable with Tesla. Neither were sold in the U.S., but the steering wheel looks the same in pictures. They started manufacturer earlier than the Tesla Roadster, so there are lots of used parts on UK and German Ebay sites.