Roadster 3.0

[Juanmax]

Still disappointed that we got no Supercharger option... It must be no that difficult to add it in a power limited version (like HPC 16.8kW). There are many more SC than HPC around!

 

[sethr]

I too, appreciate this and the many other discussions on this forum. I have learned a great deal reading these pages; thank you all. That said, I sure wish Mr. Musk had been more specific, telling us directly what cells are being used, what the other modifications are specifically, and of course the cost and a time frame of both when it will be rolled out and, just as importantly, how long the upgrades will be available. I suspect I did not get an e-mail from Tesla because I am a CPO owner; I would like to hear from Tesla that I will be eligible for the upgrades, and if the cost for original vs. CPO owners will be different. As I said, the discussions are useful and fascinating here, but I would still rather hear all the specifics in full detail directly from Tesla. Hopefully this will happen in the very near future!

 

[Jaff]

I am an original owner, but did not get an email...

 

[PokerBroker]

I am very much interested in the new pack and we would benefit greatly from the increased range, however I have zero interest in changing the appearance of my car. I hope the aero upgrades are a la carte.

 

[PokerBroker]

Is this the first time in history any OEM has rolled out a retrofitable upgrade for a prior, let alone discontinued model???

 

[ecarfan]

The aero upgrades are likely just to the underside of the car and the front and rear spoiler so the overall appearance of the car will be unchanged.

 

[richkae]

Some thoughts:

Elon promised 400 miles, and the battery team couldn't deliver that in the engineering budget they were given. So then to achieve the 400 mile promise, they did the aerodynamics, brakes and tires - things they could completely outsource. Very smart. I'm excited to evaluate each of those things in isolation. I am most interested in the improvements with my track tires on, so I don't care about the low rolling resistance tires, I certainly won't be buying those.

The battery might not have achieved all of the improvement of the better cells because they sacrificed something to improve the reliability or reduce the cost of building the battery sheets. I welcome either of those. I would be totally happy if they reduced the number of cells to give them room to improve the sheets somehow. Maybe they could straight up reduce the number of sheets.

Lastly, does anybody want to buy my old Roadster battery that was replaced this year and still has 97% of its range left?
I'll take yours in trade =)

 

[slipdrive]

Not a Roadster owner, although I wish (!) .... Just a thought.
Tesla and Solar City may be needing some used paks to set up for stationary storage. Where space and weight are not primary, perhaps the original Roadster paks will demonstrate what is to come for Model S batteries down the road. ..... and more nice press releases in 2015.

 

[Mark77a]

That would be me !

WoW looks like Tesla, must have taken some spy shots of your work

Nice One !
i like speed AND range.

 

[stevejust]

Lastly, does anybody want to buy my old Roadster battery that was replaced this year and still has 97% of its range left?
I'll take yours in trade =)

This is a very interesting proposition. I was really hoping that with the new pack was going to come retro-fitted supercharging. Based on the blog announcement, that's not in the cards. I literally just replaced the tires, so that part of the announcement didn't really blow up my diffuser.

As for the retro-fit aero kit, I'll have to see it to know what to think. I don't really want to change the appearance of a Signature 100 Roadster, even if it means going from a .36 to .31 Cd.

So... while Elon promised us a Merry Christmas with the announcement via Twitter yesterday, I feel more like I've been gifted socks and underwear. A new battery is super useful, even necessary one day soon. But the sum total of the announcement has been about that exciting.

I was hoping for a similar announcement, plus a, "since we've had to redesign the pack, we're changing the plug interface and charging software to be supercharger compatible. And it's going to be $8,000.00." That would have been a Christmas present!

 

[djp]

I'm also hoping this upgrade package can be purchased a la carte. A few thoughts after mulling this over today:

Battery Upgrade

I'm disappointed that the cell capacity is less than Model S, let alone a next gen chemistry, but any improvement helps. I'm hoping there are more improvements unannounced, like lower weight or better power delivery, that will make this upgrade alone a no-brainer.

Aerodynamic improvements

I'll have to see them before buying into them - I hope they don't turn the Roadster into an egg! New carbon fibre body panels sound pricey.

Low rolling resistance tires

I'm sure these will come with tradeoffs in grip, handling or road noise. Then again, I'm due for new tires so might consider them if the tradeoffs aren't too bad.

Brakes / Wheel bearings

Low friction wheel bearings sound like a great idea. I hope the new brakes won't be a step backwards to the old stock pads - I just put the Carbotechs on.

More info on pricing and timing would be nice. With the upgrade being called a "prototype" I don't expect we'll be able to order it any time soon.

The battery pack, wheel bearings and brakes would be on the top of my list. I'm not sold yet on the body panels or tires.

 

[wk057]

If this all works out, and has supercharging, I might have to pick up a roadster

 

[bonnie]

If this all works out, and has supercharging, I might have to pick up a roadster

I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Jackyche]

If the pricing is fair, I'll have to pick up a Model S. So far, I've been reluctant because the resale value is dropping like a ton of bricks, but if the battery upgrade path is determine to be reasonable, I wouldn't mind the depreciation.

If this all works out, and has supercharging, I might have to pick up a roadster

 

[wk057]

I wouldn't hold my breath.

My guess is that roadsters have no warranty left... so, I'd be willing to bet that with some effort I could get it supercharging.

Edit: Although I guess the new pack would have to have some kind of warranty...

 

[PokerBroker]

My biggest disappointment with this whole announcement is that ANY of my Roadster owning brethren could possibly have anything to complain about. This may be the first time in history an OEM has invested ANY resources into upgrading/retrofitting a previously made model, even one they are still producing let alone one that is discontinued. This is absolutely unprecedented support and to be anything but grateful is a bit absurd. Porsche/BMW/MB would simply say "if you want the new features, buy the new car."

 

[ibcs]

My biggest disappointment with this whole announcement is that ANY of my Roadster owning brethren could possibly have anything to complain about. This may be the first time in history an OEM has invested ANY resources into upgrading/retrofitting a previously made model, even one they are still producing let alone one that is discontinued. This is absolutely unprecedented support and to be anything but grateful is a bit absurd. Porsche/BMW/MB would simply say "if you want the new features, buy the new car."

Agreed. So thankful that Tesla is choosing to keep the roadster on the road for years to come. Love to know the details on pricing and availability, but with all great things time will tell.

 

[hcsharp]

My guess is that roadsters have no warranty left... so, I'd be willing to bet that with some effort I could get it supercharging.

Edit: Although I guess the new pack would have to have some kind of warranty...

I'll make that bet with you. And a lot of other people would, too. We would win whether you succeeded or not!

I've often thought about modifying my Roadster for supercharging. With the new pack you might be able to do about 50kW (based on cooling system capacity). There are several BIG hurdles after the hardware mods. First is the proprietary serial communication. It may very well be encrypted. The SC checks the VIN of the car so you'd have to spoof that somehow. I don't know what other validation and self-tests it does before it even starts. The hardware would be easy by comparison (contactors, cabling, new inlet, comm interface boards, etc.), but the hardware alone would still be a massive undertaking!

When you're ready to make the bet, just let us know. :smile:

 

[wk057]

When you're ready to make the bet, just let us know. :smile:

When I get around to tinkering more with the supercharger protocol, I may just do that.

 

[ecarfan]

My biggest disappointment with this whole announcement is that ANY of my Roadster owning brethren could possibly have anything to complain about. This may be the first time in history an OEM has invested ANY resources into upgrading/retrofitting a previously made model, even one they are still producing let alone one that is discontinued. This is absolutely unprecedented support and to be anything but grateful is a bit absurd. Porsche/BMW/MB would simply say "if you want the new features, buy the new car."

Agreed and thank you for your post. I am amazed at the number of complaints and expressions of disappointment, as well as the continuing delusional belief by some that Tesla should be investing resources into re-engineering the cars to support Supercharging.

Tesla has very kindly invested resources into creating and offering upgrades to a 6 year old car! No other auto manufacturer has ever done that, to my knowledge. In response, a remarkable number of Roadster owners are complaining and asking why Tesla didn't do more or acting like they know more about the cars engineering than Tesla and they would have made various changes that are likely quite unrealistic.

My response to today's blog post about the Rosdater upgrades is; "Thank you Elon and thank you Tesla! I look forward to pricing information with the hope that I will be able purchase the upgrades for my 1.5 at some point."