Roadster - new options

[jordanthompson]

I was talking to the good folks in the Dania Beach shop. They "unofficially" confirmed there is a "performance upgrade" that "may" include the motor, PEM, gearbox and firmware that will give the roadster sub-3 second 0-60 times. They said it will be "pricey".

Although it really appeals to me to have a car that can scoot from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds (faster than the real super-cars costing 5X the cost of the Roadster) I really like the no-shifting aspect of driving my roadster and would forgo upgrade, unless the shift only occurs in if you REALLY REALLY want it to accelerate fast

 

[stephenpace]

I heard the "gearing + firmware for sub 3 sec speeds" option comes with a neck brace and a bumper sticker that says "Hey, Bugatti, we're coming for you."

 

[TEG]

I was talking to the good folks in the Dania Beach shop. They "unofficially" confirmed there is a "performance upgrade" that "may" include the motor, PEM, gearbox and firmware that will give the roadster sub-3 second 0-60 times. They said it will be "pricey".

Although it really appeals to me to have a car that can scoot from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds (faster than the real super-cars costing 5X the cost of the Roadster) I really like the no-shifting aspect of driving my roadster and would forgo upgrade, unless the shift only occurs in if you REALLY REALLY want it to accelerate fast

Who said that they would add another selectable gear? What if they changed it to do 0-60 in less than 3 seconds, but reduced the top speed (from ~125MPH) down to say 95MPH? It might still be a single speed gearbox, but just with lower gearing.

 

[TEG]

Was at Costa Mesa getting my headlamps upgraded and heard talk of a clearcoat carbon fiber full body replacement that was going to run around $100k. The person who had saw it said the weave matches across every single body panel.

Some of us are biting our tongues. Ever since the early days of the roadster, there have been some who dreamed of doing one entirely in clear-coat carbon fiber.
( See all carbon fiber elise )
Assuming they build something like that, I am sure they will show it to the press when the time is right.

I still think the main focus of Tesla is on Model S production, and getting ready for Model X.
Anything else they do for Roadster is likely a separate ("skunkworks") group doing things on their own schedule.
Maybe even "3rd party" partner companies providing upgrades separate from the main company.

 

[vfx]

... It might still be a single speed gearbox, but just with lower gearing.

That would need the Model S cell battery upgrade.

 

[Norbert]

Maybe they'll use the Model S motor, and that's where the idea to increase the max rpm comes from?

 

[richkae]

*If* Tesla made a 2 speed trans for the Roadster you could very likely just always leave it in high gear for efficiency when you didn't want to accelerate fast. Your 0-60 in high gear might be 5 seconds and you would be in the sweet spot at highway speeds.
You could ignore low gear unless you wanted that 2.9 second 0-60 and the shift that comes later.

The best of both worlds.

 

[richkae]

Following up on my own post...
The biggest real world advantage of a 2 speed might actually be improved 50-70 ( or 60-80 and other highway speed passing ) rather than a sub 3 second 0-60.

 

[Eberhard]

Following up on my own post...
The biggest real world advantage of a 2 speed might actually be improved 50-70 ( or 60-80 and other highway speed passing ) rather than a sub 3 second 0-60.

For that, you don't need a 2 speed. its all physics.

 

[richkae]

For that, you don't need a 2 speed. its all physics.

Yes, but you get both with the 2 speed.

 

[jordanthompson]

My son suggested that with a 2-speed gear box, you may actually get better mileage. I think he may be on to something. On the other hand, with the electric motor having a flat torque curve, it may not affect mileage at all. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[W.Petefish]

In regards to the 2 speed gearbox, TM already tried that in version 1.x. It didn't show much improvement to economy or 0-60 times, and in fact it adds other things to break on the car which is why the 1.x cars have one of the gears locked out.

 

[dhrivnak]

My son suggested that with a 2-speed gear box, you may actually get better mileage. I think he may be on to something. On the other hand, with the electric motor having a flat torque curve, it may not affect mileage at all. Anyone have any suggestions?

I do think it could help highway range as the torque curve begins to drop at about 55 mph. It is not a big drop but it does drop. On my homemade EVs the higher gearing does help on the open road.

 

[vfx]

... in fact it adds other things to break on the car which is why the 1.x cars have one of the gears locked out.

Yeah, they went through two transmission suppliers. Grinding the gears on shifting was unavoidable and shortened the life of a gearbox to about 5000 miles. One of my early test drives had the car locked in 2nd. Acceleration was disappointing compared to my ride in a working 1st gear car. I believe there are no cars left with the locked out 2 speed. TEG?

From what I can gather the new version is a simple gearing change in the box with no shifting possible.

 

[dwegmull]

From what I can gather the new version is a simple gearing change in the box with no shifting possible.

Here is a picture of the inside:

 

[JRod0802]

Spotted on Reddit:

Saw this today while working with my dad. : pics

View attachment 9125

Is that carbon fiber on the front after-market?

 

[strider]

Is that carbon fiber on the front after-market?

It's a Tesla upgrade: Roadster Upgrades | Tesla Motors

 

[markwj]

It's a Tesla upgrade: Roadster Upgrades | Tesla Motors

Low and dark, this spoiler is recognizable only to true Roadster enthusiasts.

I guess that makes you a true Roadster enthusiast

 

[Andrew Wolfe]

Double din upgrade response:

The single DIN to double DIN upgrade with full featured Alpine systems will become an official accessory in the next 3 weeks. You should be able to order at that time on-line or at the Service Centers.

4 weeks later....

Any word on when we get our upgrade announcements? Whom should we (politely) nag?

 

[Botbldr45]

It's a Tesla upgrade: Roadster Upgrades | Tesla Motors

That's a 2.0 or 2.5 ..... I didn't see that front CF spoiler listed for that model. I'll bet it's after-market.

- - - Updated - - -

You guys out there are sooooo lucky to see other roadsters on the road. The only time I see a roadster in the wild is when I look in my garage!!!

Bring on the S .... Can't wait to see a Tesla driving down the road .

I know ... Off topic ... My bad!