Revealed to the public in 2006 and officially debuting in 2008, the Tesla Roadster gave everyone a glimpse of an EV-filled future. Titillating performance and eye-catching looks, the Tesla Roadster had what it takes to appeal to gearheads, sans the V8 rumble and tailpipe emissions ofcourse.

Despite not even being close to being the first EV, the Tesla Roadster was an EV of many firsts as it was the first all-electric production car to travel more than 320 kilometers with one charge and the first production car to be launched into deep space.

Tesla has become the top-selling electric vehicle brand in the U.S., and it owes much of that success to the original Roadster. However, Tesla and the Roadster didn’t have the fairy-tale start they wanted as the first few years were nothing short of turbulent, and here’s how it went down.

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The Original Tesla Roadster Was A standard-setting EV

2008 Tesla Roadster In Black Rear View
Via Tesla

The Tesla Roadster was the first highway-legal all-electric production car to be powered by lithium-ion battery cells, which, at the time, were mostly used for laptop batteries and other electronic devices.

The Roadster broke the stigma that electric vehicles are boring and the furthest thing from sport, and it did that in style. The original Tesla Roadster was capable of doing 0-60 in a lightning-quick 3.8 seconds and had a decent top speed of 201 km/h. More impressively, it could go nearly 400 km on a single charge.

In addition, the Roadster looked absolutely stunning as it was based on the spectacular Lotus Elise as Tesla wanted to make a car that was nothing short of a proper sports car.

The Roadster has a very unique transmission system as it originally had two gears, one for quick starts and one for speeds above 120 mph. However, due to production problems related to the transmission, a single-transmission system was integrated instead as well as a redesigned motor.

Even though the Roadster is a Tesla product, it doesn’t feature much in terms of new or unique tech. With the obnoxiously expensive price tag of $100,000 that came with the Roadster, you got heated seats, decent trunk space, and a tiny screen on the left side of the driver side that controls charging speed, the clock, etc.

The Roadster became a great stepping stone for Tesla, but it took a lot of effort, money, and time for Tesla to become the EV mogul it is today.

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Easy Is Definitely Not The Way You’d Describe The Roadster’s Journey

2023 Tesla Roadster In Red Aeriel View
Tesla

After its public release in 2006 and winning Time magazine’s Best Inventions 2008—Transportation Invention award, Tesla made enough traction and was able to sell 200 units by October 2007. With such positive reactions, Tesla began general production of the Roadster in 2008.

It wasn’t all good news, though, as Tesla nearly went bankrupt and had to rely on Elon Musk to directly finance production by nearly emptying his pockets into the company. In the midst of financial woes, Martin Eberhard, one of the two founders of Tesla, was pushed out of the company, creating plenty of unnecessary drama.

Further complications were on the horizon, though, as in 2009, Tesla had to recall 345 Roadsters due to a technical fault that would lead to the driver losing control of the vehicle and potentially crashing. Even worse, in 2010, Tesla had to, once again, recall 439 Roadsters due to faulty wires, which would cause small fires.

Despite these hindrances, Tesla managed to sell 2,450 units until 2012; however, production ended in the same year since they had run out of Lotus Elise “gliders.” These “gliders” were incomplete cars that Tesla would install its parts into, turning them into Roadsters.

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When Is The 2024 Tesla Roadster Coming?

2023 Tesla Roadster In Red Rear View
Via Tesla

Back in 2017, Tesla gave the exciting news that they were releasing a second generation of the Roadster in 2020. However, with the Covid pandemic that took the world by storm, nearly every product and plan in the world was set back by a few years, if not canceled completely.

The same happened for the much-anticipated second-generation Tesla Roadster, which was set to be released by 2021, but was pushed back to the second half of 2023. The new 2023 Tesla Roadster will have a base price of $200,000 as well as a Founder’s edition, which will cost $250,000. No information is available on the differences between the two; however, it is limited to only 1,000 units which could make it a safe bet for collectors.

$200,000 might seem steep, but Tesla promised that the new Roadster can do 0-60 in a staggering 1.9 seconds and has a top speed of 250 mph, making it one of, if not the quickest car, to date. However, with the delays, most rivals have surpassed those numbers. By the time the Roadster arrives, these numbers are already out of date, the Tesla will have to set new heights with its next electric sports car.

On top of crazy speed and acceleration, Tesla claims the 2023 Roadster can go 620 miles with a single charge, 100 more than the Lucid Air Dream edition, which is the EV with the longest range today.

If 0-60 in 1.9 seconds is, somehow, still not enough for you, Elon Musk revealed on Twitter that a SpaceX package will also be available, reducing the Roadster's 0-60 time to a ridiculous 1.1 seconds.

Despite the $200,000 price tag, the 2023 Roadster will be an exceptional piece of engineering that, if Tesla can deliver on their promises, will be worth every penny.