2025 Tesla Roadster capable of sub-1.0sec 0-60mph, says Musk

The incoming production version of the much-delayed 2025 Tesla Roadster will be even quicker than originally claimed, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who says the flagship EV will be capable of launching from 0-60mph (0-97km/h) in less than 1.0 second.

First revealed back in November 2017, the new Tesla Roadster has been delayed multiple times, however Musk has now confirmed that it is finally ready to enter production later this year ahead of first deliveries in 2025.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Musk announced that ahead of its debut next year Tesla had “increased the design goals” for the Roadster.

He also promised that “there will never be another car like this”.

Not that the original concept wasn’t lacking in oomph. Back in late 2017, Musk said the Roadster would hit 60mph (97km/h) from standstill in just 1.9 seconds, 100mph (161km/h) in just 4.2sec and complete the quarter-mile (402m) in only 8.8sec.

Top speed, meanwhile, was said to be more than 250mph (402km/h), while the outspoken CEO claimed the four-seater, three-motor, all-wheel-drive EV would deliver a range of 620 miles (998km).

It’s no wonder many wealthy performance enthusiasts rushed to place a $US50,000 ($A77,000) deposit for the Tesla Roadster, which was originally slated to cost around $US200,000 ($A308,000).

Set to arrive in 2020, the Roadster was then delayed until 2022 before it was postponed again to 2023. With no sign of its arrival last year, some even thought the Roadster might have been quietly dropped from Tesla’s product plans before this latest announcement.

In previous tweets, Musk said Tesla had roped in SpaceX to develop an optional thruster pack that would lower the 0-60mph dash to just 1.1sec.

It’s not known if the rocket pack is still on the menu for the Roadster but, in any case, when it arrives the flagship Tesla will easily usurp the Rimac Nevera as the world’s fastest-accelerating production car.

Musk hasn’t yet mentioned pricing, or exact detail, but did say that an unveiling of the production-spec Tesla Roadster would take place before the end of this year.

As far as pricing goes, prepare for a huge bump on the original marker, but expect the Tesla Roadster to cost considerably less than the $US2.2 million ($A3.4m) that Rimac charges for the Nevera.

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