Tesla Chief Designer Says Roadster Will Exceed Concept ‘In Every Way’

Tesla is promising that the production version of the new Roadster will be even better than the head-turning prototype unveiled a couple of years ago.

Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen recently made an appearance on the Tesla-centric podcast Ride the Lightning, saying the new Tesla Roadster will be better than the current prototype “in every way.”

While speaking about Tesla’s “halo” vehicle, von Holzhausen mentioned that the all-electric supercar has been in a process of evolution since it was unveiled.

“It’s evolving deservedly so; it needs more time. It will be even better than what we’ve unveiled. In every way,” Franz said.

That seems like a tall order since the prototypes already run 200 kilowatt-hour batteries (good for 620 miles of range, according to Tesla), and its electric motors (three of them this time to create an all-wheel-drive system) produce enough power to propel the electric car to 250 mph. The 0-60 mph sprint should happen in 1.9 seconds, too.

Von Holzhausen wouldn’t elaborate on what areas engineers and designers are focusing on to create an elevated production Roadster, but he said it’s “evolving” as it inches toward production. Tesla previously promised those who plunked down a deposit of $50,000 USD that they’d receive their electric supercar in 2020. At some point, owners will need to pay the remaining balance: $200,000 USD, making a total price of $250,000.



The prototype specs alone make the Roadster 2020 far superior to any competing electric sports car such as the Porsche Taycan in all its three versions. The current performance of the prototype Roadsters already classifies them as hypercars.

“We’re going to do things with the new Roadster that are kind of unfair to other cars,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the same podcast earlier this year. “(It’s) crushingly good relative to the next best gasoline sports car.”

Listen to the “Ride the Lightning” podcast episode here.