Tesla next-generation Roadster breaks all the records: 0-60 mph in 1.9 sec, 620-mile range, and more

Elon Musk surprised everyone at the Tesla Semi unveiling with his “one more thing” being a prototype of the next generation Roadster.

They not only unveiled the stunning design of Tesla’s new sports car, but they also announced some mind-boggling specs that are sure to break a lot of records.

In our pre-event live podcast, we speculated that Tesla could reveal more about the upcoming vehicle due to the automaker out-of-the-blue offering discounts for the vehicle through the referral program.

Yet, it’s was hard not to be amazed when they pulled out the all-electric sports car out of the trailer of one of the two Tesla Semi prototypes.

Earlier this summer, Tesla’s Design Chief Franz von Holzhausen said that he was hitching to design an electric sports car since joining Tesla in 2008.

Now it’s finally here and it is stunning.

Here are a few official images released by Tesla:

The prototype was swamped by people in the attendance as soon as Elon called for them to go see it, but Electrek’s Jamie managed to get close enough to the red prototype to capture a few more pictures:

It’s hard to see in the back, but the vehicle is actually a four seater.

There was also another prototype in another area of the event. I managed to also get a few pictures:

We will try to grab more images and videos, but the design is just one aspect of what appears to be a simply insane machine.

Now no matter how crazy those specs sound, Musk said that it is actually what they are achieving with their prototype.

We are talking about a 200 kWh battery pack in a vehicle that is not much smaller than a Model 3. The energy capacity is enough to travel over 620 miles on a single charge, according to Tesla.

The battery pack powers three electric motors unleashing enough power to achieve a 0 to 60 mph time of 1.9 seconds – the quickest of any production car ever.

It also translates to a 0 to 100 mph time of 4.2 seconds, a quarter-mile in just 8.9 seconds, and record-breaking 250+ mph top speed.

Seth got a quick test ride in the car after placing a $5,ooo deposit (seriously). Here’s a 360-degree video of it.

Musk said that the vehicle will hit the market only in 2020, so there’s definitely time for those specs to evolve. For now, we will just marvel at the possibilities.

Update: After the event, we also learned that the Founders Series version of the car costs $250,000 and Tesla will make 1,000 units. Buyers have to put the full amount to reserve the vehicles and it’s not clear how the referral program plays into it at this point. People can also reserve a regular production Roadster with a $50,000 deposit.

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