The Roadster is based on Lotus Elise and is considered the grand daddy of high performance electric cars.

Available new only in its Sports guise, and only for a limited time now (sales in the UK end in 2013), the car has a phenomenal 245-mile range and can achieve 0-60mph in 3.7secs. Top Speed is limited to a respectable 125mph.

The company has sold over 1,700 Roadsters in 31 countries and has established itself as the technological forerunner in the electric vehicle world, supplying know-how to the likes of Toyota and Daimler.

Click on the Road Test tab for our full review.

By Will Dron July 18, 2011 5:23 PM

A true electric supercar that’s made petrolheads sit up and take notice.

OVERVIEW


The Tesla Roadster has been around since 2006 so it’s not exactly fresh off the blocks, but after launching TheChargingPoint.com at the end of February this year, we put it at the top of our road test wish list. They’re in short supply – just 1,700 examples have been made worldwide so far – and press demand is still high, but Tesla handed us the keys.

The car we’ve tested is a Roadster 2.5 S – sportier than the base model, its 3.7sec 0-60mph time and 245 miles of range per charge are the headline features. But how does it achieve those performance figures, is it actually any fun to drive and how practical is it in the real world? Here’s our official guide to everything you need to know about the Tesla Roadster 2.5 S...

 

DESIGN


The Roadster might be based on the Lotus Elise, but the body panels are unique to the Tesla – the shell has been modified to accommodate the batteries and powertrain, with the windshield being the most significant shared external component. No argument, though, that the Roadster is good looking, poised and purposeful.

The huge and heavy battery pack has been snugly positioned just behind the driver and passenger seats in a stack, meaning the main bulk is centred in the monocoque chassis. That’s good for the car’s dynamics.

The body is a carbon-fibre and aluminium construction designed to be strong yet light, with Tesla clearly aiming to maintain rigidity while minimising the impact of the extra weight of the batteries.

As you’d expect, there’s a wide selection of colours on offer - we really liked our ‘Very Orange’ test car with the Tesla logo emblazoned along the sides in black, but other choices include Electric Blue, Racing Green, Radiant Red and Lightning Green. I think we must have missed the meeting where it was decided lightning was actually green.

Halogen headlights and LED tail lights comes as standard.

 

INTERIOR AND COMFORT


Inside, there’s a surprising amount of room. Cramming my 6’5” (198cm) body into an Elise is a bit of a tight fit, but the Tesla is actually quite accommodating for a tall frame. There’s not a lot of adjustment in the driver’s seat – it slides backwards and forwards but doesn’t tilt, recline, raise or lower – and the passenger seat is fixed. Having said that, the seats are comfortable and hold you in place very well through fast corners. And while supercars aren’t really about luxurious comfort, air conditioning, electric windows and central locking do come as standard.

On the model we drove the main touchscreen display housed the stereo and satellite navigation and reversing camera view. That last item is extremely useful given the compromised rearward visibility.

A secondary, smaller touchscreen contains clever readouts and gizmo controls. Tyre pressures, detailed energy usage info, charge timers and a valet mode, which locks the glovebox and counts the number of times the boot has been accessed, are just some of the clever gubbins within. Untrustworthy valets beware!

The dash is simple with good old analog instruments instead of a fully digital display. The energy usage meter clearly displays kilowatts currently being used or recovered through regenerative braking. Range is shown on a small digital display, along with the odometer.

Open the boot and you’ll find a space for luggage. There’s not a lot of room in there, but enough for golf clubs or a couple of overnight bags should you wish to disappear for a long weekend.

 

PERFORMANCE


The Tesla Roadster isn’t just fast for an electric car; it’s fast full-stop. When you consider that its 0-60mph time of 3.7secs puts it in the same league as the £152,000 Lamborghini Gallardo, the £100,000+ price tag starts to make more sense.

The custom-built drivetrain is amongst the most efficient on the market. In fact, Tesla’s ingenuity has convinced major players such as Daimler and Toyota to use them as technology suppliers. The 375-volt electric motor belts out the equivalent of 288 horsepower and, crucially, 295 foot pounds of torque. And, being electric, that torque is available from zero revs, meaning overtakes at speed are as punchy as a blast away from the lights.

Top speed is limited to 125mph, which is well short of the Lamborghini, obviously, but it’s easily fast enough for you to lose your license. And if you do that, a mega top speed becomes a bit irrelevant.

 

HANDLING AND RIDE


Of course, it’s not all about power. The handling is what gives ultimate driving pleasure and we were worried that the extra weight of the batteries would spoil the driving experience. After all, the Tesla Roadster tips the scales at 1.2 tonnes, some 300kgs heavier than the Lotus Elise.

We needn’t have been concerned – the Tesla still corners with precision thanks to its well-tuned weight distribution, structural rigidity and four-wheel independent suspension. The Roadster Sport also gets a custom-tuned suspension with 10-position adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars, meaning you can fine-tune it to suit the road and track.

Unsurprisingly, the Roadster’s ride quality is on the firm side but in roadgoing tune, completely acceptable given the car’s supercar remit.

The steering feels quite heavy at low speeds as there’s no power assistance. But at higher speeds the steering feels brilliantly direct with great precision, akin to driving a kart. With excellent feedback through the steering wheel, you’re filled with absolute confidence that it’s not going to do anything unpredictable – no twitchiness and no surprises.

We would have liked a little hooligan oversteer but that’s actually very hard to achieve – the mechanical grip and resistance to wheel-spin on dry tarmac, even when traction control is switched off, is phenomenal. Really go for it and you can have a bit of sideways fun, but the Tesla is not quite as raw an experience as you might think, not quite as lively and adjustable on the limit as an Elise. Slightly clipped wings, perhaps, but it means virtually anyone can jump into this car and have fun without being caught out.

 

RANGE AND CHARGE TIMES


How does 245 miles sound? Tesla goes against the current thinking from the likes of Nissan and Renault and is very much of the opinion that you need a lot more than 100 miles range to convince buyers. Of course, range varies depending on driving conditions, but motorway stints in a Tesla are not something to be feared.

The power pack itself is a custom microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery with 6,831 individual cells storing 53 kilowatt-hours of juice. That’s more than twice the capacity of the Nissan LEAF’s power pack and has enabled those 1,700 Roadster owners to rack up a total of more than 10 million miles of motoring.

As a result, charging takes more than twice as long as for the LEAF. If you plug a Roadster into a standard UK domestic 13 amp 240-volt supply, you’re looking at around 16 hours for a charge. But that’s from flat – the chances of you driving it 245 miles every day are slim, so in the real world you’d be looking to top up overnight, which would take far less time. A full charge will cost roughly £3 to £4 depending on your electricity rates, and without complicated engines to maintain, running a Roadster is extremely cost-effective. In fact, it’s a bargain.

Of course, you have the option to charge faster if necessary – a 70 amp 240-volt High Power Connector can do the job in just 3.5 hours. A network of these connectors has just been set up down the spine of the UK, meaning it is now possible to drive the 894 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End (the length of Britain) in two days. Not a trip you’re going to do very often, but it’s reassuring to know it’s possible, isn’t it? A more practical use for the chargers is a quick top-up stop for the very occasional cross-country journey, which makes the Tesla Roadster a highly usable and practical motor.

Interesting fact: one couple managed to squeeze 347.2 miles out of their Tesla Roadster, but they must have had the world’s most boring travel day, as they motored at a constant speed of 25mph.

 

SAFETY


The Tesla has been crash-tested in the United States and passed all the necessary Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) test requirements.

There are a number of standard safety features, including a rigid safety cell with front and rear crumple zones to protect occupants in the event of a collision. There are also front airbags, which are a minimum requirement these days. And four-wheel anti-lock brakes and traction control give the car good dynamic safety.

 

VERDICT


The Tesla Roadster is a landmark electric car. Its impact should not be underestimated – with its dramatic arrival on the scene, Tesla demonstrated with the Roadster that electric cars could be proper supercars. Fast, exciting and cool.

And getting behind the wheel does not disappoint – it’s a genuine thrill to drive a Tesla Roadster. It feels swift, responsive and it steers with remarkable precision. The 245-mile range it offers also means real practicality for everyday use in the real world, whatever those chaps on a certain popular BBC car show might say. With that kind of range, you wouldn’t think twice about jumping into a Roadster for a weekend trip to the country, let alone doing the daily commute (if your daily run is more than 245 miles, you need a new job!).

Sadly, production of the Roadster is now winding down. Tesla recently ordered the components it needs for another 100 Roadsters, 80 of which are for the UK market and 20 for the rest of Europe. Sales will continue in Europe into 2013, but there are no plans to continue it after that. So our message is, if you can afford a Tesla Roadster then stop hanging around – get in there and pick up a piece of automotive history.

 

VIDEO REVIEW  

 

TESLA ROADSTER IN NUMBERS…

Performance
Trim level tested: Roadster 2.5 S
Range: 245 miles
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds
Top speed: 125mph
Peak power: 288bhp
Torque: 400Nm (295ft.lbs.)
Kerb weight: 1,236kg

Battery
Type: Lithium ion
Capacity: 53kWh
Operating voltage: 375V
Recharge time: 16 hours at 13 amp, 3.5 hours at 70 amps (0-100% level)

Dimensions
Length: 3,940mm
Width: 1,852mm
Height: 1,126mm