Battery technology has continued a steady improvement in recent years, especially in hybrid cars. Well there is now good news for the owners of Tesla’s Roadsters. The Roadsters will be able to achieve a claimed range of around 400 miles on a single charge. Tesla is calling this the “Roadster 3.0” upgrade package.
The all electric Roadster’s biggest upgrade is to the lithium-ion battery. A 70-kWh battery will replace the old one. The new battery offers 31 percent more energy storage than the original. An aero kit reduces drag to 0.31 percent, which is a 15 percent improvement, but there’s not word as to what the aero package specifically entails. Lastly, new tires with 20 percent lower rolling resistance, improved wheel bearings, and a reduction in “residual brake drag” all lower the overall rolling resistance of the roadster.
Tesla claims the improvements give the Roadster an increase in range of roughly 40 to 50 percent over the original Roadster, and they’re going to demonstrate its potential by driving a Roadster from San Francisco to L.A. without stopping to recharge. Tesla hasn’t revealed whether the upgrades will be offered á la carte or only as a package or what the package will cost.