More details have emerged about the upgrades on the horizon for owners of Tesla Roadsters. The bottom line is that roadsters will be able to achieve a claimed range of around 400 miles on a charge thanks to what Tesla is calling the "Roadster 3.0″ upgrade package.
Tesla will offer owners a 70-kWh battery that will retrofit into the existing space, replacing the old first-generation lithium-ion battery. The new battery offers 31 percent more energy storage than the original. A retrofitted aero kit reduces drag to a claimed 0.31, a 15 percent improvement, but there's no word as of yet 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.
It's not clear if the upgrades will be offered a la carte or only as a package. Tesla also hasn't revealed what the package will cost. They will be taking upgrade appointments sometime in the spring of 2015, however.
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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.
Range may or may not be your cup of tea, but if owners skip on the low rolling resistance tires, more battery capacity simply means more capacity for fun.
This story originally appeared on roadandtrack.com.
from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com
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