Why Tesla should deliver its new Roadster electric supercar
The next-generation Tesla Roadster is still nowhere to be seen six years after being unveiled. Here’s an argument as to why Tesla should bring the car to market.
When first unveiling the next-generation Tesla Roadster in 2017, it surprised many, but the reason made sense. Tesla now wanted to unveil a “halo car” that would clearly show that if you want to have the best car possible, it has to be electric.
At the time of the unveiling in 2017, CEO Elon Musk said that it would come to market in 2020.
Tesla started taking reservations at the unveiling event for the impressive electric supercar that goes zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds with over 600 miles of range. People who wanted to be first in line to get the vehicle had to put down between $50,000 and $250,000 in deposits.
The vehicle program was later delayed, and the CEO said that it wasn’t a priority for Tesla.
In 2020, Musk hinted at the Tesla Roadster being delayed until 2022 as the automaker focuses on the Cybertruck. In 2021, the CEO confirmed that the new vehicle will indeed not come to market until 2022.
Later, Musk confirmed that it is now delayed until at least 2023. Furthermore, the CEO said that its arrival will depend on how much “drama” Tesla goes through in 2022.
Things went fairly well for Tesla in 2022, but there’s still no word on the Roadster as Tesla is focused on bringing the Cybertruck to market.
Why Tesla should deliver the Roadster
Now Tesla won’t move the needle that much with electrification by delivering the Roadster, which has been its argument for delaying it for years, and it’s true. However, there’s an argument to be made that it would help its sales right now.
Tesla has been pulling a lot of “demand levers” lately; for the most part, it has been using the price drop one. Tesla has slashed prices by as much as 25% on some models this year.
Why isn’t it using other demand levers like it has done in the past?
A few years ago, Tesla pulled another demand lever that was very successful and that’s its referral program. The incentives on both sides, for the referrer and buyer, led to a significant surge in orders for Tesla and a lot of cheap publicity.
Now it went a bit out of control when Tesla started not to offer not just one but two new Roadsters to people who referred enough new buyers to Tesla, but the program was otherwise successful in creating demand.
Tesla could bring the program back in a toned-down form, but first, it needs to deliver the Roadster. Otherwise, the new program won’t have much credibility if the company isn’t even delivering the original prizes from the previous referral program.
Electrek’s Take
I know what the naysayers are going to say. “Fred, you are just saying that because you earned two Roadsters in the referral program.”
I will not lie to you and tell you that I’m not looking forward to Tesla actually delivering on its promise with the Roadster and the referral program, but I also think that the logic is sound here.
Tesla keeps making price drops to create demand. Some analysts are even calling for Tesla to start advertising to create demand. I think that there are a few steps that Tesla could take before getting there; one of them is a stronger referral program.
Now I would tweak it a bit in order for it not to get out of control like last time, and they already have the new loyalty program in place as a start, but I think they need to increase the incentives on both sides.
It should result in a lot of cheap publicity again, but I think you need to deliver the Roadster first because otherwise, it would remove a lot of credibility in the new program if Tesla never actually delivered on the promises and prizes of the first one.
On top of it, you can imagine all of the content that is going to be created around those new Roadsters being delivered. That, combined with a new referral program, could potentially be the cheapest way for Tesla to create more demand.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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