The Tesla Roadster is the first car produced by Tesla Motors and between 2008 and 2012 more than 2,400 cars were produced.
In UK the Roadster was priced from £86,950 and it was really the first EV that people got people excited as it was the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production all-electric car to travel more than 200 miles per charge. Plus it is quite fast!
Since the last car rolled off the assembly line in 2012 a lot has changed. Tesla is busy building the Model S and the battery technology has improved significantly.
200+ mile range does not sound that impressive today and to offer improved driving experience for current Roadster owners, Tesla has announced a 3.0 package, that takes advantage of recent developments in the field of battery technology.
The 3.0 package includes a new lithium-ion battery with a capacity of roughly 70 kWh, meaning it is roughly the same size as the original one in Roadster, while storing 31% more energy.
The 3.0 package also introduces improved wheel bearings, modern low rolling resistance tyres, a retrofit aero kit that reduces the drag coefficient from 0.36 to 0.31.
As a result Tesla estimates the range will improve by 40-50 percent, enabling the car to travel more than 400 miles (643.7 km) on a single charge.
The new battery is still in testing and Tesla hopes to have it ready for customers next spring.