You can actually hear the coolant circulating in the Roadster if the car is parked in a quiet place. If needed, the computer will turn on the cooling system to keep the pack from overheating while parked. Tesla vehicles are always tracking battery pack temperature, even when the car is parked and on standby. To the right of both of these units is a coolant reservoir that cycles the liquid coolant through the battery pack and other onboard electronics. Roadster’s PEM contains the on-board charger, which converts AC electricity from the grid into DC electricity for the battery.Ībove: The battery pack has the high-voltage label, the PEM has the Roadster label (Source: Current Automotive) Behind the battery pack is the Power Electronics Module, which is akin to the brain of the car. Underneath the housing, the pack is divided into eleven sheets with about 600 cells each. The battery instead sits behind the occupant’s backs vertically, from the floor of the car up to the top. Roadster’s battery pack does not sit underneath the floor of the car, as is common of all newer electric vehicle platforms. The car’s electric architecture is also beneath the rear lid. Over time, Tesla was able to improve battery tech and use less carbon fiber – increasing range while reducing cost.Īll Roadsters came with a soft top that could be rolled up and placed into a surprisingly spacious trunk. This expensive ultra-light material was crucial for maximizing the range and counteracting extra weight from the battery pack. The earliest Roadsters had all of their body panels, including the bumpers, built out of carbon fiber.
He’s a genuine expert on the car and provides a thorough overview of the landmark electric car that started everything for Tesla. His first role at Tesla was selling Roadsters and he’s spent more than 30,000 miles behind the wheel of various Roadsters. The original Roadster is a great car with some clever engineering and a lot of fascinating features, including some that foreshadowed the future of Tesla’s technology.Ĭurrent Automotive Co-Founder Seneca Giese worked at Tesla from 2009 to 2018. They’re rare enough that not many Tesla fans will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with one. Unfortunately, only 2,500 Roadsters were produced. So, it went low volume, built the Roadster, and used that success to pave the way for the high-volume models we know and love today. Tesla, as a startup in the 2000s, did not have access to that kind of cash. Auto manufacturing relies on high-volume production to keep costs low, but it takes a lot of cash to build the factories needed to build high-volume cars. Tesla’s first car needed to be an exclusive (albeit pricey) limited-production sports car. If you drive a Tesla today, you can thank the Tesla Roadster for making it possible. Guest post: Blane Erwin, Current AutomotiveĪbove: A look at the original Tesla Roadster (Source: Current Automotive)
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