Next gen Roadster

[richkae]

I dont think Tesla will use carbon fiber again in the near future.
I believe any cars on the Bluestar platform will be made out of the same material.

I think that any cars on the platform will share as many body panels and stampings as possible. Perhaps cosmetic shapes will be different, but all the pieces that contribute to structure and wheelbase will be the same.

There is no reason to think they would offer a car with 2 motors. Their core expertise is in the motor, PEM and battery, so I would expect them to be able to offer more powerful versions of any/all of those ( whichever is the weak link ) to achieve greater performance.

I would love to see a car with 2 motors - one for each rear wheel, so that a differential is not necessary, but I am not holding my breath.

[TEG]

Usually shy away from making predictions, but:
Due to need to keep costs and size down, I would predict "Blue Star" could be less than 300 mile range, unless we get some major energy storage breakthrough production ready in the next few years.
(Ultracaps anyone?)

So, I would say 200 mile range prediction for the sedan.
Now, a new Roadster would probably want to have at least as much range as the old, so they could trade those back seats for more batteries, and charge a bit more for Roadster compared to the sedan, so 300 mile range for the Roadster...

Do we think the next gen Roadster would be a true 2 seater (like a Porsche Cayman for instance), or have small back seats like a Porsche Carrera?

[TEG]

I dont think Tesla will use carbon fiber again in the near future...

I agree. Tesla is investing in metal stamping expertise and capability at their new factory.
Now, I heard that Blue Star might be steel instead of aluminum. That makes me hesitate. I think Tesla gets some positive response from doing the Model S with so much aluminum, and it is a good weight saving aid, so it might still (IMHO) be worth considering for "Blue Star" even if it hurts a little from the budget / cost standpoint.

[Mycroft]

My ideal Roadster would have tiny back seats like the Mercedes SL series or the Carrera. They're good for "emergency" transportation of passengers, but mainly they're great for storing laptops, satchels, bags, shopping, etc. without having to always be going into the trunk. I don't know about the Carrera, but the SL is too wide. I'd prefer a narrower car. They'll probably make it wider though; both for safety and for battery storage.

[TEG]

I keep voting for narrow too - mainly for parking in compact spaces, and navigating narrow/twisty mountain roads.

I heard that sometimes cars have "vestigial" rear seats for insurance reasons. I read a few places that cars classified as having back seats tend to have lower insurance rates.

[doug]

I think the wheelbase of the 3-series is still too long for what I'd prefer in a roadster.

[AnOutsider]

Do we think the next gen Roadster would be a true 2 seater (like a Porsche Cayman for instance), or have small back seats like a Porsche Carrera?

I think there will be back seats, even if they are small (actually I think I remember Elon making reference to something like this)

[TEG]

I think the wheelbase of the 3-series is still too long for what I'd prefer in a roadster.

...Me too... (Having owned X 1/9 and MR2 in the past...)

[Norbert]

Batteries will be improved by 2015/2016, so I'd expect they will be able to offer a 300 mile option for the new Roadster as well as for Bluestar. The new Roadster won't be as small as the old one, it will allow at least children to sit in a proper 2nd row.

One could argue a 300 mile option is too expensive for the Bluestar, but I think those spending $30k on a car may still be interested in a 300 mile option, not only those who spend $50k. I wouldn't expect Tesla to have a price-driven upper limit on range options, and I think demand will still be there. There seem to be a good number of those who'd like 300 miles, but not necessarily want to spend $70k on a luxury sedan. Though regarding that, I could imagine that Tesla will own the californian luxury sedan market in 5-10 years.

And the new Roadster battery prices will benefit from them being sold in the Bluestar as well.

[doug]

If there are back seats, then it's not really a roadster in my book.