Early subscribers to the Tesla Motors story, the automaker hasn’t forgotten about you. As we reported a while back, a new battery pack upgrade had been in the works for owners of the original, Lotus-based Tesla Roadster.
Now, at long last, the Tesla Roadster battery upgrade is ready to order.
Just this week, Tesla Motors announced that it is accepting deposits for the more energy-dense, 70 kWh battery. To secure one, interested parties must put $5,000 down initially to reserve one of the units, plus an additional $24,000 upon installation. That makes this Tesla Roadster battery somewhat more expensive per kWh than an equivalent battery pack for the Model S sedan, without adding Supercharger network compatibility.
But the reason for the higher cost-per-kWh is quite simple; Tesla Motors is only anticipating having to build 2 or 3 units per week, each one assembled by-hand. An announcement assures customers that the automaker isn’t even anticipating making a profit on the upgraded battery pack.
For many, the new battery unit for the Tesla Roadster will surely be well worth the cost. While it weighs marginally more than the original unit, the upgraded pack holds 40 percent more energy, and will boost range by about 35 percent, to as much as 400 miles.
Happy (electric) motoring, friends.
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