The company said it will be capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds,[1][2][3] which would be quicker than any street legal production car to date at its announcement in November 2017.

[5] Musk said that higher-performance trim levels will be available beyond the base specifications, including a SpaceX package that would "include ~10 small rocket cold air thrusters arranged seamlessly around the car" which would allow for dramatic improvements in "acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering," and such as a 1.1 second 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time,[6] and "maybe ... even allow a Tesla to fly".

[8] At the time, it was also referred to as the Tesla Model R.[9] In 2015, Musk suggested a new Roadster as early as 2019, capable of faster acceleration.

[31] On June 27, 2019, Musk tweeted that a "2.1 sec 0-60 mph was base model before adding rocket thruster option".

[32] In July 2020, During the 2020 second quarter financial results conference call, Musk stated that Tesla plans to tentatively build the Roadster in California and production would be in the next 12 to 18 months.

He commented that in 2021, the company would finish engineering the Roadster with the goal of having a "candidate design drivable late summer".

[38] In February 2024, Elon Musk posted on X that the production version of the Roadster would be unveiled in late 2024; deliveries would begin in early 2025; the car would be able accelerate to 60 mph in under 1 second;[39] and steer-by-wire similar to the Cybertruck would be included.

[19] The Roadster has three electric motors: one in the front and two in the rear,[19] allowing for all-wheel drive, and torque vectoring during cornering.

[48] Musk made the following statements regarding the prototype Roadster's acceleration: Its stated 0 to 1⁄4 mile (0 to 400 metres) time will be 8.88 seconds, with a top speed above 250 mph (400 km/h).

[51][52] The updated Model S Plaid released in 2021 set several production car records with performance statistics close to those anticipated by the Roadster.

In February 2024, Musk stated on X that the new design goal for the production Roadster included an acceleration of 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in less than 1 second, without specifying if the "SpaceX package" would be an option or not.

[51][52] Venkat Viswanathan, a mechanical engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University,[57] told Jalopnik that the 1.9 second figure for 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) seemed reasonable given the estimated battery weight of 1,836 pounds (833 kg).