In May 2015, I experienced my first Tesla ride and "launch" in an original Tesla Roadster. This was the moment that change everything for me in regard to Tesla.
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Getting Launched In An Original Tesla Roadster
Back in May 2015, I was traveling to California to go explore Palo Alto and some of the surrounding locations, such as Stanford and Apple's headquarters.
I was fortunate enough to travel there and know someone who had a friend that worked at Apple, and she mentioned that this friend of hers had a Tesla.
At the time, I'd been listening to Elon Musk on YouTube for a couple of years, and the things he was saying about Tesla and technology made sense.
I very enthusiastically said that I would love to meet her friend and see if she would be willing to take me on a ride in her Tesla, since I had never ridden in one before.
She dropped me off at Apple's headquarters, where her friend Meghan came out to say hello to me. After a few minutes of pleasantries, she took me to her original Tesla Roadster.
One of the first things I noticed about it was that it was tiny! I'm 6'4'' and it was a bit of work to get in the passenger seat, but I was able to do so.
Once I was in the car, Meghan started driving, and I was intrigued because the car simply started moving without any kind of engine sound going off or anything. Tesla cars are fully electric and have always been that way.
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Getting Launched In an Original Tesla Roadster
I have a year 2022 Model 3 RWD that can go 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. It feels fast - really fast, but it's also the slowest Tesla available and uses different batteries than the original Tesla Roadster - LFP batteries. Actually, it's the second slowest now that there is a Model Y RWD that does 0 to 60 mph in about 6.6 seconds.
The original Tesla Roadster cost just over $100,000, and had an around 56 kWh battery - Lithium-ion - pack. It could accelerate from 0-60 mph in about 3.7 to 3.9 seconds and had a range of about 244 miles.
That's not too bad for Tesla's first vehicle and in a location like Palo Alto, which is generally warm or temperate, this vehicle made sense for Meghan, who was a senior engineer at Apple and likely could afford such a vehicle - even if it may have been a stretch to buy.
I remember getting launched in the vehicle for the first time, and it felt like I had been shot out of a rocket. The car zipped forward and made the Tesla electric motor sound and picked up speed incredibly quickly.
In seconds, we were going 55 miles per hour, and I remember the exhilarating feeling of that quick acceleration - now almost 9 years ago.
The original Tesla Roadster and this iconic launch made me realize that Tesla vehicles were the future. I had never ever ridden in a car like this that could ride this fast. At the time, I owned a 2009 Honda Fit that I'd had for a couple of years, and it was nothing like this. Of course, it was 75% cheaper to buy, but this original Tesla Roadster was like an alien spaceship compared to it.
It would be a couple of years later that I would finally start to invest in Tesla stock.
Today, with my Model 3 RWD, that cost about $50,000 after all was said and done - it's half the cost, more range, and more technology. Tesla vehicles are only going to get cheaper.
A used Tesla Roadster has retained its value quite well, selling from around $85,000 to $125,000 in most cases - about the original sticker price.
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What do you think of this launch of an original Tesla Roadster? Would you get one of these now classic cars?
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Hi! I'm Jeremy Noel Johnson, and I am a Tesla investor and supporter and own a 2022 Model 3 RWD EV and I don't have range anxiety :). I enjoy bringing you breaking Tesla news as well as anything about Tesla or other EV companies I can find, like Aptera. Other interests of mine are AI, Tesla Energy and the Tesla Bot! You can follow me on X.COM or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow my Tesla and EV news coverage.
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