Tesla Roadster prototype spied doing runs on Fremont factory’s test track

Fred Lambert | Feb 16 2018 - 6:44 pm PT

The next-generation Tesla Roadster is going on some outings this week.

After hitting a few Tesla locations, the prototype has now been spied doing runs on Fremont factory’s test track.

Just yesterday, the vehicle was spotted at Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto.

It gave us one of our best look at the next-generation Roadster prototype to date, but the vehicle was apparently also in Fremont just a day before.

It looks like Tesla is giving more employees the opportunity to see the vehicle in person.

Shehryar Khan spotted what looks like the same prototype on the test track at the Fremont factory. He posted a video of it on Twitter:

ROADSTER I LOVE ELON MUSK pic.twitter.com/YAzS9WBjw1

— Shehryar Khan (@shehryarrkhan) February 14, 2018

At the unveiling event in November, CEO Elon Musk claimed a list of insanely impressive specs for the new Roadster, including 0-60 mph in 1.9 sec, 620-mile of range, and more.

It’s hard to get a good idea of the performance from the quick video, but that looked like a quick launch from a standstill – though it looks like it might have lost some traction at the beginning.

Musk claimed that the acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2 seconds is what they are already achieving with the prototype and that it could improve by the time the vehicle launches in 2020.

Electrek’s Take

As we discuss on the podcast earlier today, Tesla was able to keep the Roadster program secret with only a small team working on the first prototype.

After the unveiling, they hosted an event for employees to see the car and the Tesla Semi in Hawthorne, but most of Tesla’s more than 30,000 employees didn’t have the opportunity to see the vehicle in person.

It looks like Tesla is now giving the opportunity to more employees by bringing it to Fremont and Palo Alto.

If you have the opportunity to see it, you definitely should because the vehicle is impressive in person.