Tesla Announces New Upgrades for Roadster Model Electric Car

Tesla, Elon Musk's electric car company, has announced an upgrade to one of its most popular models, the Roadster, which will greatly increase the distance the car can travel in between stops at charging stations.

The Roadster changes were announced in a press release on the Tesla website and will ultimately increase the distance the Roadster can travel without charge by 40-50%.

The release says that Tesla was able to locate a new battery cell to use in the vehicle that produces 31% more energy in the same size package as the original battery. The batteries first used in Roadsters were the first to be produced and used on a commercial scale for electric car travel.

The Roadster's aerodynamics also received a small tweak that will reduce the vehicle's drag coefficient, meaning that air drag on the vehicle will drop by 15%.

Tesla also made changes to the Roadster's rolling resistance through the use of new tires and hardware. These changes will realize reductions of around 20% in the vehicles rolling resistance.

Tesla claims in certain circumstances, because of these changes, the Roadster will be able to travel 400 miles without stopping for a charge. The company says they will demonstrate this sometime in early 2015 by having a driver take the vehicle from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

These changes will apply to new Roadsters, and Tesla will also upgrade Roadsters currently out on the roads and in use. Roadster owners can make appointments to have their vehicles upgraded in the spring after the final safety testing on the new battery is complete.