Tesla says the battery and drive unit in its new Roadster produce 1 MW (1,341 hp), about a third more power than the Model S Plaid, at half the mass. The claim is printed on a Tesla display filmed on the night of Thursday’s reveal in McGregor, Texas, and all of that power goes to the rear wheels.
The Plaid uses three motors and all-wheel drive to put its 1,020 hp on the road. The production Roadster has two motors, and both sit at the back.
Tesla’s Display Claims 1 MW and Half the Plaid’s Mass
Tesla’s display calls the Roadster’s setup “our most powerful and compact rear-wheel drive unit yet” and says the battery and drive unit together deliver 1 MW. Tesla rates the Model S Plaid at 1,020 hp, so 1,341 hp works out to 31% more, a little under the third Tesla claims.
Investor Sawyer Merritt posted video of the display on X at 11:21 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, along with the text of its plaque. That text gives no weight for the battery or the drive unit, so “half the mass” compares two numbers Tesla hasn’t published, and it covers those parts only, not the whole car.
For the whole car, InsideEVs puts the lightest Roadster at about 3,700 pounds (1,700 kilograms). It took that figure from a Top Gear video interview with Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, and design chief Franz von Holzhausen.
Tesla Dropped the Roadster’s Front Motor and Kept Two at the Rear
The Roadster’s two motors drive only the rear wheels and make 1,033 lb-ft (1,400 Nm) of torque, according to Hagerty’s interview with Moravy. InsideEVs adds that they can vector torque between the rear wheels. The 2017 prototype promised three motors, one for the front axle.
Hagerty says the Performance version’s fans and skirts create large downforce at low speeds and improve traction, which is where a rear-drive car with this much power would otherwise spin its tires. The Thrust version adds cold-gas thrusters that Tesla says on X produce 4 to 5 times the force the tires can.
The megawatt may not apply to every version. Hagerty says all three launch versions get more than a megawatt and 1,033 lb-ft. InsideEVs’ summary of the Top Gear video lists four versions and says the base car makes more than 800 kW (1,073 hp) and 885 lb-ft, with the full 1,000 kW reserved for the more powerful ones. Tesla’s display gives one figure.
Tesla Says the Pack Charges From 15% to 85% in 10 Minutes
The Roadster’s pack runs at between 800 and 1,000 volts and uses nickel-based lithium-ion cells developed for this car, InsideEVs reports from the Top Gear interview. It accepts up to 500 kW from a V4 Supercharger, and Moravy said a charge from 15% to 85% should take 10 minutes.
InsideEVs calls it the fastest-charging battery Tesla has made, and its 1,000 kW maximum output matches the display’s megawatt. The 500 kW input is a peak, not an average across those 10 minutes. It is also the ceiling Tesla’s V4 cabinets were built for on passenger cars, according to 2024 permit filings.
The Tesla executives gave Top Gear no capacity in kWh, according to InsideEVs. They estimated 310 to 320 miles of range in normal driving, with no test cycle attached, against the over 300 miles Tesla quotes.
EVXL’s Take
I believe the powertrain more than anything else Tesla showed on Thursday, because the hardware sat on a table for anyone to film. Two rear motors and 1 MW also make sense in a car built around fans that pull it into the road. The 10-minute charge is the claim I’d hold back on. Without a kWh figure it doesn’t tell a buyer how far the car goes after those 10 minutes, and Tesla has until its 2028 production date to publish one. Until it does, I’d treat the 10 minutes as a talking point rather than a spec.
Sources: Sawyer Merritt on X, InsideEVs, Top Gear on YouTube, Hagerty, Tesla on X, GoAuto
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo.
