The Tesla Roadster is the fastest offering from the electric car manufacturer, but is it faster than a Bugatti?
The new Tesla Roadster has a lower top speed when compared to a Bugatti Chiron, but it accelerates much faster and boasts a considerably higher maximum range. It isn’t just faster, but much more affordable and subjectively better-looking.
Read on to learn more about the new Tesla Roadster, and how it compares to Bugatti’s top offerings.
The Rise Of Electricity
The technology that powers road vehicles forward is changing and improving almost every day. In the last ten years, we’ve seen more innovation in the motor industry than in the previous century.
Today, we’ve got self-driving cars, all-electric trucks, luxurious vehicles with more technology than a warship, and engines capable of hitting breakneck speeds. It’s a diverse and celebrated industry that quite literally drives the world forward.
When Elon Musk founded Tesla in 2003, he had one goal in mind: to irrevocably disrupt the motor industry. He had a vision of an electric car on every road, a concept that he believed would help to heal the world from the damage wrought by pollution.
By 2020, Elon Musk was the world’s second-richest man and Tesla had grown to become one of – if not the – leading car manufacturers on the planet. The all-electric company was putting out around half a million units every year, and business was absolutely booming.
The Tesla car project started with the Roadster in 2005, introducing one of the world’s first electric sports cars. It was a massive initial success for Tesla, which has gone on to rise exponentially through the ranks ever since.
The Tragedy Of Bugatti
Bugatti’s story is a little different, with the company having been founded way back in 1909. However, this once-prestigious firm suffered a string of tragedies and failures that completely sealed the fate of the original operation.
When 1947 came around, Ettore Bugatti, the founder of the original company, passed away, effectively decimating the Bugatti marque. His only son, Jean Bugatti, had died in 1939, meaning there was no familial heir to the brand.
This was an irreversible turning point for the company, and it ultimately floundered before being bought out and liquidated in the 1950s. Although, it wasn’t the end for the name, as it was revived in part in 1998 and made a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG.
The first ‘new’ Bugatti was released in 2005, and it was known as the Veyron, one of the most ambitious supercar projects in history. Today, Bugatti is extremely exclusive, and less than one hundred cars are manufactured every year.
They’re dramatically powerful and almost never seen, with the latest model, the Chiron, boasting a near-mythical status. This vehicle was released in 2016, and by 2020, less than two hundred had been purchased and delivered.
The Fight Between The Fastest
If there’s one thing Bugatti does well, it’s speed; both the Veyron and the Chiron have boasted staggering top speeds, having been built for power. However, it’s often said that gas-powered cars are becoming a thing of the past, and true ability lies in electric vehicles.
This is where Tesla takes the top spot, with the new Tesla Roadster (a total reboot from the first) boasting faster acceleration than the Bugatti Chiron. Although the latter has a higher top speed, it is beaten off the line by the Roadster every time.
It’s alleged that the Roadster can move from zero to sixty miles-per-hour in an eye-wateringly short time of just 1.9 seconds. The Chiron takes around 2.3 seconds to reach the same speed from a standing start.
Furthermore, the Roadster has a dramatically longer maximum range, with claims that it can travel up to 620 miles on a single charge. Bugatti’s Chiron, on the other hand, can only travel around one hundred miles on a full tank of gas.
Finally, and often considered the most important point, the Tesla Roadster is a fraction of the cost of the Bugatti Chiron. The latter will set you back around three million dollars, while the Tesla Roadster starts at just two hundred thousand dollars.
While the Chiron is undoubtedly the best choice for someone with too much money or too much of a focus on exclusivity, the Roadster wins this fight. It’s faster, more affordable, more eco-friendly, and much more readily available.
Let’s face it, you don’t need a three million dollar car that can travel at speeds of three hundred miles-per-hour, do you?