Tesla Roadster does 12.7 in the Quarter Mile

SONOMA, California — The electric Tesla Roadster achieved a critical milestone in late October, with a 12.7-second blast down the quarter-mile at Infineon Raceway, Tesla Motors has confirmed for Inside Line.

In comparison, Inside Line tested a 2008 Lotus Elise SC with a quarter-mile time of 13.3 seconds at 103.2 mph, and IL's test of a 4,152-pound 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 recorded a quarter-mile of 13.2 seconds at 107.5 mph

Tesla validation engineer Iain Morrison, charged with doing much of the foul-weather and speed testing for the Roadster, was behind the wheel at Infineon, according to Rachel Konrad, Tesla Motors senior communications manager. For the record, the Tesla Roadster posted a 12.757 time in the quarter-mile on October 29. Trap speed was 104.74 mph, Konrad said. The Tesla Roadster now gets version 1.5 of its drivetrain, compared with the first powertrain that used a two-speed transmission. The latest version needs just one speed.

Inside Line says: A pretty impressive in-house number for the Tesla Roadster. It will be interesting to see if it can be duplicated by outside testers