The folks at Tesla Motors note that The Tesla Roadster Experience is Quick and Considerate, because an electric sports car provides the kind of performance you really care about:
Now let’s be honest here. Launching most sports cars to 60 MPH in their advertised times requires holding the revs at 4000 RPM and side-stepping the clutch. Even the road test editors say that is difficult to execute, not to mention the annual clutch and tire bills. When you floor the Tesla Roadster from a standing start it just instantly goes as fast as it can go – no muss, no fuss; first time, every time. You instinctively expect a let up in g-forces for a shift of gears before hitting 60 MPH, but the Tesla Roadster is geared to go beyond 60 MPH in first gear. Even if you prefer to keep the car in second to avoid shifting entirely, the car is very fast off the line.As any driving instructor will tell you, driving fast through the back-road twisties or on the track is all about smoothness and consistency. Ninety-nine percent of the time you’re either standing on the accelerator or brake. Executing a smooth downshift while braking (heel-and-toe downshifting) is rarely done well 100 percent of the time, particularly when you’re not familiar with the turn. Not an issue with the Tesla Roadster – no clutch pedal.
For performance driving on the street, nothing can top your favorite freeway onramp or exit. What do you experience in cars equipped with automatic transmissions that don’t let you hold a gear? When you hit the apex and squeeze the throttle, the car will downshift on you. It’s not fun and is, in fact, downright dangerous to have the rear end break loose at that point with so much lateral g-force. You’ll loop it if you’re lucky; you’ll have a repair bill if you spin into the guard rail. The Tesla Roadster will hold the gear whether you are in first or second, so you won’t have to worry about this condition. Simply put, the Tesla Roadster makes a driver look good.