Roadster Reference editorial and fact-checking policy
Roadster Reference publishes original explanations, comparisons and calculations about the Tesla Roadster. A useful article must resolve a reader’s question beyond repeating a press claim. Each material statement should identify the vehicle concerned, its evidence and any assumptions needed to interpret it.
Original work and source material
Section titled “Original work and source material”An original article can use reported facts while contributing its own reasoning. Our contribution includes the launch-time calculations, the conditional suction-force model, the configuration comparison and the reservation-document questions. These are distinct from Tesla’s claims and other publications’ reporting. The source library links each contribution to its inputs and limits.
We do not describe calculations as experiments. A mathematical result can be reproduced from the numbers and still depend on an unverified vehicle claim. Photographs supplied by Tesla remain promotional material, and a reporter’s account remains that reporter’s account.
Authorship and AI tools
Section titled “Authorship and AI tools”Roadster Reference is the publication byline. We do not publish invented writer biographies, professional qualifications or claims of event attendance. No first-hand driving or vehicle-testing experience is claimed for this edition.
AI tools assist research and drafting. Their output is not a source. Material claims need a readable supporting document or an explicit unresolved label; a second AI response is not corroboration. Calculations state their inputs, units and assumptions so that readers can check the result without trusting a writing tool. Original writing and AI assistance describe different aspects of the work and are both disclosed here.
What the evidence labels mean
Section titled “What the evidence labels mean”| Label | Meaning on this site |
|---|---|
| Official statement | Attributable Tesla post, document or statement; still a company claim unless independently tested |
| Reported statement or target | A named publication describes Tesla’s statement or website; the source is cited beside the claim |
| Demonstration result | A result presented at the event; not automatically a repeatable production-car specification |
| Independent test | A third-party measurement with identifiable conditions; none is claimed for this reveal by this publication |
| Explanation or calculation | Our reasoning with its assumptions shown, such as a unit conversion |
| Unresolved | The reviewed material does not establish an answer; not a claim that no answer exists elsewhere |
Several publications quoting the same launch time can corroborate what Tesla said without independently measuring the car. A fan-force claim, a range target and certified range also require different labels even when they are all numbers.
Source and version checks
Section titled “Source and version checks”Important figures must name the vehicle version or configuration. Older concept numbers remain historical unless a current source establishes their relevance. When an article distinguishes stage information from a later website listing, the page preserves that distinction.
A blocked source is an access limit. If a saved article body is used instead of a successful fresh retrieval, that is disclosed. Search snippets are useful for discovery but do not replace reading an article’s body. We link the official replay without inventing timestamps or claiming a frame-by-frame review.
For money and road use, the page identifies what the report says and what would require a current agreement or approval document. It does not turn an intention into legal clearance or a deposit into a retail price.
Writing and presentation
Section titled “Writing and presentation”Each article should answer its own question. Explanations, tables and images belong where they help that answer; repeated disclaimers and generic introductions should not stand in for reporting. Sources accompany material assertions, and diagrams are labelled when they are conceptual. No word-count target justifies padding an article.
Revisions and corrections
Section titled “Revisions and corrections”Publication dates identify first publication. Modification dates change for substantive edits, not an unchanged rebuild. Material corrections should say which claim changed and why; withdrawn targets should remain in the history with their original dates.
The October 16 editorial revision added the configuration targets in The Verge’s website summary, qualified the acceleration calculation’s true-rest assumption and replaced a blanket “range unknown” statement with a distinction between reported target and certified range. These are content corrections, not new vehicle tests.
Use the correction form for a disputed statement and supporting source. Suggestions do not become facts automatically. At this edition, the site has no ads, sponsorship, paid placement, affiliate reservation links or vehicle payments.