It’s been a while since we’ve published an article on the Roadster. While the Tesla Roadster is a fascinating subject, habitually delayed production has left even the most avid Tesla fan at a loss. What started off as the new, awesome 2020 Tesla Roadster, is now the ‘maybe we might’ 2022 Tesla Roadster. Therefore, it makes little sense to keep re-hashing and revising. However, certain intriguing statements made by Elon Musk involving “rockets” warrant a closer look.
Musk repeatedly references the addition of “rockets” to the 2021 Roadster. Through a series of Tweets Musk claims that SpaceX technology, in place of the rear seats, could accomplish this futuristic goal. In 2019 he stated , “You can basically accelerate at the limit of human endurance”. But it wasn’t until later that year, when Elon confirmed the rocket addition to famous car collector Jay Leno, that many began to take him seriously. After all, the idea of a street legal car with an available ‘rocket feature’ seems out of this world. But is it?
We checked out some hard core math predictions by Engineering Explained to get a better grasp on what seems possible. If you’re a math fan, we recommend watching the video below. But for the rest of us, here are some things we can learn about the plausibility of Roadster rockets, as well as the pros and cons.
Roadster Rockets – The Plausibility Of It All
According to Engineering Explained, the rocket feature can be achieved with compressed air, perhaps nitrogen. After calculations based on projected weight, battery power etc. it can be determined that the Roadster would be capable of a 0-60mph acceleration in approximately one second. The rocket would apply three tons of thrust, making the Tesla Roadster at least twice as fast as previously predicted for 2020.
Elon Musk initially mentioned that the rocket would be attached to the rear and that the license plate would flip down to deploy the rocket. However, he’s since set the number of rockets at 10. Attaching a rocket to other areas of the vehicle would create further possibilities. For example, while Porsche has a comparable model capable of stopping within 87 ft, the addition of a rocket at the front of the Roadster would likely stop the Roadster at a record breaking 50ft. Clearly, some accidents could be avoided altogether.
Rockets deployed from beneath the chassis, would enable hovering. This is seen as little more than a party trick though, as it would likely only last about 1-2 seconds and hover at about 3ft. Elon himself admitted this when he said the Roadster would fly, “sort of”. Of note though, is his assertion that the vehicle would move forward while hovering, or even assist in cornering. This brings forward a few ideas of minor usefulness [let the mind wander].
Will the Tesla Roadster Rocket Edition Be Safe?
What about safety? Are cylinders of compressed air really a good idea? We’re not safety experts, but there are a few more obvious considerations; high pressure cylinders can be dangerous. Also the force of rockets can thrust people to the ground, or set the vehicle back down on a person. We’re sure Tesla will take all that into account, as they have a reputation of safety to uphold. Another thing to remember is that rockets are loud. Airbags are so loud that people often lose their hearing for a time or have ringing in their ears. It will be interesting to see how Tesla balances this.
2022 Tesla Roadster Stats
If you’d like to take a quick look at the 2020-2022 Tesla Roadster stats, please check out this article from Plugin Motorwerks: 2020 Tesla Roadster: Fastest Car on the Road? We’ve enjoyed taking this time to reflect once again on the highly anticipated 2020 Tesla Roadster. Let’s hope 2022 sees the Roadster on the road!