The upcoming Tesla Roadster may be able to go 0-60 mph in 1.1 seconds.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk replied to a question on Twitter asking if the electric sports car would be able to achieve such incredible acceleration. Musk said yes, but only if the car is equipped with a rocket thruster option.
Musk added that such a launch would “not be wise for those with a medical condition,” comparing the ride to a “hardcore roller coaster.”
Musk has been talking up a potential feature on the Roadster that would leverage SpaceX rocket thruster technology that uses compressed air to help accelerate the car.
Speaking on the Joe Rogan podcast in February, Musk said he wants the Roadster to hover.
“I’m trying to figure out how to make this thing hover, without, you know, killing people,” Musk said. “Ithought, maybe we could make it hover, but not too high. So maybe it could hover, like, a meter above the ground, or something. So, if you plummet, you blow out the suspension, but you’re not going to die. Maybe, I don’t know, six feet. If we put a height limit on it, it will probably be fine.”
Musk told Rogan that Roadsters with the SpaceX package will not have a back seat, making room for the thruster system.
Musk said he expects the thruster to come out of a James Bond-style flip-down license plate.
A rocket-powered car seems like it could be too much to handle on normal streets. It will be interesting to see if Tesla will build in additional safety features for the SpaceX version of the Roadster.
Tesla originally planned to deliver the updated Roadster in 2020, but Musk has said the company has prioritized effort like the construction of new factories and production of its first electric pickup. The Roadster is now expected to go to production in 2022.