Musk Offer’s New Details on Roadster’s SpaceX Package

The specs on the new version of the Tesla Roadster were hard to believe when the car was debuted – 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds and 620-miles of range? Wow.

And if that weren’t enough, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk later announced that a “SpaceX package” is planned, which would add cold air thrusters to the Roadster that would improve speed and handling.

Now Musk has offered a bit more insight on the SpaceX package. Don’t expect giant rocket boosters piled on top of the sports car. Instead, the features will be subtle with the rear thruster hidden behind the license plate.

Musk made the comment in response to a rendering posted to Twitter of the Roadster dressed up with a Back to the Future-inspired theme.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1150123074924118017

Tesla has said the new Roadster is scheduled to go to production in 2020.

The company is currently taking $50,000 deposits for the $200,000 base version. The company has not said how much the SpaceX package will cost.

Image: Login • Instagram

 

[Chasingmars]

So... I'm just putting my "hypothetical" cap on... but instead of saying how it can't be possible, why not work backwards from what we know to what would be possible... just to see if we can't make a fun prediction - what's does Elon say, work from first principles?

1. Even with the stated "occupies the two rear seats" an sufficiently safely over-engineered composite tank would only likely have enough compressed gas for a short period of thrust (and even if it wasn't you are likely limited by the effect of freezing your nozzles as the gas rapidly expands, and cools in the process). So the thruster likely isn't meant for prolonged use
2. The roadster likely has a battery pack as big as it does not so much for its significant range but to provide enough power delivery to meet performance targets. Tesla has previously shown a willingness to allow the user to push those limits - except here, the limits are likely already significantly traction limited - to get more acceleration you need to get more downforce, but at a standing start there's no airflow for an aero device to work on.
3. Pretty much the only safe direction to vent even a cold gas thruster would be directly upwards.
4. A gas thruster venting directly upwards, while likely not road legal, perhaps could generate enough static downforce to increase traction and prevent wheelspin on acceleration runs, especially in the first few moments when wheelspin is most likely.
5. ergo, my prediction, is that this SpaceX package is a vertical cold gas thruster intended for off-street drag type acceleration runs to generate significant downforce for short periods before aero devices are functional, in order to improve performance off the line. Basically, a rear wing that works when you aren't moving yet.

It doesn't need to make sense... it just needs to work... its meant to be ludicrous remember!

 

[daniel]

Okay, so a question: If such a device is not street legal, the SpaceX-equipped Roadster would be limited to use on the track. There will be significantly less market for a Roadster that's not street legal. And I seem to recall Muck saying that the New Roadster would be the quickest street-legal car you could buy. Would Musk want to build a car that's not street legal? Historically, EVs have blown away ICE cars on the drag strip, but for longer races, the ICE cars win.

Your proposal might work, but I wonder if Tesla would want to build it.

 

[CarlK]

I don't know if I'm right or not. A car can go 1000 mph and able to fly to the moon but long as it can run within the speed limit and conforms to all safety regulations it is street legal. It's the driver that violated traffic laws if he drove too fast or blasted other cars with the thruster.

 

[Chasingmars]

Okay, so a question: If such a device is not street legal, the SpaceX-equipped Roadster would be limited to use on the track. There will be significantly less market for a Roadster that's not street legal.

It is perhaps possible the that car can be street-legal while still having something in it that you can't use on the street. Just don't charge the tanks. Anyhow, another constraint is that most places, pressure vessels, such as the accumulator tank for a cold gas thruster, are (in my country provincially) regulated and over a certain size there's regulation involved. Anyhow - even if the simple presence makes that car not street legal (which i agree would not make it very attractive to buy that package) its an option, it doesn't limit the market for the roadster as you don't have to get that option.

Anyhow, as i said, I'm just hypothesizing what it MIGHT be based on very limited available data.

 

[daniel]

Is there anybody here who can do the actual math to figure out if an upward-directed cold gas thruster would actually provide enough downward force to make a significant difference on the track?

Note that the car would still be unable to even come close to a top-fuel dragster, but even without this hypothetical thruster it would beat any other car on a drag strip, so what would be the purpose? Also, the New Roadster will be AWD, so it would need these thrusters both front and rear. I wonder if Musk's SpaceX package for the Roadster is a joke.

 

[aikisteve]

Is there anybody here who can do the actual math to figure out if an upward-directed cold gas thruster would actually provide enough downward force to make a significant difference on the track?

Note that the car would still be unable to even come close to a top-fuel dragster, but even without this hypothetical thruster it would beat any other car on a drag strip, so what would be the purpose? Also, the New Roadster will be AWD, so it would need these thrusters both front and rear. I wonder if Musk's SpaceX package for the Roadster is a joke.

Why would Elon put thrusters on the Roadster? Because he can. That's the only reason. There is no other car in the world that has this. That is reason enough. The Roadster is a showcase car.

 

[gowthamn]

This option is only for the founders series or also for the standard version?

 

[Kevy Baby]

I bet that messed up his hair a bit!

And his/her undershorts