Tesla Roadster to Go 0-60 in Under a Second, But Is It Just More Hot Air from Musk?
Elon Musk has announced that the production version of the Tesla Roadster will finally be revealed before the end of 2024, with deliveries to follow in 2025.
That will be a full seven years since Musk first announced the car in November 2017, making even an elephant’s gestation period seem rapid. The Roadster itself—if and when it does arrive—will be considerably quicker, however, as Musk confirmed on X.
Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster.
There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2024
“0-60 mph < 1 sec,” wrote the Musk-eteer, “And that is the least interesting part.”
The CEO explained that the design goals for the Roadster have been radically increased and claimed “There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car.”
Prior to this announcement Tesla had claimed the Roadster would accelerate from 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, run the quarter-mile in 8.8 and max out beyond 250 mph. It would do this with four seats and a range of 620 miles on a charge.
Musk previously cited a SpaceX option that would include “10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car. These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering.”
If the Roadster did match up to Musk’s mutterings it would be the fastest-accelerating car ever seen, eclipsing the McMurtry Spéirling which currently holds the 0-60 mph world record at 1.4 seconds. The track-only British car uses a ground effect fan to keep it glued to the road, and special sticky Avon race tires for traction, yet the Roadster will apparently somehow best it and be road legal.
What’s more, at between $200,000 and $250,000, the Roadster will seriously undercut the $1M McMurtry. Of course the Elon has a long history of over-promising and under-delivering so this could all be more hot air. We’ll find out soon enough.
Perhaps Musk-ovite should spend less effort strapping rockets to cars and more trying to get the frunklid on the giant silver Cheeto to not cut off user’s fingers when they close it.
Anything from Musk is vaporware until it’s in showrooms.
I’m not a physicist, but is it even possible to get a car that is essentially one big battery and heavy electric motors to move that fast that quickly? That’s a lot of mass to get rolling in less than a second! I think I’ll look to spend my $250K elsewhere, but thanks anyway, Elon.
Never mind physicists; we’ll need physiciANS.
To go from 60mph to zero in one second is basically a CRASH.
To do the opposite is equally damaging.
It calculates to 2.74 g.
Human physiognomy is not used to such a force.
Your 11-pound head (the average) would become over 30 pounds linearly.
But then Elon’s head is already too big.
Ah, audiobycarmine has combined physics and physician concerns together here, and quite well, IMO. So basically, unless the new “roadster” comes with self-contained pressure suits, drivers and passengers will probably black out before they run smack-dab into the back of that semi trailer.
Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
road·ster
/ˈrōdstər/
noun
an open-top automobile with two seats.
Howzat again?