• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: Ford’s High-End Failure
  • Ram Returning to Midsize Pickup Segment; Shows Dealers a Concept EV
  • Why Isn’t That EV Charger Working?
  • Ford Will Trust The Truck — The New One Built at BlueOval City
  • Cupra Could Be Headed to the U.S.
  • March New Vehicle Sales to Rise 6.2% Over Last Year
  • Hyundai, Kia Recall Warns Owners of 570K Vehicles to Park Outside
  • Ford Facing $3 Billion in Losses on EV Business for 2023
  • Higher Interest Rates, Bank Failures Pose Challenge to Car Business
  • General Motors to Face Class Action Lawsuit
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Infiniti QX80
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV80 Prestige 3.5 Turbo
    • First Drive: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T
    • First Drive: 2023 Dodge Hornet GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    • A Week With: 2023 Cadillac Escalade V-Series
    • A Week With: 2023 Volvo XC40 AWD Ultimate
    • First Drive: 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Next Tesla Roadster May Use Rockets to Launch from 0-60 in Just 1.1 Seconds

        Next Tesla Roadster May Use Rockets to Launch from 0-60 in Just 1.1 Seconds

        Forget the roller-coasters. This would deliver one hell of a ride.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        June 01, 2021

        Folks frequently use space age analogies when talking about vehicles. They drive “pocket rockets” and “launch” from 0 to 60. Now, Tesla appears to be taking things to the next level. Perhaps borrowing a page from his SpaceX venture, Elon Musk suggests the second-generation Tesla Roadster may use rockets to help deliver 0 to 60 times of a mere 1.1 seconds.

        It’s not quite clear how the California EV manufacturer would pull it off — or if such a concept would even be street legal. Some observers believe such technology would be limited to track applications — but could make for one big show on the drag strip.

        “Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. It will be safe, but very intense. Probably not wise for those with a medical condition – same as a hardcore roller coaster,” Tesla CEO Musk wrote in a recent tweet.

        A high-stress ride

        Launching from 0 to 60 would indeed put some significant stress on the body, pushing you deep into your seat with G-forces of about three times normal gravity. By comparison, the 808-horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat Demon, generates about 1.8 Gs in a flat out launch hitting 60 mph in about 2.3 seconds.

        If real, the Roadster wouldn’t be the first wheeled vehicle to use rockets. That trick has been tried on various land speed attempts — though RAF pilot Andy Green relied on two jet engines to break the sound barrier and take the record in his Thrust SSC in October 1997.

        The original Roadster was Tesla’s very first retail model, debuting in 2008. Capable of hitting 60 in as little as 3.7 seconds, while delivering more than 200 miles per charge, the Roadster helped change the perception of what electric vehicles could accomplish. It was discontinued four years later as Tesla shifted focus to more mainstream products, starting with the Model S sedan.

        A rocket-powered halo

        But Musk announced four years ago plans to bring the Roadster back as the brand’s halo product — even though demand for sports cars has all but dried up in today’s SUV-crazed market. When he revealed a prototype in November 2017, the South African-born entrepreneur said the second-generation Roadster would hit 60 in 1.9 seconds in “Maximum Plaid” mode, with a top speed “above 250 mph.”

        While Musk didn’t release horsepower, he noted that the four-seater will turn out 10,000 Nm torque. No, that’s not a typo. And for the metrically challenged, 10,000 Nm translates into an equally mind-bending 7,376 pound-feet of torque.

        The big question has been how Tesla actually plans to get the Roadster to put all that power to the pavement. When making those sorts of numbers, the big challenge is getting tires to grip the tarmac, rather than just spin and make lots of smoke.

        Using a rocket system could be the solution. The action-reaction process would propel the Roadster forward, even if it were trying to get going on sheer ice. But the next question would be: what then? The tires would quickly have to “hook up” to gain the traction a driver needs to control the vehicle. Rockets are good for launching along a relatively straight line. They have a really, seriously hard time with turns and corners.

        Technical challenges

        Last month’s Twitter post wasn’t the first time Musk talked about using rocket propulsion on a land vehicle. He first hinted about a SpaceX option back in June 2018, suggesting it would utilize “~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car.”

        As to what sort of rockets they would be, that was left unsaid in the latest tweet. Solid boosters can be tricky to ignite simultaneously and can’t be shut off once lit. Liquid-fueled rockets are far more complex but can be controlled once turned on, and then turned off for multiple uses.

        Tesla CEO Elon Musk could be preparing to add rockets to the company’s next-gen Roadster.

        Musk hinted at another alternatives, a while back, one that only marginally fits into the “rocket” category. “Will use SpaceX cold gas thruster system with ultra high pressure air in a composite over-wrapped pressure vessel in place of the 2 rear seats,” he tweeted in 2019.

        Is he kidding?

        Of course, skeptics could question whether this project is at all serious. Musk, after all, has shown himself to be fond of jokes and even named his youngest son X Æ A-12.

        He’s also fond of stunts and pitches meant to keep himself, and Tesla, in the headlines — especially when it comes to drawing attention away from product problems and delays. The debut of the Tesla Roadster originally was scheduled for 2020. It’s currently pitched as a 2023 model that will make its appearance sometime next year.

        Even if Musk and company do figure out the technical challenges there are several other things that could keep a rocket version in the fantasy column. For one thing, such a version of the Roadster would clearly not be the pure, zero-emissions vehicle that Musk says the world needs. Such a smoking monster might not sit well with the brand’s environmentally friendly fans.

        Then there’s the regulatory issue. For now, at least, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn’t have standards covering rocket-propelled automobiles. That could pose an insurmountable challenge for Tesla — at least on public roads. But the concept could find a ready audience among drag racers.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: Ford’s High-End Failure

        March 25, 2023
        Ram 1500 Revolution Battery-electric Vehicle (BEV) Concept grill

        Ram Returning to Midsize Pickup Segment; Shows Dealers a Concept EV

        March 24, 2023
        Blink Charging station user

        Why Isn’t That EV Charger Working?

        March 24, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: