Since 2017, the automotive community has been patiently waiting for the Tesla Roadster to complete production and take to the streets with a supercar-slaying zero-to-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds. That insanely low figure has been dropped to an almost unfathomable 1.1 seconds—at least according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The eccentric tech mogul broke the news on Twitter, responding to a user who asked if the EV’s rumored 1.1-second 60-mph sprint time was accurate.
“Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. Probably not wise for those with a medical condition.”
The implication is that the Tesla Roadster will use rockets to achieve peak acceleration. There’s no official word from the EV company regarding the technology, but Motor Authority reports that unlike SpaceX’s chemical rockets, the system will likely utilize compressed air stored in tanks and generated by an onboard pump.
The thruster may even be hidden behind a flip-down license plate, James Bond-style. Motor Authority also speculates that the SpaceX rocket thruster option package would be limited to track use, as releasing massive amounts of pressurized air would pose a danger to anyone in the car’s wake.
Drastic as rocket-propelled Tesla sounds, it’s not even the craziest thing Musk has teased. During Musk’s third appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he revealed that another SpaceX-inspired package could give the Roadster hovering ability.
“I want it to hover, and I was trying to figure out how to make this thing hover without, you know, killing people,” Musk told Rogan.
“Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground, or something like that. If you plummet it’ll blow out the suspension but you’re not gonna die.”
