In November 2017, I wrote on the blog about the unveiling of the Tesla Roadster. At the time, I was even looking for a sponsor to help me get hold of this toy. Elon Musk promised the fastest production car in the world, a 0-100 km/h time of around two seconds and arrival on the roads in 2020. Almost nine years later, the Roadster is still nowhere to be seen on the road. But yesterday, Musk unveiled the vehicle again, and I found myself wondering whether I was looking at a car or a spacecraft. According to yesterday’s presentation, the Tesla Roadster will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, or 96.6 km/h, in an incredible 0.81 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly. Less than a second and you’re almost at 100 km/h. That is no longer acceleration. It’s launch.
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But that’s not all. The Roadster can fly too. Literally. In collaboration with SpaceX, they have developed a compressed-gas thruster system that allows the vehicle to make short flights, turn in mid-air and perform other acrobatics we would normally associate with aircraft rather than cars. During the presentation, the vehicle even drove upside down.
If I wrote in 2017 that the Roadster would be a rocket on four wheels, Musk has evidently taken that rather literally.
I like cars. The kind that offer driving pleasure, where it isn’t all just about getting from point A to point B. Lotus and Tesla. Two completely different worlds, each offering something interesting in its own way. When I first sat in my Tesla three years ago, I was blown away by acceleration I wasn’t even used to from a Lotus. And that is in a car I drive perfectly normally every day.
Now imagine acceleration in 0.81 seconds. With acceleration like that, you would probably need a medical examination before you needed a driving licence. Or a pilot’s licence.
Of course, amid all the excitement, a little common sense is needed. Musk is a master of big promises. The Roadster was supposed to be on the roads back in 2020, and production is now being forecast for 2028. If it happens at all. Nor does the displayed 0.81 seconds mean that every production Roadster will be capable of such acceleration. The most extreme Rocket version, also designed for flying, will not be approved for normal road use at all.
Being impressed by the technology does not mean I believe every promise Musk makes. Especially after all these years of deadlines being pushed back. But I have to admit that yesterday’s presentation impressed me. Not because I need a car that flies. Nor because I have to reach 100 km/h in under a second. But because someone is still trying to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Nine years ago, I was looking for a sponsor for a Roadster. Today, I am thinking of putting down a deposit for one. I would gladly sit in it and find out what that kind of acceleration means. Though I would probably need a few minutes to gather my thoughts after the first press of the accelerator. And of course, that should not happen on our motorways, where the average speed is closer to 20 km/h.
Tesla has become my everyday car. The Roadster, though, clearly wants to become something entirely different. A vehicle for real pilots. Now we just have to wait for Musk to actually start making it.