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Mommy! Elon's being crazy again!!

(When you're billionaire icon who seems to have an effortless talent for capturing everyone else's imagination, you can.)

This time it isn't Boring flame-throwers (which have started deliveries). This time it's adding rocket thrusters to Tesla sportscars. (The "SpaceX package" he calls it) supposedly designed to increase acceleration, braking and cornering... provided it isn't a joke. (Hah! That will teach you not to tail-gate!) He says it might eventually enable Tesla's to fly.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005577738332172289

https://twitter.com/djenkins6/status/100...6631819264

https://electrek.co/2018/06/09/elon-musk...thrusters/

He's a joker that one..

Autoweek rather wittily calls it "the power of hot air".

http://autoweek.com/article/rumormill/el...er-rockets

But there may be some method to the madness. Apparently the idea isn't to have rocket flames coming out of the car, but rather to have a SpaceX-style compressed air tank that would allow jets of cold gas to be released in various directions, serving as 'cold gas thrusters'. That's the technology that SpaceX uses for the maneuvering thrusters on its rockets. Musk says:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005785859558273024

"Note, gas contained would be ultra high pressure air in a SpaceX rocket COPV bottle. The air exiting the thrusters would immediately be replenished whenever vehicle pack power draw allowed operation of the air pump, which is most of the time."

He continues:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005902575353204736

"Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made. It's what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust --- literally bulletproof."

The thing already promises to be a rocket. Autoweek describes its promised performance:

"The next Tesla roadster already promises 0-60 mph launch times of 1.9 seconds and quarter-mile times of 8 seconds, amid more usable stats like a 600-mile range on a full charge and a highway-unfriendly top speed of 250 mph."

(I wonder how street-legal that will be...)

(Jun 11, 2018 08:50 PM)Yazata Wrote: [ -> ]Mommy! Elon's being crazy again!!

(When you're billionaire icon who seems to have an effortless talent for capturing everyone else's imagination, you can.)

This time it isn't Boring flame-throwers (which have started deliveries). This time it's adding rocket thrusters to Tesla sportscars. (The "SpaceX package" he calls it) supposedly designed to increase acceleration, braking and cornering... provided it isn't a joke. (Hah! That will teach you not to tail-gate!) He says it might eventually enable Tesla's to fly.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005577738332172289

https://twitter.com/djenkins6/status/100...6631819264

https://electrek.co/2018/06/09/elon-musk...thrusters/

after watching the youtube videos of the boring company flame throwers, they are not actual flame throwers.
they are gas torches.
excellent marketing. made millions in free advertising.
very clever.
lateral thrust on a vehicle at high speed so it can weave in and out of traffic would be extremely advantageous.
this would greatly add to its acceleration in cornering as it would not lose power to side movement, instead add power.