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Tesla's New Roadster Reportedly Uses SpaceX Cold-Gas Thrusters To Fly

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Authored...

Tesla plans to unveil a redesigned Roadster sports car with limited "flying" capabilities later this month, The Information reported Friday morning, citing people familiar with the matter. The report follows this week's comments from Tesla's chief vehicle designer, who said the long-delayed Roadster is "coming soon."

The limited-edition Roadster reportedly uses SpaceX cold-gas thrusters to hover and will be remotely operated during the unveiling event, scheduled for later this month at the rocket company's testing site in McGregor, Texas.

"Between Elon Musk's promises of supernimble robots and interstellar colonization, the billionaire has spent plenty of time over the last decade hyping up another ambitious effort: the next version of the Roadster, the sporty electric vehicle that first put Tesla on the map. At first, he said he wanted the vehicle to be the fastest production car in the world. The Information began its report, noting that Musk is now pursuing a new "Flying" Roadster.

Tesla has moved away from the original 2017 design toward a carbon-fiber-tub architecture, with the latest prototype featuring two seats and butterfly doors. The thruster-equipped version is not expected to be street legal.

Cold-gas thrusters generate lift by releasing pressurized gas through a nozzle without combustion. Common propellants include nitrogen, helium, compressed air, argon, and carbon dioxide. SpaceX uses these thrusters on the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets for pointing and roll control. 

Musk in 2018:

Musk in 2019:

Musk this year:

The report also noted that Musk warned Tesla employees that the stunt later this month would be difficult to execute and could go awry, though he said it would be entertaining regardless.

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