- Musk says ‘safety is not the main goal’ of Roadster project
- It will be “the best of the latest human-driven cars”
- The Roadster reveal is scheduled for April 1 this year
Elon Musk has publicly stated that the company is set to unveil the next generation Roadster on April 1 (that’s right…April Fool’s Day) of this year, despite previous promises of a 2020 launch date and then another in 2023.
But aside from the nine-year delay, Musk recently appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis, stating that “safety is not the number one goal” of the project, reiterating that point by saying, “If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal,” according to Teslarati.com.
Backtracking slightly on those questionable comments, he goes on to say that the company “will aspire to not kill anyone in this car” but that it will be “the best of the latest human-driven cars,” emphasizing that he continues to believe that fully autonomous driving remains an important step for the company.
Just to recap, Musk has let slip some pretty outlandish claims about the next generation Roadster in numerous podcasts, including his time with Joe Rogan, where he hinted that it would be able to fly.
Other “crazy technology” includes using some sort of thruster to propel the electric sports car from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second – something no other manufacturer has been able to achieve so far.
A top speed of over 250 mph was also promised, as was a frankly ridiculous 10,000 Nm of torque. That’s more than four times the amount developed by Rimac Nevera.
But to top it off, the divisive CEO has also hinted that he might eventually fly for short periods of time, saying on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he thinks his good friend and serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and political activist Peter Thiel should be able to buy a flying car if he wants one.
Fuel fool
All the talk about a 0-60 mph run in less than a second, rocket boosters, and the ability to fly may seem absurd, but until April 1, we just won’t know if Elon is serious or if he’s just making everyone lose, like he usually does.
Electrek pointed out late last year that Tesla had filed a patent for a fan system that would reside in the side skirts of an upcoming vehicle.
It’s not much different from the McMurtry Spéirling which uses a fan system to create a huge amount of downforce – so much so that it can drive upside down and completely demolish track times.
Similarly, Musk hinted that Tesla would draw on lessons learned from its sister company SpaceX, referring to the cold nitrogen altitude control system it uses. Whether or not a system like this is built into the Roadster for acceleration or, you know, actually fly has not yet been revealed.
Alas, we’ll all have to wait until April 1st and likely witness a strange live streaming event before we get any closer to discovering the truth.
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