- Musk says ‘safety is not the main goal’ of Roadster project
- It will be “the best of the latest human-driven cars”
- The presentation of the Roadster is scheduled for April 1 of this year.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that the company is on track to unveil the next generation of the Roadster on April 1 (that’s right… April Fool’s Day) of this year, despite previous promises of a 2020 release date, and then another in 2023.
But nine-year delay aside, Musk recently appeared on the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis, stating that “safety is not the main goal” of the project, reiterating the point by saying, “If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal,” according to Teslarati.com.
Going back slightly to those questionable comments, he then 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,” insisting that he still believes fully autonomous driving remains an important milestone for the company.
Just to recap, Musk has let slip some pretty wild claims about the next generation Roadster on numerous podcasts, including his time with Joe Rogan where he alluded to the fact that it could fly.
Other “crazy technology” includes using some type of propellant to propel the electric sports car from 0 to 100 km/h in less than a second, something no other manufacturer has been able to come close to until now.
A top speed of over 400 km/h was also promised, as well as a frankly ridiculous 10,000 Nm of torque. That is more than four times the amount that the Rimac Nevera develops.
But to top it all off, the divisive CEO has also hinted that he could possibly fly for short periods of time, stating on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he believes his good friend and serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and political activist, Peter Thiel, should be able to purchase a flying car if he so desires.
silly fuel
All the talk about a sub-second 0-60 mph run, rocket boosters, and the ability to fly may seem absurd, but until April 1 arrives, we simply won’t know if Elon is serious or just throwing everyone off, as he often does.
Electrek noted late last year that Tesla had filed a patent for a fan system that would reside in the side skirts of an upcoming vehicle.
This is not unlike the McMurtry Spéirling, which uses a fan system to create an enormous amount of downforce, to the point that it can drive backwards and completely demolish track times.
Similarly, Musk has hinted that Tesla would learn from its sister company SpaceX, referring to the cold nitrogen gas altitude control system it uses. Whether or not a system like this would be incorporated into the Roadster for acceleration or, you know, really flies is yet to be revealed.
Unfortunately, we’ll all have to wait until April 1 and probably attend a strange livestreamed event before we get any closer to finding out the truth.
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