Tesla founder Elon Musk has announced that the company’s upcoming Roadster sports car will be offered with an optional “SpaceX package” with actual rockets.
The South African-born billionaire tweeted that the upgrade will include ten “small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car”.
“These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering. Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly”, he wrote.
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The bizarre upgrade gained the attention of Marques Brownlee, a tech YouTuber with more than six million subscribers, who called on the inventor to deliver on his claims.
Musk replied: “You have my word, Marques. Next gen Roadster will be absolutely out of this world. For those who love to drive, there is no finer car in history and we don’t think there will be another.”
The rocket package “sounds like something straight out of a video game”, but Musk is “completely serious about adding thrusters to the new Tesla Roadster”, says Electrek.
The rocket boosters take the form of a “sophisticated bottle” that fires bursts of high-pressure air out the back of the sports car, the electric-transport news site adds.
Alphr says the technology needed to power the SpaceX-developed boosters will replace the Roadster’s back seats.
Tesla has not confirmed nor denied the news, says Fortune, as the company does not comment on Musk’s claims, as part of its “general policy”.
The electric car company unveiled the new all-electric Roadster alongside its Semi truck last November.
Due to arrive in 2020, the Roadster will be powered by a 200kWh battery pack that is capable of achieving 620 miles on a single charge, says Digital Trends.
The EV is also expected one of the most powerful cars ever made, achieving 0-60mph in just 1.9 seconds, with a top speed that could exceed 250mph.
