Abstract:
On the 15th local time of this month,
9 years after the delay, Tesla finally released the second-generation Roadster sports car. The biggest highlight of the car is that it can fly, in a physical sense
. During the demonstration, the Roadster climbed upside down along a circular track, climbed to a height of about 21 meters, then detached from the track and fell freely. Then the cold air thrusters around the body started jet deceleration and landed smoothly.
The second demonstration was even more shocking. The Roadster rushed towards a fleet of five parked Teslas, including a Semi truck. The vehicle soared about 7 meters above the ground and completed a flip in the air. The thrusters at the four corners synchronously ejected downwards, and landed with precise attitude control
.Musk described it on site as "it can fly like a rocket." The entire propulsion system relies on ultra-high-pressure compressed air to generate thrust, without burning fuel and without tail flames.
This propulsion device was developed by SpaceX and is a cold-air thruster. Compressed air is stored in a carbon fiber-wrapped high-pressure storage tank. The vehicle uses all the free space in the vehicle body to arrange the gas storage tank. The total volume is 600 liters. The technical specifications of the storage tank are the same as those of SpaceX rockets.
A total of 10 nozzles are arranged on the car body. The total thrust of the entire system exceeds 80 kilonewtons, which is enough to support 8 tons of weight. The rear diffuser area is equipped with 4 main thrusters. The jet airflow exceeds the speed of sound, and the unique shock wave pattern of supersonic airflow can be observed.
After the air is exhausted, the vehicle can inflate the air tank by itself and can perform stunts again at any time. However, Tesla has not announced the time it takes to fill a tank of gas or the length of a single flight.
As for the ability to climb upside down demonstrated at the press conference, it relies on a fan suction system under the car. Musk said that this system can create about 2G of adsorption force to firmly press the car body on the track surface.
The acceleration recording video was also played at the scene. The Roadster accelerates from 0-96km/h in just 1 second; the actual test result went even further, reaching 0.81 seconds. .
It is understood that the concept of this SpaceX optional package first came from Musk's 2018 preview, when it was planned to install 10 small thrusters on the body to improve acceleration, braking, cornering and top speed performance.
According to the plan, Tesla Roadster is scheduled to be officially mass-produced in 2028. Musk emphasized at the press conference that it was true. However, many netizens are still skeptical about his promise. After all, he is famous for skipping votes.
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