ev.news Tech: What The Tesla Roadster Fans And Thrusters Actually Do

Tesla says its new Roadster can reach 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds with only the rear wheels driven. In this episode of ev.news Tech, I explain how fans and gas thrusters help make that possible, and why the proposed car has changed so much since its announcement in 2017.

Fans draw air from beneath the car, pressing the tyres harder against the road to improve acceleration, braking and cornering. Compressed-gas thrusters add force directly to the car, bypassing the tyres’ grip limit. We follow the engineering from the fan-equipped Performance version to the single-seat Rocket, which adds jets for lift and movement in the air, and explore what McMurtry and the student-built Mythen have already demonstrated.

Behind those bursts of speed are practical demands: keeping the battery cool, controlling airflow beneath a moving car and replenishing gas tanks after seconds of full-power use. We examine how Tesla is balancing power, weight and running time, where SpaceX and Optimus hardware fit into the design, and what comparisons with Rimac and BYD reveal about building an electric car that can keep performing.