Matt

Seeing a lot of head-scratching about how they’re going to implement this monstrosity into a usable road package, and honestly, rightly so. But I have some thoughts… The thrusters: they’re listed as not legal for road use, which makes obvious sense when you see them in action. But that doesn’t necessarily make them useless… the new Roadster is not the first road car to have features and functions that aren’t road legal (example: race mode in the McLaren P1). They’ve mentioned smashing lap records at racetracks, so perhaps a DRS/boost function between corners? And with how smart their systems are in general, the car itself would likely prevent any use of them on public roads. Pair that with the fans’ downforce sinking it into the pavement, and this thing has the potential to destroy lap-time leaderboards all over the world. And considering the speeds in question, and perhaps its weight as well, the Roadster would be a great platform to evolve tire technology and material science in braking systems. The be-all and end-all for what’s possible on a road vehicle, and wherever else the lessons learned here may transfer to. Fan cars are some of the most intense automotive exercises out there. Look up the McMurtry Spéirling, T.50S, or the Brabham BT46 if you’re unfamiliar. Not to mention what preventive measures they might take to protect the COPVs and mitigate any leaks, should they occur. We all know what happens when one bursts… Now, about the car being able to control itself in the air and remain upside-down on a flat surface, I have no idea how they plan to make wider use of those capabilities. But knowing the engineers at Tesla, they usually find a way to make something work. Just rambling and spitballing the thoughts running around the gray right now.