JackFlorey
100 kW
Most people have heard about the "rocket" option for the upcoming Tesla Roadster. The idea is to use compressed air (compressed to 4000psi or so by an electric compressor) shot out of a nozzle for better (and non-traction-dependent) acceleration. I always thought that was fairly silly and is probably more for hype than any actual use. I mean, does anyone outside street racers need to go 0-60 in less than 1.9 seconds? And with how loud it's going to be, I can see it becoming illegal within days of it being released.
But I also got to thinking about other uses. Accelerating at 3G's isn't all that useful - but being able to _decelerate_ at 3G's could save lives. That means coming to a complete stop in less than 50 feet from 60mph. In addition, rockets that do nothing more than keep a car from skidding during a panic turn could be similarly important. And while a 130db rocket to race with is probably going to get laws passed very quickly, a 130db rocket that prevents a crash is going to be looked at very differently.
Will be interesting to see if it has that capability.
But I also got to thinking about other uses. Accelerating at 3G's isn't all that useful - but being able to _decelerate_ at 3G's could save lives. That means coming to a complete stop in less than 50 feet from 60mph. In addition, rockets that do nothing more than keep a car from skidding during a panic turn could be similarly important. And while a 130db rocket to race with is probably going to get laws passed very quickly, a 130db rocket that prevents a crash is going to be looked at very differently.
Will be interesting to see if it has that capability.
