--- title: "Elon Musk Says Deluxe Tesla Will Use SpaceX Thrusters for Spine-Crushing Acceleration" description: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the Roadster will be able to accelerate like no other car before it thanks to a specially designed \"SpaceX package.\"" date: "2021-05-21" modified: "2021-05-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-deluxe-tesla-spacex-thrusters" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "tesla" - "tesla roadster" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Says Deluxe Tesla Will Use SpaceX Thrusters for Spine-Crushing Acceleration ![Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the Roadster will be able to accelerate like no other car before it thanks to a specially designed "SpaceX package."]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Rocket Launch Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last night that the automaker's long-awaited second-generation [Roadster]() will be able to accelerate like no other production car before it, thanks to a specially designed ["SpaceX package."]() Cold gas thrusters will allow the hypercar to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.1 seconds, Musk confirmed in a [Thursday tweet]() — a truly astounding figure considering that contemporary sports cars have only recently cracked the two second mark. "It will be safe, but very intense," Musk wrote in the tweet. "Probably not wise for those with a medical condition — same as a hardcore roller coaster." ## Pedal to the Metal Whether we'll ever see the Roadster go into production, though, remains to be seen. The car was [first announced]() almost four long years ago. If it does, it'll be a wild ride. According to our [back-of-the-envelope calculations](), such an acceleration would exert just shy of 2.5 Gs on the driver. In other words, it truly [won't be for the faint of heart](). The 0-to-60 time was [spotted by visitors]() at the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. A caption underneath a Tesla Roadster exhibit claimed the astonishing acceleration time, adding that such a number is "a rate largely unprecedented among modern road cars." ## Blazing Ahead The news comes after [Musk confirmed in a separate Thursday tweet]() that it will start delivering its latest iteration of its Model S sedan, a Plaid and Plaid+ version, starting on June 3. The new versions are also capable of ludicrous speeds and acceleration, sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, making it the most quickly accelerating production car ever sold, [according to *InsideEVs*](). But before Tesla can start selling sports cars with literal rocket thrusters strapped to the back, the company will likely face countless hurdles getting it past regulators and inspection. The company is already [in hot water with regulators]() as it is, following a series of collisions and ill-advised stunts involving Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance technology. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk confirms the new Tesla Roadster’s 1.1-second 0-60 mph acceleration]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Driver Caught Sleeping at 82 MPH With Autopilot Engaged]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()