Tesla Roadster 2 could 'fly' with banned Formula 1 technology
Elon Musk teased insane sub-second acceleration for the upcoming Tesla Roadster 2 hypercar and the CEO of Rimac, the maker of the world's fastest electric car the Nevera R, was skeptical this could be done without some sort of thrusters involved.
Elon did indeed tease that the Roadster 2 will carry SpaceX's Starship rocket technology, but Tesla might be planning to hit the 0.99s 0-60 mph acceleration specs by deploying a downforce trick that was banned right after its Formula 1 debut as it was giving the Brabham BT46 "fan car" unfair advantage on the racetrack.
The BT46 got its inspiration from fan contraptions mounted on race cars like the Chaparral 2J "sucking" vehicle that ruled the North American Can-Am sportscar series in 1970, or the later Tyrrell 008. Both cars had a fan or fans driven by either a dedicated motor, or by the primary engine. Ostensibly used for cooling, the fans were also meant to suck the air from underneath the vehicle at any speed so that the heavier air above it can apply downforce to the vehicle and keep it glued to the track better than spoliers, venturi tunnels, or other aerodynamic paraphernalia.
Tesla has just been granted a patent for precisely such "adaptive vehicle aerodynamics for downforce" contraption that consists of fans and skirts meant to create vacuum underneath an ultrafast vehicle like the Roadster 2.
A vehicle aerodynamic system with dual operating modes to modify downforce across varying speed ranges and driving conditions. The system comprises multiple fans positioned in airflow pathways and deployable skirts that interact with the ground surface. In a first mode, a complete set of skirts creates a fully sealed bounded region under the vehicle with central fans generating maximum downforce at low speeds on smooth surfaces. In a second mode, a subset of skirts (primarily side skirts) modifies the bounded region while all fans operate to provide downforce in dynamic driving conditions with uneven surfaces. The system includes a control mechanism to selectively deploy skirts and operate fans based on driving conditions, optimizing between maximum downforce at low speeds and improved performance over varying terrain at higher speeds.
The key phrase here is "at varying speed ranges" as, unlike traditional downforce paraphernalia like spoilers, the fan and skirt combo applies pressure at all times, not just at higher speeds, improving grip, cornering, and all other aspects important for setting racetrack records in a vehicle that might go 0-60 mph in a second.
Now, whether the push itself will come from some sort of thrusters designed by SpaceX, or "wings" as Elon Musk puts it, remains to be seen, but Elon got out of a recent Roadster 2 presentation with the design team thoroughly impressed, saying that a "most epic demo" is scheduled for later this year. He last teased that the Roadster 2 would "fly" in 2024, promising the demo for that year.
The hypercar went on the back burner while Tesla was developing the Cybercab and a thorough portofolio facelift that is now done and dusted, with fans looking towards the Roadster 2, which, ironically, could be outfitted with fans, too.
