RT @TrungTPhan: Tesla VP of Hardware Engineering Lars Moravy explains to Hagerty how the Roadster borrows SpaceX cold ga | Hanami
RT @TrungTPhan: Tesla VP of Hardware Engineering Lars Moravy explains to Hagerty how the Roadster borrows SpaceX cold gas thrusters to make 0 to 60 possible in 0.55 seconds.
Truly insane:
▫️ 200L carbon-over wrapped pressure vessel
behind seat holds nitrogen at 10,000 PSI
▫️cold gas thrusters push out 80 kN of thrust (equivalent to a single fighter jet engine)
▫️Tesla went with nitrogen because “it just seemed wrong to put fuel into a car” (air is ~80% nitrogen, fair enough)
▫️thrusters same system satellites use to move in space (eg. the “psh psh psh" from Apollo 13 film)
▫️currently takes 6 to 7 hours to refill all nitrogen but Tesla working for it to be 30 minutes
▫️uses leg actuators from Optimus robot to manage downforce on wing
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Full 25-min episode with Henry Catchpole here: https://youtu.be/22rvpUecLts?si=jtwK4t58kotdGkyi