Tesla has formally reintroduced the redesigned Tesla Roadster, featuring an angular design and an optional compressed-air cold-gas thruster setup.
Explore the engineering details behind the self-refilling air tanks and trim-specific hardware configurations.
Tesla unveiled the redesigned Roadster on October 16. The new car features a distinctive look and an optional compressed air propulsion system that relies on two high-pressure tanks and ten nozzles. According to the company, the car can refill the air tanks on its own.
The full version of the propulsion system is available exclusively on the Rocket variant of the Roadster. The Thruster variant has thrusters only in the rear, while the Performance variant has none at all. Tesla notes, however, that the propulsion system is not approved for use on public roads.
Military technology of the past
The use of small thrusters to rapidly control direction and position is not new. In 2004, Lockheed Martin won a $760 million contract from the US Missile Defense Agency.
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That project involved building a system capable of destroying multiple ballistic missile threats with a single launch. Military equipment used similar small thrusters to quickly change direction and orientation in the air.
The original military program, known as the Multiple Kill Vehicle, was terminated in 2009 due to defense budget cuts.
The differences between the two systems
Despite similarities in how the systems change direction, there are significant differences in how they function.
The Roadster uses cold gas thrusters that run on compressed air without burning fuel. In contrast, Lockheed Martin's military program had undergone firing tests in 2008, indicating that some part of the system burned fuel.
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