Mate Rimac Says 0-60 MPH In One Second 'Is Possible,' But There’s A Catch (2024)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a radical claim earlier this week about the upcoming Roadster supercar, saying the company is aiming for a 0-60 mph time of less than one second. While many have since dismissed the claim, he does have an ally in Bugatt-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac—sort of.
When asked on his Facebook page if he thought the under-one-second claim was believable, Rimac responded with a surprising yes. "It is possible with thrusters," he says in the Facebook comment. "We did the simulation."
But there is a significant stipulation to go along with that confirmation.
"Problem is, you release the air in two to three seconds and then you have a lot of dead weight that you are carrying around (tanks, compressor, valves, nozzles etc.)," Rimac continues. "Same with fans—they just give you more grip but you need something like 30,000 newton-meters on the wheels to accelerate below one sec 0-100 km/h, which means you need massive motors, inverters, gearboxes, driveshafts, etc."
Rimac also notes that the car has to be "super light," which isn’t typically the standard for battery-powered cars. Even his Rimac Nevera hypercar—which will hit 60 mph in under 2.0 seconds—weighs over 5,000 pounds.
"So thrusters are really the only way to go," he says. "But they bring a lot of downsides as well."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested in 2018 that the Roadster would have "10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around the car." That, in theory, would be the type of thrust the Roadster needs to achieve that sub-one-second 0-60 time. Although, it’s unclear how that would fare with the NHTSA.
We’ll have to wait and see if Elon’s claims come true. The new Tesla Roadster will reportedly debut later this year.
The Bugatti-Rimac CEO says Tesla's claim of 0-60 mph
0-60 mph
The time it takes a vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h or 27 m/s), often said as just "zero to sixty" or "nought to sixty", is a commonly used performance measure for automotive acceleration in the United States and the United Kingdom.
in under one second is possible, but it requires tons of power and very little weight. Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a radical claim earlier this week about the upcoming Roadster supercar, saying the company is aiming for a 0-60 mph time of less than one second.
Synopsis. Elon Musk unveils the new Tesla Roadster, a collaboration with SpaceX. The car can reach 0-60 mph in one second, utilizing technology from SpaceX.
Tesla stated a massive range of 620 miles, while the time to 60 mph was quoted at as little as 1.9 seconds, and the top speed was said to exceed 250 mph. Now, Musk is saying the Roadster will achieve a 60-mph time of less than one second, although he described that feat as "the least interesting part" of the car.
As of today, the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 crushes all with a 0-60 mph time of just 1.66 seconds. That's simply absurd, but keep in mind the Demon was engineered with the single-minded purpose of going fast in a straight line.
First, we'll lay down the facts we know. The Roadster can hit 60 in “less than one second,” which definitionally means a max of 0.99 seconds. Out of the generosity of my heart, this is the number we'll work off, for an acceleration figure of 2.763 gs.
There Is No Shifting. An electric motor is able to put out near-maximum torque at any RPM. This is a huge advantage as it means that as soon as you put your foot on the pedal, the engine is driving the wheels. With no gear shifting, the car is that much more efficient and quick.
If you want to have a little fun, a 7-second time to 60 mph can still put a smile on your face. Acceleration times are silly things. As Jason noted, decades ago, a Porsche 911 hit 60 mph in 7 seconds and that was considered fast. Today, a Honda Odyssey minivan is faster than that.
It is exceedingly rare for a car capable of doing 0-60 in 2.2 seconds that isn't actually famous for that statistic. No, sir. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ is famous for being able to hit, in theory, 304 mph.
At the time, such figures were already insane, but they were achieved several years later by the much larger and much heavier Tesla Model S Plaid, which could perform a 1.99-second 0-60 mph run under ideal conditions.
The Tesla Model S Plaid, which added track mode in 2021, has pushed the performance boundaries and set a new standard for high-performance electric vehicles. Its quarter-mile time of 9.3 seconds is remarkable, and its ability to reach 0-60 mph in just 2.3 seconds is extraordinary.
The Tesla Model S we tested reached 60 mph in a blistering 2.4 seconds while the Plaid version, which boasts a third electric motor reached 60 mph in just 2.1 seconds.
Go 0-60 mph in just 2.6 seconds† in beast mode while maintaining high-speed stability. With steer-by-wire and rear steering, you get the handling of a sports car and a better turning radius than most sedans.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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