Musk recently said he expects Tesla to finish designing and engineering the Roadster this year
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Tesla's forthcoming ">Roadster SpaceX Edition, armed with the optional SpaceX Package, could soon make its mark in the electric hypercar realm. The heart of this enhancement is SpaceX's rocket technology, resulting in cold air thrusters positioned around the vehicle for improved acceleration and handling. This addition will allow the supercar to reach a staggering 0-60 mph time of just 1.1 seconds, as confirmed by Elon Musk himself on Twitter.
Rimac Nevera's Unprecedented Hypercar Supremacy
However, while the Roadster SpaceX Edition is an impressive challenger, it is entering a field currently dominated by a formidable adversary: the Rimac Nevera. Born from Rimac Automobili, the Croatian manufacturer that has been pushing the boundaries of electric hypercars since 2009, the Nevera has become the reigning titan of electric hypercars.
The Nevera’s achievement is highlighted by its recent extraordinary performance, shattering an astonishing 23 records in a single day (video below). This feat included a rapid 0-60 mph acceleration time of 1.74 seconds (which is slower than the Roadster's projected time and only 2-tenths faster than the Model S Plaid).
However, the most astounding among these records was a 0-400 km/h (249 mph) acceleration time of just 21.31 seconds. With such an impressive performance, the Nevera is currently the fastest production car available, marking a new era in the electric vehicle industry. The test driver said he could've been eating ice cream while breaking these records - it was that easy!
However, such groundbreaking performance comes at a price. The Nevera is estimated to cost a whopping $2.4 million per unit, ten times more than the expected cost of a SpaceX Roadster. Rimac plans to produce only 150 of these record-breaking machines, the Roadster will also be produced in limited numbers. Despite its price, Rimac assures potential owners that the Nevera is more than a hypercar; it’s a potential record-breaker in their own hands.
Musk Teases a Potential Showdown
Following Nevera's remarkable performance, a Twitter user asked Elon Musk if the Roadster SpaceX Edition could topple Nevera's 0-60 mph time. Musk responded with a simple "lol," leaving EV enthusiasts in suspense. Is this cryptic response a sign of an impending challenge from Tesla? Could the Roadster, with its SpaceX Package, surpass the Nevera's record-breaking performance? Musk was just in the F1 Red Bull pits, perhaps he has the racing bug?
While it's too soon to provide definitive answers, this potential contest marks an exciting moment in electric hypercar performance. With its revolutionary technology, Tesla's Roadster SpaceX Edition could challenge the current hypercar hierarchy and redefine performance standards in the electric vehicle market.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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