Don't Wait For Musk: The Jet-Powered Tesla Is Already Here

The first eight minutes of the video is pure engineering porn. If you love fabricating or watching somebody do it inHow It's Madestyle, sit back and enjoy. The first test run shows how much power thrust these jet engines make. The next test was a run on the freeway using only jet power. It's a bit cheeky, but it seems to go smoothly enough, and the Model S' EV motor is still there as a backup. One engine "flamed out," but the EV, if we can still call it that, manages to run at 60 mph safely using only two jet engines. Speaking of, the owner claims to have done 0-60 mph without the jets in 2.4 seconds.

Unfortunately, the test conditions were less than ideal. Using only the standard EV powertrain in launch mode, the Tesla set a 0-60-mph time of 4.38 seconds. The car rushed to 60 mph in 3.32 seconds with the jets activated, so the jets do shave some time off. Not as much as the noise would have you believe, but they do work. On the second attempt, the Model S did a little worse. Luckily, this is not the end of the project. The jet and electric-powered Model S will be revisited once the weather improves, and we can't wait to see if it actually makes a big difference. This older model has some way to go before it gets to thefastest quarter-mile time ever recordedby a Tesla. Some might call this mad, but it's a much better use of a car than melting it down andmaking a smartphone cover.