When I first heard that a vacuum company had released a rocket-powered electric vehicle with physically impossible-sounding performance specs, I immediately thought James Dyson was up to his old tricks again. Dreame’s rocket-powered car can do 0–60 in 0.9 seconds because you can just say things now.
The Chinese vacuum company has automotive aspirations, but its claims of rocket-boosted acceleration don’t add up. The first time was last January at CES, when Dreame displayed a four-door concept car with four electric motors capable of putting out 1,399 kW of power and accelerating to speeds of 100km/hour in 1.8 seconds. As you can see, we're already off to an absurd start.
Not even five months later, Dreame is back with another car – and this time, they really outdid themselves. The company claims that its Nebula NEXT 01 Jet Edition, equipped with a pair of 'rocket engines,' can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 0.9 seconds. Not only is that quicker than anything ever made, it is most likely physically impossible. Modern tires simply do not have the grip to allow for that kind of acceleration.
Even in an all-wheel drive configuration, modern hypercars are 'traction limited.' They may have the horsepower to spin their wheels indefinitely, but the limiting factor is how much force the tires can transfer to the ground before they break loose and start smoking. To get to 60 mph in under a second, you'd need to exert immense force instantly. Your average tires certainly couldn't handle this amount of torque without slipping.
Dreame's solution to this is 'custom-built dual solid rocket boosters' that go beyond mere horsepower. The company claims its boosters deliver 100 kilo-Newtons of force. Mathematically, that would probably be enough force to accelerate the car, but – again – we need to acknowledge the physical limitations of applying that force to the road. If it were operating in a vacuum or on a surface with infinite grip, then yes, enjoy your rocket-boosted acceleration. But here in the real world, the laws of physics still apply.
