Tesla is undoubtedly the benchmark in terms of acceleration when it comes to electric vehicles. Even the Tesla Model S Long Range, which can be described as a somewhat lower-spec model compared to the Plaid, could accelerate from a standstill to 60 miles per hour (0-96 kilometres per hour) in just 3.1 seconds.

But the manufacturer has promised to redefine what an EV can do with the launch of the next-generation Roadster. A ‘base’ Roadster should be capable of hitting the 60 mph (96 kph) mark in just 1.9 seconds. That’s insane by today’s standards and it’s not even the quickest acceleration the sports car will be capable of. But we’ll get to that later.

Gallery: Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster is not out yet, though, and the Engineering After Hours channel on YouTube decided to see if it can beat the EV’s claimed 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time. The team behind the project took a radio-controlled car and modified it heavily in order to go below the 1.9-second mark. It was definitely not easy but it was worth it.

The video at the top of this page explains there were many different problems with trying to beat the Roadster’s 1.9-second time. First and foremost, the RC car was not capable of sending all the power to the wheels without a massive wheel spin, which slowed it down.

To solve this, the team installed two electric jet fans that not only provided motivating power but also created downforce. As RexWeyler reports, the jet fans created their own problems and needed some upgrading during the course. The track surface was also a huge issue given the RC car’s tiny wheels.

And now back to the Roadster again. Recently, Elon Musk claimed the EV should be capable of hitting 60 mph (96 kph) in just 1.1 seconds when equipped with the so-called SpaceX package. We are yet to see proof of that (honestly, we have our concerns this is theoretically possible) but Engineering After Hours says it plans to beat that time, too. We’ll see.