Xcelerator

Xcelerator is a steel launched roller coaster located at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, United States. Manufactured by Intamin and designed by Werner Stengel, it opened in 2002 as the company's first hydraulically launched coaster and cost $13 million to construct. Following the early demise of Windjammer Surf Racers, a dueling roller coaster that briefly operated from 1997 to 2000, Xcelerator was soon announced as its replacement. It launches to a maximum speed of in 2.3 seconds and reaches a height of , and has a short twister section that leads into the brake run.

==History== Following the demise of the short-lived Windjammer Surf Racers, a dueling roller coaster plagued with issues surrounding its design and operation, Knott's Berry Farm announced its replacement in December 2001. The park hired Intamin to build and design a new roller coaster called Xcelerator, the company's first hydraulically launched roller coaster, which uses pressurized oil and a series of hydraulic fluid chambers to rapidly propel a coaster train along a straight section of track. The total cost was $13 million. Intamin pioneered the hydraulic technology used on Xcelerator, which would later be built on a larger scale on future record-breaking rides, including Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. The ride was originally scheduled to open in May 2002, but the opening was delayed to June 22, 2002.