Tesla has shown a Roadster that leaps over other cars and turns in mid-air. At an event on 15 October, near Waco in Texas, the car drove up a curved ramp, lifted off and cleared five Tesla vehicles, then landed softly in a cloud of condensation. Tesla says the thrusters come from SpaceX technology.
It is the second-generation Roadster, first unveiled in 2017. Here is what the demo showed, how the car is meant to work and what remains unproven.
What Tesla showed
According to TechCrunch and NBC News, the car launched off a half-loop steel ramp and passed over a Cybercab, a Cybertruck, a Tesla Semi, a Model Y and a Model 3. It then landed using cold-gas thrusters. In a second stunt, Tesla says, the car jumped 27 feet while doing a barrel roll and landed gently.
Dezeen reports that the sequence was pre-programmed, with no driver, and that the car also drove upside down on the ramp and took off from a standstill. TechCrunch and NBC do not say who, if anyone, was inside.
In a post on X, Tesla says the Roadster is inspired by the SR-71 and the F-35, and that its design language has evolved since the last reveal.
Video: CNET, embedded from YouTube (from Tesla’s livestream, 0:42 to 2:26). We did not copy it.
How it “flies”
“Flying” is a generous word. The car does not cruise through the air. It uses compressed air to give short jumps, spins and soft landings.
Video: CNET, embedded from YouTube (2:26 to 6:13).
Lars Moravy, Tesla’s engineering vice-president, said 10 thrusters connected to 600 litres of compressed air lift and spin the car in mid-air, and that the tank can be recharged. A fan-based suction system holds the car to the surface and, according to ABC News, can create up to 2G of downforce.
Tesla said on X that every usable void in the car is packed with carbon-fibre-wrapped pressure vessels. TechCrunch notes that this is the type of vessel linked to several SpaceX rocket explosions.
https://twitter.com/Tesla/status/2110904290743402880
Tesla’s post on X, embedded here.
Three versions, and the numbers
Tesla describes three versions:
| Version | Seats | Tesla’s description |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 2 | “Road ready”, with the suction system and no thrusters |
| Thrust | 2 | “Race ready”, with rear thrusters |
| Rocket | 1 | “Air ready”, invite only, 10 cold-gas thrusters |
Tesla is taking reservations: $50,000 for the Performance and $250,000 for the Thrust. The Rocket is invite only. No final price or delivery date has been announced, and Musk said production would not begin until 2028. Tesla says the Rocket is not approved for public roads.
Tesla claims 0 to 60mph in 0.81 seconds, according to NBC and Dezeen, though TechCrunch says Tesla showed one second. TechCrunch lists a 300-mile range and speeds above 230mph for all three versions, while NBC cites a top-speed target of about 383mph from Musk. None of this has been independently verified.
What Musk said
Before the test, Musk said success was not guaranteed. Afterwards he said “Well, it worked!”, according to NBC. He called the car “not necessarily a safety-optimized car” and said he was not sure it was legal in every jurisdiction.
What experts say
Michael Milford of the Queensland University of Technology’s robotics centre called the unveiling a “slick publicity stunt” and said several major changes are needed before safe deployment. He expects helicopter-style flying transport to arrive well before a flying road car. Milad Haghani of the University of Melbourne sees a technology showcase with no guarantee it will scale, and a “regulatory void” for privately owned flying cars. Both were quoted by ABC News.
What is still unproven
We do not know the car’s price, weight, battery size or how high it rose. We do not know whether the stunts went exactly as planned, or whether a version that can fly will ever be legal on public roads. Tesla’s numbers come from Tesla, and we have not found independent measurements.
The clips above come from CNET’s 10-minute compilation of Tesla’s livestream, embedded from YouTube. We did not find Tesla’s own upload of the flight, and we have not independently measured anything shown in it.
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