Tesla Unveils Roadster That Flies and Flips Midair With SpaceX Thrusters
Tesla's long-awaited Roadster is finally here, and it can do something few cars have ever attempted: lift off the ground and flip in midair using SpaceX-designed thrusters.
Elon Musk unveiled the next-generation Roadster on Thursday at a livestreamed event at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco. "Turns out the future does have flying cars," Musk said, according to Fox Business.
A Car That Flips and Flies
In one demonstration, the Roadster sped up a curved ramp that looped over so the car was upside down. A fan-based suction system kept it attached to the surface until it reached the end. Then cold-gas thrusters launched it off the ramp, flipped it 180 degrees in midair and set it down on its wheels.
In a second demo, the Roadster used its thrusters to lift over a lineup of Tesla vehicles, including the Cybertruck, the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab, before landing on the other side.
Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, said the car uses 10 thrusters fed by 600 liters of compressed air to lift and spin it, and that the tanks can be recharged, TechCrunch reported. Musk called them "ultra high-pressure air tanks."
"It literally is just going to puff itself up," Musk said, adding that drivers will be able to do these maneuvers "whenever you'd like."
Three Versions, Big Price Tags
Tesla showed a Roadster accelerating from zero to 60 mph in about one second. The company says all versions will have a range of about 300 miles and top speeds above 230 mph. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The Roadster will come in three versions. The Performance model is a two-seater with active aerodynamics. The Thrust model adds rear-mounted thrusters for faster acceleration. The Rocket model is a single-seater with 10 thrusters and a "full flight system," and it will be available by invitation only.
Tesla did not announce prices. Its website lists a $50,000 reservation payment for the Performance model and $250,000 for the Thrust model. Production is expected to begin in 2028.
Musk called it "what happens when you have a collaboration with the world's best car company and the world's best rocket company." SpaceX recently celebrated another milestone when Starship reached Earth orbit for the first time.
Years of Delays
The Roadster has been a long time coming. Tesla first revealed a prototype in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020. Musk pushed back the timeline several times, and this year's unveiling was delayed from April to October and then again because of weather.
Tesla has billed the Roadster as "the best of the last human-driven cars." Musk even suggested Tesla might try to jump the Snake River Canyon with it, though he made no commitment.
Musk first floated the idea of adding thrusters to the Roadster in 2018, saying they "may even allow a Tesla to fly."
Not everyone is convinced. Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee posted, "This is a prank, right?" And Musk himself admitted that the car's "success is not guaranteed," though he said "it will probably work."
Musk has also been candid about safety. In a podcast earlier this year, he said, "If you buy a Ferrari, safety is not the number one goal," and said Tesla would "aspire not to kill anyone in this car."
What It Means for Tesla
Analysts don't expect the Roadster to make a big dent in Tesla's sales. Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives wrote that it "will not move the volume or revenue needle," but said it helps "restore the brand halo at the top of the market," CBS News reported. Tesla reports its third-quarter earnings on October 21.
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