Tesla launches ‘flying’ Roadster sports EV as Elon Musk hails ‘the future’
Tesla’s long-awaited sports car used SpaceX-developed thrusters to fly off a ramp and hit 60 mph in under a second, the company said.
- On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk demonstrated the new Roadster at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas facility, using high-powered fans and thrusters to drive the electric supercar upside down and perform mid-air barrel rolls.
- Originally unveiled in 2017, the Roadster project suffered nearly nine years of delays while Tesla prioritized mass-market vehicles like the Model Y and Cybertruck, pushing production timelines repeatedly.
- The "Thrust" package adds cold-gas thrusters and suction systems, enabling 0-60 mph acceleration in under 0.9 seconds; customers can reserve a base Roadster for $5,000 upfront, with $45,000 due within 10 days.
- Production is slated for 2028, though Musk acknowledged "success is not guaranteed." Tesla vehicle engineering head Lars Moravy noted thrusters enable "micro adjustments within a fraction of a second," even as Musk warned the vehicle is "not necessarily a safety-optimized car."
- Analysts suggest the event aims to link Tesla and SpaceX operations, though Musk dismissed the project as a "small potato situation" financially; competitors like Rimac and BYD have already released high-performance EVs, leaving Tesla playing catch-up.
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For years, Elon Musk has been promising his fans a rocket car – the now shown Tesla Roadster can actually take a little off the ground. How many of them are built remains unclear.
Tesla has presented the new generation of the Roadster, its most ambitious electric sportsman, with a proposal that goes far beyond the usual performance of a high performance car. The model, developed with SpaceX technology, promises to accelerate from 0 to about 100 km/h in less than a second and starred in a ... Continue reading "Tesla presents the Roadster: an electric car that can fly and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than a second"
This will be Tesla's last car with a human driver.
A white sports car drives upside down over a loop, jumps over a row of cars, and does a somersault before landing back on its wheels....
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