Tesla has demonstrated a Roadster that uses cold-gas thrusters to perform aerial manoeuvres, achieving 0 to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds during a test at the event, the Guardian reported. The vehicle drove up an inverted half roller coaster ramp at SpaceX's facility in Waco, Texas, left the ramp upside down and used air thrusters to perform flips before righting itself and touching down. Tesla stated that flying the Roadster is not permitted on public roads.
The car is priced in excess of $200,000, with production set to begin in 2028. Three configurations are offered: Performance, a two-seat road-ready model with a multi-mode suction system; Thrust, a two-seat race-ready model adding rear cold-gas thrusters that bring 0-60 to under 1 second; and Rocket, a single-seat model whose perimeter-mounted cold-gas thrusters enable upward, forward and lateral rotational movement. Official 0-60 mph figures across the range are under 1.6 seconds for the Performance, under 0.9 seconds for the Thrust, and under 0.59 seconds for the Rocket.
The Rocket version is available by invitation only, with no price announced. All three variants share a range above 300 miles, while the Rocket version reaches a maximum speed of 230 mph.
Musk stated at the event that the production version could target a top speed of Mach 0.5, or 383 mph. The thrusters used in the Roadster are cold-gas thrusters developed using SpaceX technology.
The demonstration came after a two-week delay; the original reveal date was 1 October and was postponed due to weather conditions at the site. Tesla announced the Roadster 2 in 2017, took deposits at that time, and originally promised deliveries would begin in 2020, meaning initial reservation holders have been waiting for an extended period. The original Tesla Roadster was released in 2008, remained on sale until 2012, and was Tesla's first EV, built on a Lotus Elise chassis.
Musk acknowledged the prototype was not optimised for safety but said it takes the experience to an extreme level. Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management posted on X that the event was an engineering display with no commercial value beyond embarrassing established carmakers, and that Musk appeared eager to bring Tesla and SpaceX together. Quilter Cheviot consumer discretionary analyst Mamta Valechha called the event a headline-grabbing engineering moment aimed at generating brand excitement rather than meaningful profit, and said credibility and execution risks remain high given the programme's record of delays.
The Federal Aviation Administration determined that the Tesla vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft, leaving unresolved which regulatory regime applies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said manufacturers must comply with federal vehicle safety standards regardless of a vehicle's unusual capabilities, and officials indicated the agency would keep monitoring how the Roadster develops. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said its assessment of whether the Roadster is subject to aviation rules would turn on the vehicle's design, its capabilities and how it is intended to be operated.
Anyone wishing to reserve the Performance version must provide a $5,000 deposit and then a $45,000 wire transfer within 10 days; the Thrust version requires a $250,000 deposit. Buyers of the Rocket variant would face an uncertain regulatory environment, with neither standard automotive nor aviation rules clearly applying in their current form, and production is not due to begin until 2028.
Reporting: The Guardian, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance
Background: Yahoo Finance
Written by Pick & Scroll News from the reporting and documents linked above.
