Elon Musk has unveiled Tesla’s next-generation Roadster, long delayed and this time it flew. The car used compressed-air thrusters to leave a ramp and perform a mid-air flip at a livestreamed event at a SpaceX test facility in Texas.
What happened at the event?
The car rolled up a reverse ramp, spun around and settled down to the pavement. Tesla also demonstrated it going zero to 60 in under a second. “There are flying cars in the future,” Musk told the crowd. He described it as a car that is not safety-optimised per se.
How Does It Fly?
The car, a modified Lotus Elise, has ultra-high-pressure air tanks and thrusters developed with SpaceX, Musk said. Tesla says the thruster system delivers four to five times the force the tyres can. NBC News reports that an “air-ready” Rocket version, an invite-only vehicle with room for one person, would have cold-gas thrusters all around the car.
What is promised
Musk said production will start in 2028, but he gave no price. He also said it would travel some 300 miles on a charge, less than half what he originally promised. The Roadster was introduced in 2017 as a four-seater, with deliveries scheduled for 2020.
The Catch
The planned flying model isn’t approved for use on public roads, according to Tesla’s website, raising questions about where customers could use it. Musk has said he’s not sure the Roadster moves the needle massively on revenue, so it’s a good halo car.
Stunt or Great Leap?
NBC’s report asks if this is a step toward real flying cars or just a publicity stunt. Technical and regulatory problems have hampered the flying car industry, and the demonstration was just fleeting, not sustained flight.
Find price, road-legal specs and regulatory filings. Until then the Roadster remains a beautiful prototype with a promise of 2028.
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