tesla finally unveiled the new roadster on 15 october, outside waco in texas, nine years after it was first shown as a concept in 2017 and after several delays.
the headline is that it "flies". in the demo it drove up a ramp that curled over until it was upside down, stuck to it, spun off and landed, and it hopped over a row of other teslas while moving. it does this with 10 thrusters running on about 600 litres of compressed air, in tanks built with spacex's help.
three versions were announced:
performance: two seats, the road car
thrust: two seats, cold-gas thrusters, 0–60 mph in under a second
rocket: one seat, all 10 thrusters, invite only
tesla quotes 300 miles of range and over 230 mph for all three. reservations are $50,000 for the performance and $250,000 for the thrust, with production planned for 2028.
the sceptics point out that it's closer to hopping than flying, that none of the flying parts are approved for public roads, and that 2028 is a long way off for a car that has already slipped several times. according to techcrunch, musk said himself that it may not make much difference to tesla's revenue.
so: the first real flying car, or a very expensive party trick? and would you trust a car that stores air at rocket pressure under the seats?
source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/15/tesla-reveals-spacex-powered-roadster-that-flies-and-falls-with-style/
the headline is that it "flies". in the demo it drove up a ramp that curled over until it was upside down, stuck to it, spun off and landed, and it hopped over a row of other teslas while moving. it does this with 10 thrusters running on about 600 litres of compressed air, in tanks built with spacex's help.
three versions were announced:
performance: two seats, the road car
thrust: two seats, cold-gas thrusters, 0–60 mph in under a second
rocket: one seat, all 10 thrusters, invite only
tesla quotes 300 miles of range and over 230 mph for all three. reservations are $50,000 for the performance and $250,000 for the thrust, with production planned for 2028.
the sceptics point out that it's closer to hopping than flying, that none of the flying parts are approved for public roads, and that 2028 is a long way off for a car that has already slipped several times. according to techcrunch, musk said himself that it may not make much difference to tesla's revenue.
so: the first real flying car, or a very expensive party trick? and would you trust a car that stores air at rocket pressure under the seats?
source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/15/tesla-reveals-spacex-powered-roadster-that-flies-and-falls-with-style/
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