Overview
- Tesla demonstrated the prototype Thursday at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, test site, showing the car drive upside down, perform midair flips and claim a 0.81‑second 0–60 mph run.
- The vehicle combines an underbody fan that creates suction to hold the car to surfaces with rechargeable high‑pressure compressed‑air thrusters that provide short bursts of lift and attitude control.
- Tesla listed three configurations—Performance (road‑ready), Thrust (race‑ready with rear thrusters) and Rocket (single‑seat, perimeter thrusters)—reopened reservations with sizable deposits and set a production target of 2028.
- Regulators and experts have raised safety and legality questions: the FAA told outlets the Roadster does not meet its aircraft definition, Tesla’s demo was unmanned with a mannequin, and the company has not produced independent validation of its performance claims.
- The Roadster returns a long‑delayed 2017 project as a low‑volume halo car meant to showcase engineering, not mass revenue, but its ultimate availability and permitted use on public roads remain uncertain.