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Tesla unveiled the Roadster, an electric sports car that flies through the air. It climbed a ramp upside down and even showed it jumping over five cars at once. First revealed as a prototype in 2017 but not launched for nine years, the car has reemerged with propulsion technology from space company SpaceX.
On the 15th (local time), Tesla demonstrated the new Roadster at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, joked before the start, “I can’t guarantee success, but I can guarantee 100% fun,” but both demonstrations, conducted without a driver on board, succeeded.
The white Roadster climbed a ramp that curved upward like a roller coaster and held steady with the body flipped upside down. After leaving the ramp, it rotated in midair and landed stably. Where five Tesla vehicles—Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi truck, and Cybercab—were lined up, the running car vaulted into the air and cleared them all at once. Musk said, “Flying cars are reality.”
The car was able to run upside down and even change direction in the air thanks to two devices Tesla developed with SpaceX. A powerful fan under the body sucks in air to press the car onto the road surface, and in the air, compressed air stored at high pressure is jetted as a thruster to lift the body or change direction. Musk emphasized, “We made a car better than the one in the James Bond movies.”
The compressed-air thruster also adds force during acceleration. According to Tesla’s test records, the Roadster reached 60 mph (about 97 km/h) from a standstill in 0.81 seconds. Tesla said its top speed is over 370 km/h. The target single-charge driving range is over about 480 km, a sharp reduction from the roughly 1,000 km presented at the 2017 announcement.
Not every Roadster will have the leap-into-the-air capability. Tesla introduced three types: the two-seat base “Performance,” the “Thrust” with added acceleration thrusters, and the single-seat “Rocket,” capable of aerial maneuvers. The Rocket version can be reserved by invitation only. Reservation fees for the Performance and Thrust are $50,000 (about 66 million won) and $250,000 (about 330 million won), respectively, which are deducted from the vehicle price upon actual purchase. The final sale price has not yet been disclosed.
It is uncertain whether the aerial maneuvering features shown in this demonstration can be used on public roads. The Rocket version has not yet been approved for general road use.
It will take longer to actually receive the car. When Tesla first unveiled the new Roadster in 2017, it promised deliveries from 2020 at a base price of $200,000 (about 260 million won). But as mass production of popular electric cars, parts shortages, and the prioritization of Autonomous Driving and robot businesses took precedence, the launch was repeatedly delayed. The newly presented start of mass production is 2028.
Musk signaled that the new Roadster will, in the long run, be the only Tesla that people drive themselves. Tesla, which is ramping up development of driverless Autonomous Driving cars and a Humanoid Robot, flaunted cutting-edge technology again with the sports car that was the company’s starting point. However, apart from the flashy demonstration, it is unclear how much of the technology shown will make it into actual mass-production vehicles.
