New Tesla Roadster Revealed: SpaceX Thrusters, Sub-1-Second 0-60

Nine years after Tesla took its first $50,000 Roadster deposits, the new Roadster finally showed up. It did not just show up. It went up. Tesla revealed the second-gen Roadster tonight at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, and the headline feature is a SpaceX-built thruster system that lets the car hop, hover and spin.

So, can it fly?

Sort of, in short bursts. In the live demo, the Roadster used a mix of high-powered fans and thrusters to lift itself over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y and Model 3 while moving. Think big jump, not cross-country flight. Tesla engineering VP Lars Moravy said 10 nozzles fed by 600 liters of rechargeable compressed air do the lifting and spinning.

Watch: the Roadster hops over a lineup of Teslas on thrusters.

Watch: a closer look at the Roadster jumps (video: Jameson Quave).

Upside down? Flips?

The demo had the car drive up an inverted ramp, spin around in the air and ease itself down to the pavement. That is the “sticks to the road upside down” and “spins in mid-air” part, and it was shown live.

Watch: driving upside down on the inverted ramp.

And yes, it barrel-rolled. A full roll, mid-air, on the official livestream, spun by its fans and cold-gas thrusters like a very expensive stunt plane.

Watch: the mid-air barrel roll (Tesla calls it the kick flip).

Tesla says every usable void in the car is packed with carbon fiber overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) to hold the compressed gas, and that the thruster system makes 4 to 5 times the force the tires can. Musk said, “This will be the actual car that’s on the roads,” and that buyers will be able to do these maneuvers “whenever you’d like.” That is a promise, not a demo, and the street-legal version has not been shown.

Specs and speed

Tesla showed the car running 0-60 mph, clocked at 0.81 seconds on stage, with Musk saying they expect to do better. It is a two-seater with steer-by-wire, throttle-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and Tesla says the styling borrows from the SR-71 and F-35. Tesla said top speed is at least 235 mph, and Musk said it can go much faster. Range and battery size for the new car were not confirmed in what we have verified so far.

Watch: the 0.81-second 0-60 runs.

Price and timing

No price yet. Musk said production starts in 2028. Reservations are open at Tesla with a $50,000 deposit (a $5,000 payment up front, then $45,000 due within 10 days). The 2017 car was listed at $200,000, so budget accordingly, and then some. Musk also floated jumping Snake River Canyon, which we are filing firmly under “said on stage.”

The fine print

Tesla first promised this car for 2020 and has missed every date since. Musk himself has said safety is “not the number one goal” with the Roadster. In fact, this will be the only new production Tesla without FSD. Still, a car that jumps a Cybertruck is a very good way to make people forget the last nine years, at least for one evening.