The new Tesla Roadster has been unveiled at last: a long-delayed electric sports car fitted with SpaceX-developed thrusters, with production planned for 2028. Tesla showed the car on Thursday, 15 October, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, nearly nine years after it first revealed the second-generation model.
What the new Tesla Roadster showed at the unveiling
Tesla staged the reveal of the new Tesla Roadster outdoors near Waco and streamed it live on X. The event had been planned for 1 October but was pushed back two weeks because of severe weather, with Tesla saying the demonstration can only be held in the open air.
In the demonstration, the new Tesla Roadster used powerful fans to hold itself against a giant curved ramp until it was upside down, then fired its thrusters to leave the ramp, rotate in the air and land. It also jumped over a line of five other Tesla vehicles, including a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3. Elon Musk summed up the moment by saying the future does have flying cars, and Tesla vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy described it in similar terms.
Thrusters and performance claims
According to Moravy, the new Tesla Roadster’s thruster system uses 10 cold-gas thrusters fed by about 600 litres (159 gallons) of compressed air, which is designed to be rechargeable. The thrusters were developed with SpaceX engineers and use carbon-wrapped pressure vessels from the company. The prototype is built to be as light as possible and has steer-by-wire steering, a steering yoke, diffusers and high-powered fans.
Tesla says the new Tesla Roadster’s thruster system produces four to five times the force that tyres can, and that the Thrust version can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under a second. Musk said some versions can top 230 mph (about 370 km/h). These are company claims for a car that is not yet in production, and full specifications for every version have not been confirmed. Tesla also said the angular redesign draws on aircraft including the SR-71 and the F-35.
Versions, reservations and price of the new Tesla Roadster
- Performance: reservation of $50,000.
- Thrust: reservation of $250,000, with rear thrusters.
- Rocket: invite only, described as a single-seat version with thrusters around the car.
Tesla did not announce a purchase price for any version of the new Tesla Roadster, and reservation details are listed on Tesla’s Roadster page. Musk said production of the new Tesla Roadster will start in 2028. When Tesla showed the second-generation prototype in 2017, it promised deliveries from 2020, along with a 0 to 60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph and 620 miles of range. The launch has since been delayed several times, and the 2028 date, specifications and final capabilities could still change before customers receive cars.
Why the reveal matters for Tesla
The new Tesla Roadster unveiling comes as Tesla puts more emphasis on artificial intelligence, self-driving technology and robotics, and CNBC reported that the SpaceX collaboration has added to speculation about a possible Tesla and SpaceX merger.
Related reading: Gulf leaders urged to prepare for the physical AI revolution and more in our Technology section.
Source: Tesla statements as reported by CNBC, NBC News, The Next Web and The EV Report.
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