The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second

Elon Musk promised a flying car, and the next-generation Tesla Roadster did exactly that. At an event in Waco, Texas, the electric supercar drove upside down along a vertical surface, briefly lifted off the ground, and accelerated from a standstill to 60mph in under a second.

The show lasted less than half an hour and felt more like a stunt reel than a product reveal. There was no word on price, trim levels, or delivery dates. Musk promised production would begin in 2028 — though after nearly nine years of slipped deadlines, such promises invite skepticism.

What happened

First the Roadster climbed a tall, multi-story ramp, clinging to the vertical roadway through sheer downforce. Underneath sits a fan-based suction system supplied by SpaceX, capable of generating up to two Gs. At the top, cold-gas thrusters flipped the car around and lowered it gently back to earth.

Next the Roadster flew over the rest of Tesla's lineup — Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi, and Cybercab — pulling off what engineering VP Lars Moravy called a "kick flip." Musk explained the car has attitude-control thrusters plus main thrusters at the rear, giving it rocket-like abilities.

"So it can basically fly like a rocket," Musk said. "This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car. But it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10."

The hardware

The Roadster carries two ultra-high-pressure tanks with a combined volume of 600 liters, holding roughly 250 kilograms of air, and uses ten nozzles for its maneuvers. It can even recharge its own tank, with no specialized chemical propellant needed. The compressed air supplies the thrust that lifts the car and powers the stunts.

Moravy said the design draws on aerospace, notably the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. It's a two-seater with seats molded into the chassis and steer-by-wire controls, including a yoke, brakes, and throttle. Tesla claims a 0–60mph time under a second; on stage it clocked 0.81 seconds.

The long road here

A Roadster prototype first appeared as a surprise at the 2017 Tesla Semi event. Early adopters put down $50,000 deposits (or $250,000 for the Founders Series). Then the deadlines slipped as Tesla focused on the mass-market Model Y and the thorny Cybertruck. Over nine years, Rimac, Porsche, and China's BYD rolled out their own high-performance EVs while Tesla now plays catch-up.

But then again, as the author wryly notes, none of those cars flew.

Source: The Verge