On the evening of October 15th, Tesla showcased its new generation of Roadster electric sports car at its testing facility in SpaceX, Texas, USA. For the first time, it demonstrated the ability to achieve short-distance flight, hovering, and aerial attitude adjustment using high-pressure gas propellers. The vehicle also exhibited an acceleration performance of 0 to 60 miles per hour (about 96.6 kilometers per hour) in just 0.81 seconds. Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, announced that production of the Roadster is scheduled to begin in 2028. Following the release of the new car, Tesla's stock price rose by more than 3% before the market opened on Friday, reaching $373.99, after closing down 1.29% in the previous trading day.
Leveraging SpaceX technology to achieve short-distance flight and aerial flips
The new generation of Roadster is equipped with a cooling gas propulsion system jointly developed by Tesla and SpaceX. It generates thrust by releasing high-pressure gas without the need to burn fuel.
During the on-site demonstration, Roadster drove along an arc-shaped ramp and took off into the air. After completing a flip in mid-air, it used gas propellers to adjust its posture before finally landing on all four wheels.
In another demonstration, the vehicle leaped into the air and hovered briefly, passing over several parked cars and a semi-trailer truck. Tesla refers to this feature as "short-term explosive flight" ( Short-burst flight ).
In addition to short-distance flights, Roadster is also capable of utilizing negative pressure to enhance its grip and has demonstrated the ability to move on vertical surfaces.
However, the vehicle used in this demonstration is remotely controlled, and the aforementioned flying capabilities have not yet been demonstrated in an ordinary road usage environment.
0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration in just 0.81 seconds, Musk sets a goal for a top speed of 0.5 Mach
In terms of performance, the new generation of Roadster achieves an acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 0.81 seconds during demonstrations, thanks to the collaborative work of electric motors and compressed gas propellers.
In contrast, when Tesla first announced the second-generation Roadster in 2017, it claimed a same acceleration time of 1.9 seconds.
Musk stated that future mass-produced versions are expected to achieve faster acceleration, with a goal of reaching a top speed of 0.5 Mach, which is approximately half the speed of sound.
According to on-site introductions, Roadster can carry approximately 260 kilograms of compressed air and can replenish its gas reserves through an onboard automatic compressor.
Musk also acknowledged that the Roadster is not a car designed with maximum safety as its primary goal, but emphasized that it will ultimately become a mass-produced model capable of being driven on roads.
After nearly a decade of delays, the mass production of the project has been postponed to 2028.
As early as November 2017, Tesla announced the second-generation Roadster project for the first time, with a base price of $200,000 at that time, and highlighted its extremely high acceleration performance as a major selling point.
However, there were multiple delays thereafter, and it was not until October 2026 that a formal new car demonstration was held, with the mass production time further postponed to 2028.
This release comes at a time when Tesla's traditional automotive business is facing challenges. Over the past two years, the company's car sales have been under pressure, and market competition has intensified. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is positioning artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and humanoid robots as the main growth areas for Tesla's future.
Tesla previously also announced the suspension of production of Model S and Model X, and reoriented the related production lines to the manufacturing of Optimus humanoid robots.
In this context, the new generation of Roadster better reflects the collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX in terms of extreme performance and technological advancement.
The rise in stock price before the market opening after the press conference indicates a positive response from the market to the new car demonstration. However, whether Roadster can achieve mass production as planned by 2028, whether its short-distance flying capability can meet the requirements of actual road use, as well as the final selling price and commercial scale, remain to be further disclosed by Tesla.
