Flying cars are one step closer to reality.

Tesla, which has been waiting for a long time for Roadster, conducted a live demonstration on Thursday near Waco, Texas, at the rocket testing facility located in McGregor, SpaceX. During the demonstration, the vehicle drove backwards down a curved ramp, then took off into the air, completed a 180-degree flip with the help of compressed air jets, and landed steadily back on its wheels. Moments later, it used its thrusters to leap over a row of Tesla vehicles, including one Cybertruck and one Tesla Semi.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk then wrote on X, "It seems that there indeed will be flying cars in the future."

However, driving it into the customer's garage is another matter.

When Tesla first released the second-generation Roadster in November 2017, "flying" was not advertised as a selling point. At that time, the company promised to launch an electric supercar with a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of 1.9 seconds, capable of seating four people, and a range of 620 miles on a single charge. Tesla began accepting reservation payments of $50,000, or $250,000 for one of the 1,000 limited-edition Founders Series units, setting a release date for 2020.

This timeline was later postponed several times. Musk has repeatedly prioritized this sports car behind other Tesla projects, and has also attributed the earlier delays to supply chain shortages. During Tesla's financial report conference call in October 2024, he thanked the "long-term patient Tesla Roadster depositors," stating that this car "is not the icing on the cake, but the cherry on top of the icing."

Tesla now indicates that production will begin in 2028, which is eight years later than the initial commitment.

Three versions, one of which can fly.

The Roadster that made its debut on Thursday is a completely redesigned vehicle model, built around the SpaceX propulsion kit first proposed by Elon Musk in 2018. It comes in three versions: the Performance version, which is a "road-ready" two-seater vehicle equipped with an active aerodynamics system and a fan-driven suction system; the Thrust version, also a two-seater, but with additional rear cooling propellers that allow for an acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 1 second; and the Rocket version, which is available only by invitation and is a one-seater vehicle with 10 propellers surrounding the body, enabling it to hover briefly in the air.

Tesla's Vice President of Engineering, Lars Moravy, stated that these propellers use approximately 600 liters of rechargeable compressed air. Tesla claims that their top speed exceeds 230 miles per hour.

This redesign also came with compromises. The original four-seater sports cars can now accommodate a maximum of two people, while Tesla currently promises a range of over 300 miles, which is less than half of the 620 miles advertised in 2017.

This aerial performance was merely a prototype demonstration, not a test of a mass-produced vehicle model. It only showcased brief aerial maneuvers rather than sustained flight. Tesla also did not specify how long or how far the Roadster could actually remain in the air.

Tesla stated on its official website that the Rocket version "has not been approved for use on public roads." It is also unclear which regulatory agency is responsible for overseeing its flying capabilities. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States has informed Tesla that this vehicle does not meet their definition of an aircraft, and therefore, there is no need for the agency to certify it as airworthy. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is responsible for vehicle safety, primarily relies on automobile manufacturers to certify that their vehicles comply with federal standards. The U.S. Department of Transportation stated in a statement that it "will continue to monitor this situation."

Even Musk himself has not presented the Roadster as a safe car. “This is not necessarily a car that is optimized for safety, okay?” he said at the press conference.

A stylish car, not a money-making machine

It’s not cheap to want to be at the front of the purchase queue. Tesla requires a reservation fee of $50,000 for the Performance version, while the Thrust version costs a whopping $250,000. The flying version, Rocket, is only available for invited purchases, and no reservation fees have been publicly disclosed. Tesla has not yet announced the final selling prices for these three versions, nor has it explained how customers who have paid the reservation fees for the 2017 versions will be handled.

Despite the high reservation fees, the Roadster is unlikely to become an important source of revenue for Tesla. Unlike its models aimed at the mass market, this niche sports car will not be sold in large quantities. Musk stated at Tesla's 2023 annual shareholders' meeting that the Roadster "definitely will not make a significant contribution to revenue." Wall Street shares the same view: according to reports from CBS News, the Yorkville Ives's Dan Ives wrote in a research report that it "will not drive changes in sales or revenue."

Its value may lie elsewhere. TechCrunch describes Roadster as Tesla's "image car" – a model intended to showcase the company's technological ambitions rather than to pursue sales. This release also occurred a few days before Tesla announced its third-quarter earnings, which analysts believe are of much greater importance to investors.

The last car you drove yourself.

Roadster also occupies an intriguing position in Tesla's future roadmap. As the company shifts its focus to autonomous driving and humanoid robots, Musk has stated that Roadster will ultimately become the only manually driven car produced by Tesla. However, during the demonstration on Thursday, there was no real person in the driver's seat; instead, there was a mannequin dressed in a SpaceX spacesuit, which was a tribute to Musk's original Roadster mission in 2018 to send a “Starman” dummy into space. Musk mentioned that for safety reasons, this car is autonomous.

For a company that is increasingly focused on removing humans from the driver's seat, Roadster reminds us that driving itself can still be part of its allure.