Tesla unveiled its second-generation Roadster on Thursday with cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX, offering it in three versions, and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said production would start in 2028, more than a decade after the car was first shown.
The company did not give a price for any version, but it is now taking reservations of $50,000 for the base car and $250,000 for a thruster-equipped variant, according to its reservation page.
“This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers working closely together,” Musk told the crowd at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas.
Three Versions, One of Them Flies
Tesla listed three configurations in a post on X after the presentation.
The base Performance version is “road ready” with two seats, active aerodynamics and a “multi-mode suction system,” with 0 to 60 mph in under 1.6 seconds.
The Thrust version, described as “race ready,” adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters and cuts that time to under 0.9 seconds. The single-seat Rocket version adds thrusters “positioned around the perimeter of the vehicle” for upward and rotational movement, with 0 to 60 mph in under 0.59 seconds.
Tesla quoted range of more than 300 miles and a top speed of more than 230 mph for the Rocket.
The Rocket is “Invite Only” and “Not approved for public road use,” and it “is not available in all regions,” Tesla clarifies on the Roadster page.
Upside Down and Over the Fleet
During the demonstration, the car drove up an inverted ramp and held itself there with its suction fans, then flipped, used its thrusters to right itself and landed.
It later jumped over a Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Cybercab and Semi, twisting in mid-air.
Tesla said the car reached 60 mph from standstill in 0.81 seconds, or 0.67 seconds “w/ rollout subtracted.”
When a commentator noted on X that 0.81 seconds meant more than 3.3 g, Musk replied, “You’re right, we can do better.”
“Turns out the future does have flying cars,” he wrote shortly after the stream.
Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai replied, “The FSD version of this will be something:) congrats!”
How It Works
The fan and ground-sealing system pulls air from beneath the car, generating “enough suction to hold the vehicle upside down, even when stationary,” according to the Roadster page.
Tesla said the thruster system generates “4–5x the force the tires can,” and that “Every usable void in the car is packed with Carbon Fiber Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs),” with more gas meaning more flight time.
The thrusters run on about 600 liters of compressed air that can be recharged, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said, according to TechCrunch.
In Track Mode, the car lowers itself and its wings deploy, with “wing actuation driven by the [humanoid robot] Tesla Optimus actuator system,” and Tesla claimed downforce “approaching F1 levels.”
The interior has a steer-by-wire yoke, a center touchscreen with two smaller driver displays and a fixed seat position, and Tesla said it used magnesium, titanium and carbon fiber to cut weight.
Tesla said the design was inspired by the SR-71 and F-35 aircraft and called the car “the best of the last human-driven cars.”
The Reservation Terms
A Performance reservation requires $5,000 upfront, described as “fully refundable,” and a further $45,000 within 10 days, or the reservation may be canceled.
The Thrust variant requires $5,000 upfront and $245,000 within 10 days, and it is “restricted to one order per customer,” with Tesla reserving the right to cancel duplicate orders.
Under the Roadster Reservation Agreement dated October 15, any estimated price “is only an estimate,” and the reservation “does not constitute the purchase or order of a vehicle.”
Tesla also states that it “cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered.”
Reservations can be canceled for a full refund until the buyer completes configuration, and Tesla does not hold the payments in escrow or pay interest on them, the agreement says.
In China, Tesla is taking reservations only for the Performance version, with a fully refundable payment of 332,000 yuan ($49,500) due within 10 days.
The Chinese page says availability will depend on the laws and regulations in force at the time.
In Germany, Tesla lists all three versions and asks for €5,000 upfront and €45,000 within 10 days, a total of €50,000 ($56,100).
What Changed Since 2017
When Tesla showed the Roadster prototype in November 2017, it targeted 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph and 620 miles of range, with $50,000 reservations and $250,000 for a Founders Series.
The range target has now been halved, and the car seats two at most, against the four seats Tesla promised in 2017.
“My OG Roadster is still orbiting Mars and Earth,” Musk wrote, quoting a Tesla post about the original Roadster that SpaceX launched into space in 2018.
Tesla had invited existing reservation holders to the event. The company has not said publicly how it will treat reservations placed in 2017 and 2018, some of which holders have since canceled.
The unveiling came after Musk spent the year resetting the date, and after a planned October 1 event was postponed over severe weather.
Tesla shares closed down 1.3% at $362.44 on Thursday, before the event. They rose more than 3.5% in overnight trading after the presentation.
Tesla reports third-quarter results on October 21.
