Elon Musk Unveils New Tesla Roadster with Flying Capabilities
During an event on Thursday at a SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, Elon Musk showcased a new Tesla Roadster that can fly, flip, and drive upside down. This remarkable electric vehicle (EV) uses cold gas thruster technology borrowed from SpaceX to perform its acrobatics.
A live audience watched as the 55-year-old Tesla and SpaceX founder presented the flying roadster, with a demonstration being livestreamed by Tesla. Notably, no one was in the driver’s seat; the vehicle was operated remotely and featured a steer-by-wire system. It utilized four cold gas thruster nozzles, adapted from SpaceX, to enable its flight capabilities.
In one striking demonstration, the roadster sped toward a row of parked Tesla vehicles before ascending vertically and flying over them.
Musk enthusiastically explained that the car “can basically fly like a rocket,” listing various maneuvers it performed, such as “rolls” and “crazy gymnastics.” He described a moment when it drove upside down along a curved ramp. Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, elaborated on the technology, stating, “We have a fan suction system on the bottom of the car that can pull up to 2Gs (twice the force of gravity) to allow the car to drive upside down.” He acknowledged SpaceX for contributing to the design, humorously adding, “This car could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. It could suck a tennis ball through a hose pipe.”
Tesla’s Chief Designer, Franz von Holzhausen, was also present. After the successful demonstration, Musk turned to Moravy and von Holzhausen, stating simply, “Well it worked.”
Musk expressed the importance of having a live audience for the event, wanting people to affirm that they witnessed it firsthand. He noted, “You guys can tell people that you saw it with your eyes. Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe.” He highlighted the collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX, declaring it a joint success. Musk recalled his initial thoughts when envisioning the concept, calling it “crazy” but later asserting that the car is “better than any James Bond car.”
He explained that the decision to operate the vehicle without a human driver was made for safety reasons, as any potential errors could be fatal. The Roadster is set to reach a maximum speed of 230 mph and will have a range of at least 300 miles. Musk hinted that it might even exceed those speeds, suggesting it could reach “halfway to the speed of sound, Mach 0.5.” Moving forward, this will be Tesla’s only manually driven model. A “Performance” version, which remains grounded, requires a $50,000 deposit, while a “Thrust” version equipped with the cold gas thruster technology has a $250,000 deposit requirement. Production is slated to start in 2028, but Musk admitted, “I’m not necessarily sure it’s legal in all jurisdictions.”
Watch the full presentation here:
