- Tesla demonstrates much-rumored cold-gas thruster technology
- New Roadster can “jump” and flip in the air
- Fan system creates downforce that will “crush every track record”
Following a typically awkward and slightly slapdash presentation at SpaceX’s Rocket Test and Development Center in McGregor, Texas, Tesla finally unveiled its new Roadster after nearly a decade of delays.
The event, which felt a bit like the audience had stumbled upon a few friends messing around in physics class, was fronted by Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy, and CEO Elon Musk, who freestyled their way through 20-odd minutes of scrappy information and Hollywood-style live demonstrations.
Oh, and we actually saw what the claimed production version of the Roadster will look like when it goes on sale (seriously this time) in 2028.
Gone are the curves and clean lines of the previously promised Roadster, as Tesla ushers in a more angular, Cybertruck-style look that apparently takes inspiration from SR-71 aircraft and rocket ships.
You could argue it now looks like Tesla’s take on an electric Lamborghini, but the Tesla trio were keen to point out on several occasions that the upcoming Roadster is very much a joint effort between the EV company and Elon Musk’s SpaceX — hence the myriad rocket references seen throughout the design.
“The results are the collaboration of the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company,” Musk boasted before demonstrating what the vehicle is capable of.
In summary (fast forward to the demos in the clip above), it features numerous SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters that can not only deliver brutal acceleration (Tesla is claiming 0-60 mph in under 0.59 seconds and a top speed of over 230mph on top-tier versions), but can also make the car “fly” for short periods.
Thrusters at the rear of the Roadster provide up to 80 kN of thrust for straight-line speed, while individual units around and underneath the car deliver upward lift, as well as the ability to control the vehicle’s movements in the air.
Making these work on earth’s atmosphere and not in the vacuum of space is the engineering headache teams at SpaceX and Tesla have been wrestling with for years.
During a live demonstration, which was “autonomous” and didn’t use a real driver for safety reasons, the new Tesla Roadster jumped over the company’s entire fleet of vehicles, performing a barrel roll midair before landing in a plume of thick gas and driving away.
Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy said that Tesla calls this move “the kick-flip” and that “Tony Hawk would be proud.”
Tesla’s CEO revealed that the system uses an advanced ultra-high-pressure air tank. “So, the car can recharge its air tank — it’s not like you need special propellant or anything like that,” Musk added.
This Tesla really sucks
Another key technology employed by the upcoming Roadster is a suction system that uses fans mounted underneath the car to generate huge amounts of downforce.
Similar to the McMurtry Spéirling, which has broken numerous circuit records thanks to its seemingly unending levels of grip, Tesla’s system pulls enough air from under the car to hold it upside down.
The technology is banned by Formula 1, for obvious reasons, but Tesla demonstrated its capabilities by having the Roadster drive up a vertical piece of road, then allowing the fan system to hold it on an overhang.
Only Tesla went one further and then had its Roadster leap off this perilous overhang, flip itself upright using the cold-gas thruster technology and carefully land on the stage beneath it like one of SpaceX’s rockets touching down after a trip into outer orbit.
According to the company, the fan system also employs patented side skirts and actuators from its humanoid robot Optimus to autonomously adjust the set-up to suit a number of road surfaces, not simply super-smooth race tracks like those the McMurtry Spéirling is currently limited to.
“Better than any James Bond car,” Elon Musk said, explaining that the fan technology would allow customers to corner “like you’re breaking physics.”
“Acceleration, cornering, it’s going to crush every track record that has ever existed,” Musk revealed.
Specs and prices?
The event proved an impressive demonstration of the technology and, despite Elon’s warnings that success was “not guaranteed,” confirmed a number of rumors that have been circulating for months.
Yes, the upcoming Tesla Roadster will use cold-gas thrusters for straight-line performance and brief periods of flight. Yes, it will use a “multi-mode suction system” for insane levels of downforce. And yes, you will be able to buy one, albeit as a left-hand-drive vehicle only.
Musk promised that it will enter production in 2028 and that the company will continue to take reservations. Customers will have to hand over $5,000 today and another $45,000 within 10 days, or the reservation will be canceled.
There’s no concrete price for the final product, although the company did release more information on X following the event about the various versions that will go on sale.
These include Performance, which will use the “multi-mode suction system” and deliver a 0-60 mph time of under 1.6 seconds, but forgo the gas thrusters. This is likely to be the only road-legal variant.
Next up, Thrust will be a limited release and add the rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters for a claimed 0-60 mph time of under 0.9 seconds. It’s highly likely to be for track use only.
Finally, a Rocket model, which is reportedly invite-only, will feature the full cold-gas thruster array and be capable of the sort of gymnastics Tesla demonstrated, although there are no details on where these systems could safely and legally be used.
All versions feature hidden headlights, “super light” wheels, an adjustable rear wing, aerospace-inspired paint, and tinted glass windows designed to mimic the copper coating that gives spacesuit visors their golden sheen.
However, the original estimate of a 600-mile all-electric range seems to have been adjusted considerably, with Tesla hinting that 300 miles will be a more realistic figure for the new Roadster.
