Tesla Roadster Rocket Variant Adds SpaceX Thrusters but Is Not Approved for Public Roads

The Roadster's performance claims include a top speed above 230 mph, a 0-60 mph time under 0.59 seconds, a suction system that can let the car hang upside down, and rocket thrusters borrowed from SpaceX. The top-end Rocket version, available by invite only, can be fitted with up to 10 thrusters. During the demonstration, the car went upside down, flipped back over and later jumped over a line of parked vehicles.

The thrusters are powered by carbon fiber overwrapped pressure vessels, or COPVs, that hold highly compressed air. When the air is released through the thrusters, the vehicle travels quickly in the opposite direction. TechRadar reported that these are cold-gas thrusters because no fuel is burned; SpaceX has used similar thrusters to help Falcon 9 boosters land. Tesla says every usable void in the Roadster is packed with COPVs, with a maximum of 600 liters on the Rocket variant. That includes a 200-liter tank at the rear for the rear thrusters, which is also present on the Thrust variant, and a 400-liter tank that replaces the passenger seat on the Rocket model.

TechRadar reported that the available flight time is unknown, but it appears unlikely to last much longer than the jump, adjustments and landing shown in Musk's demonstration. That makes soaring over city traffic improbable even if the car were road legal, although the system could be suited to crossing a missing section of unfinished freeway. At the event, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the car would be able to refill its air tanks on its own, without air propellant, but how long that takes is not known. Electric motors open and close the thrusters, completing micro adjustments within a fraction of a second, and live demonstrations showed in-flight calibration to land the car with its four wheels flat and to provide necessary lift. "It can do rolls, it can do crazy gymnastics," Musk said. The demonstration car had no driver and was controlled autonomously, while the audience was positioned far back.

TechRadar reported that rocket thrusters are unlikely to reach a legally approved road vehicle soon. Musk said the vehicle was "not necessarily a safety optimized car" and, when asked whether it was road legal, said it "depends on the street." Tesla's website marks the Rocket version, with a single seat and 10 thrusters, as "not approved for public road use." The track-ready Thrust version, with two seats and fewer thrusters, is labeled a "limited release." The Performance version, which has no thrusters, is described as "road ready" and can be reserved now for production planned in 2028.

Tesla says the four rear thrusters alone produce more than 80 kilonewtons of force, equivalent to being hit by a 9-ton weight if someone passed behind the Roadster on a track starting line as it set off. TechRadar reported that this could break multiple bones and damage organs, and could write off the car behind the Roadster if used at a green light. The gas also escapes at supersonic speeds, so debris picked up from the road during a blast could be accelerated to bullet-like velocities. A Roadster landing on a person would also be dangerous for multiple reasons, even if the thrusters helped provide a relatively comfortable landing for the driver.