Tesla Unveils New Roadster With SpaceX Thrusters, Fan Downforce and 2028 Production Target

The new Roadster abandons the curves and clean lines of the version Tesla previously promised. Instead, TechRadar reported, it adopts a more angular, Cybertruck-style look that Tesla says draws inspiration from the SR-71 aircraft and rocket ships. The company repeatedly framed the car as a joint effort between the electric vehicle maker and Musk's rocket company, and Musk said, 'The results are the collaboration of the world's best car company and the world's best rocket company.'

The central feature is a set of SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters. Tesla claims top-tier versions can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 0.59 seconds and reach a top speed of more than 230 mph. Thrusters at the rear provide up to 80 kN of thrust for straight-line speed, while individual units around and underneath the car can deliver upward lift and control the vehicle's movements in the air, according to TechRadar.

Making the thrusters work in Earth's atmosphere rather than in the vacuum of space has been an engineering challenge for Tesla and SpaceX, TechRadar reported. During a live demonstration that was described as autonomous and did not use a human driver for safety reasons, the Roadster jumped over Tesla's entire fleet of vehicles, performed a barrel roll in midair, landed in a plume of thick gas and drove away. Moravy called the move 'the kick-flip' and said 'Tony Hawk would be proud.'

Musk said the system uses an advanced ultra-high-pressure air tank and that the car can recharge its own air tank. 'It's not like you need special propellant or anything like that,' he said, according to TechRadar.

The Roadster also uses a suction system with fans mounted underneath the car to generate large amounts of downforce. TechRadar compared the concept to the McMurtry Spéirling, which has broken circuit records with high grip. Tesla's system pulls enough air from under the car to hold it upside down, the report said. The technology is banned in Formula 1 for obvious reasons, but Tesla demonstrated it by having the Roadster drive up a vertical piece of road and then allowing the fan system to hold it on an overhang.

In the demonstration, the Roadster then leaped off the overhang, flipped itself upright using the cold-gas thrusters and landed on the stage beneath it, TechRadar reported, likening the maneuver to a SpaceX rocket touching down after a trip to orbit. According to Tesla, the fan system also uses patented side skirts and actuators from its humanoid robot Optimus to autonomously adjust the setup for different road surfaces, not only smooth race tracks.

Musk said the fan technology would let customers corner 'like you're breaking physics' and called the car 'better than any James Bond car.' He also said, 'Acceleration, cornering, it's going to crush every track record that has ever existed.'

TechRadar reported that the event confirmed several rumors that had circulated for months: the Roadster will use cold-gas thrusters for straight-line performance and brief periods of flight, it will use a 'multi-mode suction system' for downforce, and it will be sold only as a left-hand-drive vehicle. Musk promised production in 2028 and said Tesla would continue to take reservations. The report said reservations require $5,000 today and another $45,000 later. Musk warned that success was 'not guaranteed,' according to TechRadar.