Tesla’s Flying Roadster: Features & Launch Date

See how Tesla’s new Roadster aims to use SpaceX-style cold-gas thrusters for brief flight, sub-1-second 0–60 runs and 2028 production.

Elon Musk delivered on his promise to showcase a production version of the Tesla Roadster sports car years after its original debut, and it’s surprisingly an all-new car! In fact, unlike the Roadster prototype shown in 2017 – which could accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds – the new one has a new trick up its sleeve – it can fly. Quite literally.


And this isn’t a one-off prototype – Elon Musk says you can buy this in the near future. Musk also said that since the Roadster will be the only car Tesla would manufacture for manual driving, they wanted to make it unique. So, instead of just lightning-quick acceleration, which it does – 0-60 mph in under 1 second! – the new Roadster can also fly.

It’s still not the DeLorean DMC-12 from “Back To The Future” that can hover in the air and fly across time, but it uses cold gas thrusters to gain flight for brief moments. It can jump over parked cars and land itself safely like a rocket, in case you manage to drive it upside down through a tunnel. And it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0–96.6 km/h) in under 0.6 seconds on its top-spec model.

Tesla hasn’t listed the price for one of these, but you can book one of the three distinct variants — Performance, Thrust, and the flagship Rocket package.

And yes, it has hidden headlights that show up when you need them. The 1990s styling is back!

Since we love tech, here’s a quick rundown of the technology inside the car that makes the Roadster do those mind-bending things.

The Tech In The New Tesla Roadster: How it Flies ?

To move a multi-ton electric vehicle beyond the limits of mechanical rubber-on-asphalt friction, Tesla partnered directly with technologies pioneered at SpaceX. More specifically, Tesla borrowed SpaceX’s rocket thrusters to make it fly.

Unlike standard internal combustion or pure battery-electric drivetrains — which rely entirely on tyre traction - the Roadster’s flight capabilities and hyper-acceleration rely on high-pressure cold-gas thrusters.

How the Cold-Gas Thrusters work

No combustion required: Rather than burning fuel like standard rocket engines, cold-gas thrusters expand compressed air or nitrogen through precision nozzles at supersonic speeds.

Perimeter-mounted nozzles: On the flagship single-seat Rocket variant, cold-gas thrusters are placed around the perimeter of the bodywork. By firing downward or horizontally, they generate thrust vectors capable of lifting the car, driving forward motion, or inducing rotational manoeuvres (such as controlled airborne flips).

Massive force multiplier: Tesla claims the thruster system can exert 4 to 5 times the total propulsion force achievable by tyre friction alone.

Is there a rocket system inside the car?

For cold-gas thrusters to yield meaningful force, air must be stored at immense pressures — typically around 10,000 psi (700 bar).

To safely store this compressed air without adding excessive weight, here’s what Tesla did to the Roadster:

Carbon-Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs): Tesla uses aerospace-grade COPV tanks distributed throughout the vehicle chassis. These are similar to the composite pressure tanks used on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicles.

Flight time limitations: Because cold-gas thrusters rely on a finite reserve of compressed gas, airborne bursts are limited to short intervals. Onboard electric compressors replenish the COPVs using battery power during normal driving. Hence, the car just uses the thrusters to hop instead of flying.

Flying is cool, what else does the Roadster do?

Lifting a car or accelerating it to almost 100 kph in under a second requires extreme control over airflow. Hence, Tesla paired its thruster package with advanced active aerodynamic tech:

Active Multi-Mode Suction System: Venturi vacuum systems pull air out from under the car, creating high negative pressure beneath the underbody to lock the car to the road prior to launching or when landing. The principle is similar to the suction phone mounts you already use in your car, with the only exception being that there’s a lot more precision and automation involved here.

Optimus-derived actuators: The rear wing and active aero flaps utilise heavy-duty linear actuators originally developed for Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robotics program, allowing lightning-fast adjustments during high-G acceleration. That’s the reason it can pull off a backflip mid-air, or do stunts.

Fighter-jet materials and design: Drawing inspiration from stealth aircraft like the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-35, the Tesla Roadster features lightweight magnesium chassis elements, carbon-fibre bodywork, titanium trim accents, and gold-tinted heat-reflective glass.

Tesla Roadster variants at a glance

Tesla’s updated Roadster lineup divides capabilities into three distinct tiers:

Feature / Variant	Performance	Thrust	Rocket
Seating Capacity	2 Seats	2 Seats	1 Seat (Single-seater)
0–60 mph (0–96.6 km/h)	< 1.6 seconds	< 0.9 seconds	< 0.59 seconds
Thruster Setup	Active Aero + Suction	Rear Cold-Gas Thrusters	Perimeter Cold-Gas Thrusters
Primary Focus	Road / Highway	Track Use	Airborne Manoeuvring / Flight
Top Speed	Standard EV Limits	High Track Limit	> 230 mph (370 km/h)

Is Tesla going to sell this Roadster this time?

The last time Tesla showcased a mind-bending Roadster, it failed to deliver on that car, despite Musk promising deliveries. For the new Roadster, Tesla targets production for 2028.

What matters more, though, is how Tesla is going to sell these to an average driver, and how it is going to affect the regulations. Motor vehicle regulations today don’t account for cars that can hop in the air or pull off ridiculous stunts. Additionally, integrating high-pressure aerospace gas systems into consumer road vehicles presents significant regulatory, safety, and weight-management challenges. How Tesla manages to bypass all that remains to be seen!