Nine years after its first unveiling, Tesla brought its second-generation Roadster to a SpaceX facility in Texas — not as the sports car once promised, but as something stranger and more theatrical: a thruster-equipped electric vehicle that jumps, flips, and lands on command. The gap between spectacle and street legality remains wide, and the gap between announcement and delivery wider still, with production now set for 2028. In the long arc of technological ambition, this moment sits somewhere between genuine innovation and elaborate performance — a reminder that in the modern era, the reveal
Tesla unveils thruster-equipped Roadster with 2028 production target
Yeah, depends on your street.
Mark
So Tesla showed off a car that can jump and flip using thrusters. That's the actual product they're taking reservations for?
Mimi
Yes, though "product" might be generous. They're taking $50,000 to $250,000 deposits for three versions, with production supposedly starting in 2028. The thrusters are real—ten of them, powered by compressed air built with SpaceX.
Luke
But none of the acceleration claims have been independently verified, right? The 0.81 seconds they showed was recorded, not live. And the faster versions—under one second, under 0.59 seconds—those are just listed on their website.
Mimi
Correct. And there's no actual price yet, just reservation amounts. It's more of a commitment to the idea than a purchase.
Mark
What about actually driving it on the street?
Mimi
That's where it gets fuzzy. Musk dodged the question. Tesla says the Rocket version isn't street legal. The other two? Unclear.
Luke
So you could reserve a $250,000 car that might not be legal to drive anywhere. That's a significant detail.
Mark
Why reveal it now if production is two years away?
Mimi
Partly because they've been promising this car since 2017. But also—and this matters—Tesla is hiring heavily for AI and robotics. A car that jumps and flips is good marketing for engineers.
Luke
That's speculation, though. We know they're spending $25 billion on capex in 2026. We know Musk has used product events for recruitment before. But we don't know that's why this event happened now.
Mimi
Fair. But the timing is worth noting.
Mark
So what actually happens next?
Luke
We wait two years and see if they build it. And whether regulators decide it's a car or a toy.
Il Polso
- A car that launches off ramps, flips mid-air, and clears a line of Semi trucks is not a vehicle announcement — it is a provocation aimed at the boundaries of what automobiles are allowed to be.
- Performance claims range from breathtaking to unverifiable: sub-one-second 0-60 times and a 230 mph top speed for the invite-only Rocket model, none of it confirmed by independent testing.
- Three tiers of reservation — $50,000, $250,000, and invite-only — create a hierarchy of access that blurs the line between consumer product and exclusive spectacle.
- Street legality is an open wound in the announcement: the Rocket version is explicitly banned from public roads, and the regulatory status of the other variants remains unanswered.
- With production pushed to 2028 and a history of missed deadlines, the distance between what Tesla demonstrates and what customers can actually drive continues to stretch.
Nine years after its first unveiling, Tesla brought its second-generation Roadster to a SpaceX facility in Texas — not as the sports car once promised, but as something stranger and more theatrical: a thruster-equipped electric vehicle that jumps, flips, and lands on command. The gap between spectacle and street legality remains wide, and the gap between announcement and delivery wider still, with production now set for 2028. In the long arc of technological ambition, this moment sits somewhere between genuine innovation and elaborate performance — a reminder that in the modern era, the reveal itself has become a product.
On October 15th, Tesla brought its long-delayed second-generation Roadster to a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas — nine years after the car's original reveal. What appeared was not the sports car the company had once promised, but something more theatrical: a two-seat electric vehicle fitted with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX engineers.
The demonstration leaned hard into spectacle. The Roadster drove up a curved ramp, used suction fans to cling to the surface while inverted, then fired its thrusters to launch airborne, flip, and land on all four wheels. In a second run, it cleared a row of Tesla vehicles including a Semi truck. The system uses ten thrusters fed by 600 liters of compressed air — refillable, according to Tesla's VP of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy.
Three versions were announced. The Performance model carries a $50,000 reservation and claims 0-60 in under 1.6 seconds. The Thrust variant, at $250,000 down, adds rear thrusters and promises sub-one-second acceleration. The Rocket — invite-only, single-seat — allegedly hits 230 mph and reaches 60 in under 0.59 seconds. None of these figures have been independently verified, though Tesla showed recorded footage of an 0.81-second run that itself remains unconfirmed.
Production is now scheduled for 2028, extending the original reveal-to-delivery gap to nearly a decade. The original Roadster was supposed to arrive in 2020. The October reveal was itself postponed from the 1st due to weather.
The question of road legality went largely unanswered. Musk's response — "depends on your street" — offered little clarity, and Tesla's own product page confirms the Rocket is not approved for public roads. The status of the other variants remains unresolved. Observers also noted the event's secondary function: with a $25 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026 and deep investment in AI and robotics, a car that flips through the air makes for unusually compelling recruitment material.
Tesla brought its second-generation Roadster to a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas on October 15th, nine years after first showing the car to the world. What emerged was not the conventional sports car the company had originally promised, but something closer to a stunt vehicle: a two-seat electric car equipped with cold-gas thrusters built in collaboration with SpaceX engineers.
The demonstration was theatrical. In a livestreamed event, the Roadster drove up a curved ramp, used suction fans to grip the surface as it turned upside down, then fired its thrusters to launch itself into the air. It flipped mid-flight and landed on all four wheels. In a second run, the car jumped over a line of Tesla vehicles, including one of the company's Semi trucks. The system relies on ten thrusters connected to 600 liters of compressed air, according to Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering. The air tanks can be refilled.
Tesla is offering the Roadster in three distinct versions, each with different performance claims. The Performance model, available for a $50,000 reservation, supposedly accelerates from zero to 60 miles per hour in under 1.6 seconds. The Thrust variant, which adds rear thrusters and requires a $250,000 deposit, claims to hit 60 mph in under one second. The most extreme version, called the Rocket, is invite-only, seats a single occupant, and allegedly reaches 230 miles per hour while accelerating to 60 in under 0.59 seconds. None of these figures have been independently verified. Tesla did demonstrate a recorded test showing 0 to 60 in 0.81 seconds, though this too remains unconfirmed by outside testing.
The timeline for actually owning one remains distant. Musk announced that production will begin in 2028, marking a nine-year gap between the car's initial reveal and when customers might receive their vehicles. The original Roadster was supposed to arrive in 2020. The reveal event itself was postponed from October 1st due to weather.
The question of whether any version of this car can legally operate on public roads remains murky. When asked about street legality, Musk offered a non-answer: "Yeah, depends on your street." Tesla's own product page clarifies that the Rocket version is explicitly not approved for public road use. The Performance and Thrust models' regulatory status is less clear, leaving a significant gap between what Tesla is promising and what regulators have actually certified.
The event also functions as a recruiting tool, observers noted. Tesla is investing heavily in artificial intelligence and robotics, with a $25 billion capital expenditure plan for 2026. Product reveals have historically served as draws for engineering talent, and a car that jumps and flips certainly makes for compelling recruitment material.
Citazioni salienti
Yeah, depends on your street.— Elon Musk, when asked about street legality
10 thrusters linked to 600 litres of compressed air lift and spin the car— Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering
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