Tesla's new Roadster drives upside down, briefly lifts off on thrusters
Tesla showed its next-generation Roadster near Waco, Texas, on Thursday night, and the car drove upside down on a ramp and used thrusters to briefly lift off, The Verge and TechCrunch reported. Elon Musk said Tesla will build the car in 2028 but did not name a price. Tesla's website lists three versions, TechCrunch reported.
Tesla showed its long-delayed next-generation Roadster at an event near Waco, Texas, on Thursday night, The Verge and TechCrunch reported. The electric sports car drove upside down, "briefly flew" and, as Tesla showed it, reached 60 mph in under a second, The Verge reported.
The car used a mix of high-powered fans and thrusters to drive up an inverted ramp, spin around and ease itself down to the pavement, TechCrunch reported. It also used thrusters to lift itself over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y and Model 3 while in motion, TechCrunch said. A suction system kept it on the ramp upside down, Engadget reported.
Tesla showed the car going from 0 to 60 mph in one second, TechCrunch reported. Engadget reported a time of 0.81 seconds during the demo, and Musk said, "We anticipate being able to do better than that." None of the outlets independently measured the times.
Musk said Tesla will build the car in 2028 but did not name a price, TechCrunch reported. Tesla's website, updated as the event ended, lists three versions, TechCrunch and Engadget reported. The Verge said trims were not mentioned at the event itself. "Performance" seats two and has a suction system. "Thrust" seats two and adds rear cold-gas thrusters for 0-60 times under one second. "Rocket" seats one and has 10 cold-gas thrusters. Tesla says all three will have 300 miles of range and top 230 mph, TechCrunch reported.
Tesla is taking $50,000 reservations for the Performance and $250,000 for the Thrust, and the Rocket is "invite only," TechCrunch reported.
Tesla engineering vice president Lars Moravy said the car's 10 thrusters are connected to 600 liters of compressed air, and that the tank can be recharged, TechCrunch reported. "This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car," Musk said at the event, Engadget reported.
The event lasted less than 30 minutes, The Verge reported. Tesla first showed the car in 2017 and promised deliveries in 2020, the outlet said. At the time it promised 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds and a $200,000 starting price.
What we know: Tesla showed the Roadster driving upside down on a ramp and briefly lifting off on thrusters, and Musk says it will be built in 2028.
What we don't: The car's price, and whether road versions will match the demo.
Where outlets agree The Verge and TechCrunch both report that the Roadster drove upside down and briefly took to the air at Tesla's event near Waco.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.