Taken purely as a stunt, the demo was jaw-dropping. Equipping an electric supercar with 600 liters of compressed air, 10 directional cold-gas thruster nozzles, and a 2G suction-fan system directly inspired by SpaceX is undeniably rad. Seeing a 0-to-60 mph launch in under a second pushes the absolute outer limits of physics \u2014 even if it could lead to a detached retina or two.<\/p>\n
Yet, calling this a \u201ccar reveal\u201d or even viewing the flying Roadster as a real product, in the sense that it can be purchased by an unaffiliated third-party for private ownership, stretches the definition beyond recognition. Tesla says the \u201cRocket\u201d configuration of the Roadster, the one we saw doing all the cool shit, will be \u201cinvite only.\u201d But even that strains credulity. That version of the Roadster removes the passenger seat to make room for the ultra-high-pressure gas tanks, and trades road practicality for short bursts of thruster-powered levitation. But where you can take your flying Tesla remains a mystery, because the company admits<\/a> it won\u2019t be approved for \u201cpublic road use.\u201d<\/p>\n Taken purely as a stunt, the demo was jaw-dropping.<\/p>\n Even for the wealthy supercar shoppers, the event offered almost nothing of substance. Tesla skipped basic commercial details like pricing or battery range specs. The Roadster\u2019s range estimate was downgraded from 600 miles to 300 miles. And Musk casually pushed the production window out to 2028 \u2014 more than a decade after early adopters handed over $50,000 deposits.<\/p>\n Musk himself has acknowledged the Roadster is a \u201csmall potato\u201d project that won\u2019t move the needle financially compared to mass-market models like the Model Y. He also called it \u201cthe last best driver\u2019s car,\u201d in a nod to his belief that autonomous driving will define Tesla\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Some analysts are already theorizing<\/a> that the Roadster\u2019s re-release is an attempt to set the stage for a rumored Tesla-SpaceX merger<\/a>. Musk\u2019s fans on X are practically begging for it<\/a> \u2014 even though it would likely result in the dilution of their own equity. But that\u2019s just table stakes in Musk\u2019s quest to consolidate control of his companies.<\/p>\n In some sense, the car had to fly in order to make the preceding decade of missed deadlines feel worth it. Tesla has already been lapped several times in the electric hypercar market. Even some of the Roadster\u2019s most impressive tricks have already been done. There are cars that can drive upside down<\/a>, cars that can jump in the air<\/a>, and cars that can accelerate very, very fast.<\/p>\n BYD\u2019s Yangwang U9 Extreme<\/a> uses four electric motors (one more than the Roadster) to produce an insane 3,000 horsepower for a top speed of 308mph in testing \u2014 beating Rimac\u2019s Nevera 268mph record. And the McMurtry Sp\u00e9irling<\/a> single-seater holds the record for quickest acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 1.35 seconds. The Roadster could best it, but we\u2019ll need to wait for independent testing to confirm.<\/p>\n But no one puts on a show quite like Elon Musk. So if the goal is to score a PR victory, dominate social media feeds, and cement Tesla\u2019s brand as a frontier tech pioneer, then I would say the Roadster demo was a success. Competitors like Rimac, Porsche, and BYD will continue shipping real, track-ready hypercars while Tesla spends another few years refining its rocket-boosted prototype.<\/p>\n It\u2019s completely useless as a viable product. But as a 30-minute flex of engineering muscle, it was truly a sight to behold.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew J. HawkinsClose Andrew J. Hawkins<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Andrew J. Hawkins<\/a><\/p>\n Electric CarsClose<\/p>\n Electric Cars<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n Elon MuskClose<\/p>\n Elon Musk<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Elon Musk<\/a><\/p>\n ScienceClose<\/p>\n Science<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Science<\/a><\/p>\n SpaceClose<\/p>\n Space<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Space<\/a><\/p>\n SpaceXClose<\/p>\n SpaceX<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All SpaceX<\/a><\/p>\n TechClose<\/p>\n Tech<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Tech<\/a><\/p>\n TeslaClose<\/p>\n Tesla<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792170973_776_ANDREW_HAWKINS.0.jpg\"\/)
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