Tesla’s Next-Gen Roadster Took Flight During Its Jaw-Dropping Debut
Here’s one way to make everyone forget you arrived nearly nine years late to the party.
The second-generation Tesla Roadster finally made its debut on Thursday night at SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Testing Facility in McGregor, Texas. The wait just might have been worth it, though. During the 30-minute show, the EV showed that it can fly and rocket from zero to 60 mph in less than a second.
Even before we got to see the long-delayed Roadster perform those spectacular feats during the livestreamed showcase, it was clear that this was not the same electric sports car that was first teased way back in 2017. Yes, it shares a general shape with previous prototypes of the model, but the current show car is much more aggressively styled. Gone are the smooth curves we’re used to seeing on a Tesla, replaced by sharp lines similar to those found on the controversial Cybertruck. The pickup’s bold look isn’t for everyone, but we imagine the Roadster design, which includes butterfly doors and an extendable rear wing, will prove to be significantly more popular.
But more important than what the Roadster looks like is what it can do, and it’s hard to imagine we’ll see a more impressive display from an automaker this year or, quite possibly, decade. That’s because Tesla’s polarizing CEO, Elon Musk, actually managed to deliver on his promise of an EV that could fly. Because of the executive’s propensity for bold claims—remember when he said the Cybertruck would be able to “serve as a boat”?—it was easy to initially laugh this off. But on Thursday night, Musk showed that there are advantages to dreaming big.
During the outdoor event, we saw the Roadster drive up a multi-story ramp, use its multi-mode suction system to briefly hang upside down, and then shoot off the edge and perform a flip before landing on the ground below thanks to its SpaceX thrusters. Then, to prove that was not a one-off, the car performed a barrel roll, or “kickflip” as Musk’s called it, over a lineup of five Teslas, including the 13.5-feet tall Semi. The thruster system also helped the Roadster go from zero to 60 mph in just 0.81 seconds, allowing Musk to make good on another hard-to-believe promise.
Musk said the Roadster will “actually” go into production, but we imagine there will be some differences between that finished version and the car that wowed audiences on Thursday night. For instance, the nitrogen tank that fuels the thruster system takes just six seconds to use up and hours to refill, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, told Top Gear. There is also the matter, which Musk made references to, of whether it is legal to operate a “flying” car on public roads. One imagines that a car that could do everything the Roadster did on Thursday just might cost significantly more than the $200,000 price originally quoted in 2017, too.
Click here to see more photos of the second-generation Tesla Roadster.
