Tesla Unveils Thruster-Equipped Roadster, but Price and Street Legality Remain Unanswered

Tesla has finally shown its next-generation Roadster, almost nine years after first promising it. The unveiling was part car launch and part rocket demonstration. Chief executive Elon Musk presented a white sports car that raced up a curved ramp, clung to it upside down, vaulted off the end, rolled in mid-air and landed on its wheels. Missing from the livestreamed event was a price.

A stunt-heavy show

The demonstration took place on Thursday evening at a SpaceX test site near Waco, Texas. Musk described the car as the product of close work between Tesla and SpaceX engineers and said it was something audiences had not seen “in any movie”. The car uses ultra-high-pressure air tanks to fire thrusters. Musk said the demonstration was technically autonomous, to make sure nobody was hurt.

“Flying cars are real,” Musk declared, while conceding that success was not guaranteed and that the car would “probably work”.

The company also claimed a zero-to-60 mph time of under one second and said it expects a top speed of around 230 mph. Those figures come from Tesla’s own event and have not been independently tested.

Three versions, one big unknown

After the event, Tesla’s reservation page listed several versions:

• a “Performance” car with a $50,000 deposit
• a “Thrust” version with acceleration thrusters, with a $250,000 deposit
• a top-tier “Rocket” version, reportedly available by invitation only

None came with a final price. Musk said production would begin in 2028.

It also remains unclear whether the versions that perform the aerial tricks could ever be driven legally on public roads. Musk himself said on stage that the car is not necessarily optimised for safety. He insisted the production model would be “an actual car that’s on the roads”.

A long road to the stage

The Roadster’s history explains the scepticism. Tesla first showed a prototype in November 2017, promising deliveries from 2020. That promise came with a base price of $200,000, a range of about 620 miles and a zero-to-60 time of 1.9 seconds. The schedule slipped repeatedly, and the date for a public demonstration moved several times this year alone.

Thursday’s figures claim far quicker acceleration than the 2017 pitch, though the new range and battery details were not set out in full. Reservation holders who put down money years ago have been waiting ever since.

Business impact is limited

Analysts were quick to separate spectacle from earnings. CNBC reported that the Roadster is unlikely to have a material financial impact on Tesla. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein had earlier described it as a “halo car”, a showpiece meant to lift the brand rather than drive volume.

Gene Munster of Loup Ventures said the event showed why Musk is keen to bring Tesla and SpaceX closer together. Reports on how Tesla’s shares reacted to the event were mixed.

The Roadster arrives as Tesla reshapes its range. It has discontinued the Model S and Model X, and it is moving its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles toward autonomous services. Musk said the Roadster would be the only manually driven car Tesla makes in the long term. He also floated the idea of attempting a jump over the Snake River Canyon, where daredevil Evel Knievel once tried to cross in a steam-powered rocket.

What to watch

The next milestones are the ones the event skipped: a confirmed price, a road-legal specification and an independent test of the performance claims. Until then, the Roadster is a dramatic demonstration with a 2028 target date attached. Tesla’s record on this particular car suggests buyers should treat that date with caution.

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