Overview
- The prototype demonstration, which Tesla staged on Thursday Oct. 15 at SpaceX test facilities in Texas, showed the Roadster climb a ramp, invert, launch into the air, flip and land using compressed‑air cold‑gas propulsors and an underbody suction system.
- Tesla said the propulsion pack includes ten propulsors fed from high‑pressure air tanks and that the system is cold‑gas based rather than rocket fuel driven, meaning thrust comes from released compressed air not combustion.
- Company figures displayed at the event claim extreme performance — about 0.81 seconds 0–60 mph, top speed above 370 km/h and roughly 480 km of range — but independent verification of those numbers has not yet been released.
- Tesla listed three trims (Performance, Thrust and the invitation‑only Rocket), opened reservations with deposit amounts, and cautioned the prototype is experimental, not optimized for safety and must clear technical and regulatory hurdles before road use.
- If development proceeds on schedule, Tesla projects production beginning in 2028, a timeline that leaves questions about homologation, safety certification, refill and recharge logistics for the high‑pressure air system, and the market for an expensive, limited‑use supercar.