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Tesla has not released full specifications or pricing.
The Tesla Roadster is finally real, and it can briefly fly. Almost a decade after Elon Musk first showed a new Roadster, Tesla unveiled the car with a stunt-filled demo that ended with it hopping over a line of vehicles on rocket-style thrusters. Here is what was actually shown, what is still hype, and when Americans might be able to buy one.
Key Takeaways
- Tesla showed its long-delayed second-generation Roadster on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, near Waco.
- With no one inside, the car drove upside down on a ramp, flipped in midair and jumped over a row of vehicles using SpaceX-style cold-gas thrusters.
- Tesla says it can hit 0-60 mph in under a second, top 230 mph and go 300 miles per charge. Elon Musk said production starts in 2028.
- No price has been announced. Reservations cost $50,000 for the Performance trim and $250,000 for Thrust. The flying Rocket trim is invite-only.
- The flying version is “not approved for public road use”, Tesla’s website says, and the FAA says it does not meet its definition of an aircraft.
What Did the Tesla Roadster Do at the Demo?
The event was livestreamed from SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, starting at 8:55 p.m. ET on Thursday, CNBC reported. Musk appeared with design chief Franz von Holzhausen and vehicle engineering vice president Lars Moravy.
- Upside-down driving: underbody fans created enough suction for the car to cling to an inverted ramp, The Washington Post reported.
- A midair flip: the car launched off the ramp, rotated in the air and landed on its wheels, using thrusters to soften the landing.
- A jump: in a second demo, it flew over a line of six vehicles, including a Tesla Semi cab, Space.com reported.
- Acceleration: Moravy demonstrated a 0-60 mph run in under one second on Tesla’s timer, CNBC said.
Nobody was inside during the stunts. Musk said that was “to make sure we don’t kill anyone,” WIRED reported.
How the thrusters work
The Roadster has 10 thrusters fed by about 600 liters of compressed air, roughly 550 pounds, stored in carbon-fiber-wrapped pressure tanks, Moravy said at the event, according to Space.com. Main thrusters in the rear push the car forward, and smaller attitude-control thrusters control its orientation. “It can basically fly like a rocket, and it could do rolls,” Musk said.
What’s Real and What’s Hype
What’s real
- The demo happened in public, on video, and was covered by Reuters, CNBC, The Washington Post and others.
- Tesla’s own website lists three trims and is taking reservations now.
- Tesla’s claimed specs: 300 miles of range, a top speed of more than 230 mph and 0-60 mph in under a second, TechCrunch reported. These are company claims that have not been independently tested.
What’s still hype, or unknown
- Flying on public roads: the flying Rocket version is “not approved for public road use”, Tesla’s website says.
- Safety: “This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car,” Musk said on stage, adding, “I’m not sure it’s necessarily legal in all jurisdictions.”
- Sustained flight: the hops were brief, and the demo did not show the car could fly for long, AVweb noted.
- Price: Tesla has not announced one for any trim.
- Timing: Tesla first showed a new Roadster in 2017 and has missed every delivery target since, CNBC noted.
Will regulators let it fly?
“The Tesla vehicle does not meet the FAA’s definition of an aircraft,” FAA spokesperson Rick Breitenfeldt said, according to POLITICO and WIRED. That means the FAA would not need to certify it as airworthy. Aviation experts quoted by WIRED were less sure the question is settled. Scott Miller of San José State University said the FAA “has jurisdiction over any machine that leaves the surface of the earth.” Former FAA official Michael McCormick said a flying vehicle over about 250 pounds would need FAA approval and airspace clearance.
State and local rules on taking off from roads could also limit where owners could fly, Miller added. In practice, that could mean flying only on large private land.
When Can You Buy the Tesla Roadster, and How Much Is It?
Musk said production will begin in 2028. Tesla did not give a price, and it did not say when deliveries would start. Here is what reservations cost on Tesla’s U.S. site, according to Tesla and TechCrunch:
- Performance (“road ready,” two seats, active aerodynamics and suction): $5,000 fully refundable today, then $45,000 due within 10 days, for $50,000 in total.
- Thrust (“race ready,” two seats, rear thrusters for sub-one-second 0-60 mph): a limited release requiring a $250,000 commitment within 10 days, The Washington Post reported.
- Rocket (“air ready,” one seat, a full flight system with 10 thrusters): invite only.
Tesla’s reservation page says reservations are not final until payment is received and can be canceled if the payment is not completed within 10 days. A reservation is a place in line, not a purchase price.
What It Means for Tesla and Its Investors
Musk called the Roadster “the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers working closely together,” Reuters reported. He also told the audience the Roadster will eventually be Tesla’s only manually driven model, according to POLITICO.
Tesla shares fell 2.1% on Friday, the day after the unveiling, CBS News reported. That came on a day when tech stocks broadly sold off, so the drop cannot be pinned on the Roadster alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the new Tesla Roadster really fly?
Briefly. In the demo, an empty car used cold-gas thrusters to flip and hop over vehicles. Tesla did not show sustained flight.
How much does the Tesla Roadster cost?
Tesla has not announced a price. Reserving the Performance trim costs $50,000, and the Thrust trim requires $250,000.
When will the Tesla Roadster be available?
Musk said production will start in 2028. Tesla has not given a delivery date, and earlier Roadster targets were missed.
Is the flying Tesla Roadster street legal?
The flying Rocket trim is “not approved for public road use,” according to Tesla’s website. Rules for the other trims have not been detailed.
How fast is the new Tesla Roadster?
Tesla says it goes 0-60 mph in under one second, with a top speed above 230 mph and a range of 300 miles.
Sources
- AP News – Tesla Roadster unveiled with rocket thrusters
- The Washington Post – See how a Tesla car took flight after the company strapped SpaceX rockets to it
- CNBC – Tesla Roadster reveal: What to know about the delayed EV
- TechCrunch – Tesla reveals SpaceX-powered Roadster that flies and falls with style
- Space.com – SpaceX thrusters just made a Tesla Roadster ‘fly’
- WIRED – A Tesla Flying Car? I Don’t Know, Man
- POLITICO – FAA: Musk’s flying car not our responsibility
- Tesla – Roadster reservation page
