Home · Technology · Oct 16 archive
Tesla Unveils Flying Roadster With SpaceX Thrusters
· Confirmed
In Short: Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the long-awaited Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, demonstrating the vehicle's ability to fly using SpaceX rocket thrusters.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the long-awaited Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, demonstrating the vehicle's ability to fly using SpaceX rocket thrusters.
Musk emphasized that the Roadster's performance version requires a $50,000 deposit, with production set to begin in 2028, eight years after the original delivery target.
The new Roadster can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second, thanks to its powerful drive unit that is 30 percent lighter yet 50 percent more powerful than the Plaid model.
The vehicle's drive unit can deliver 1 megawatt of power (500 kW per motor) or roughly 1,500 horsepower and approximately 1,000 lb-ft of torque.
Musk also highlighted the Roadster's advanced features, including cold-gas thrusters that enable it to hover upside down and perform rapid adjustments.
The Roadster's 200-kWh battery is said to provide an impressive 620 miles of range, and the base model is estimated to cost $200,000, with the limited Founder's Series priced at $250,000.
Musk noted that the production version would “hopefully” travel up to 230 miles per hour, though he expressed hope to “crack halfway to the speed of sound”—around 385 mph.
The event showcased the Roadster's ability to drive slowly upside down, shoot off an inverted ledge, and land softly on the ground, in a white plume of gas, all on the tarmac outside of SpaceX’s rocket development facility.
Musk stated that the Roadster is not necessarily a safety-optimized car but takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10.
Tesla shares closed at $365.44 on September 11, 2026, up 0.5% for the session, before the weekend discussion gathered pace.
What this adds
The demonstration included a prototype driving up an upside-down ramp before flipping off and landing on its wheels, flipping over a row of other Tesla products and accelerating from zero to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds.
Tesla lists a $7,000 CAD payment due immediately, which is fully refundable, followed by another $63,000 CAD within 10 days.
The Roadster's drive unit is 30 percent lighter yet 50 percent more powerful than Plaid and can deliver 1 megawatt of power (500 kW per motor) or roughly 1,500 horsepower and approximately 1,000 lb-ft of torque.
Background
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the long-awaited Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, showcasing the vehicle's ability to fly using SpaceX rocket thrusters.
Musk highlighted the Roadster's advanced features, including cold-gas thrusters that enable it to hover upside down and perform rapid adjustments.
What's confirmed
- "Turns out the future does have flying cars," Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas.
- According to Tesla, the vehicle reached 60 mph from a standstill in just 0.81 seconds, beating Musk’s previously announced target of less than one second.
What's still developing
- Home - News - Tesla Is Taking $50,000 Roadster Deposits Again.
- Tesla reveals the new Roadster on October 15 near Waco, Texas, almost nine years after it began collecting $50,000 to $250,000 per reservation.
- Nearly a decade after the Roadster's initial 2017 concept debut, the vehicle left audiences in awe with the gravity-defying demonstration that deployed SpaceX’s rocket technology.
- The tech billionaire showed off the next-generation all-electric vehicle, called the “Tesla Roadster,” at a SpaceX site in McGregor, Texas, on Thursday with an out-of-this-world demonstration.
- In Cars, International News, Tesla Motors / by Harvinder Sidhu / 13 September 2026 8:27 am Nine years after it was first shown, is the second-generation Tesla Roadster finally going to be launched?
- Along the way, Musk promised the SpaceX thruster option in 2018 – “10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around [the] car” to “improve acceleration, top speed, braking and cornering” – and over 1,000 km of range in 2019.
- Signup for a Free Account There are three Tesla Roadster configurations including road ready, race ready, and air ready.
- "These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering," Musk wrote, "Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly."
- It shows a prototype driving up an upside-down ramp before flipping off and landing on its wheels, flipping over a row of other Tesla products and accelerating from zero to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds.
- The car will be light, at “just under 1,700 kilos” (under 2 tons), according to Moravy, not significantly heavier than the original 1,300-kg (1.4-ton) Roadster, despite a larger size.
- Tesla used a dramatic Texas demonstration to present its long-delayed next-generation Roadster, showing the electric sports car flying from a ramp, flipping in midair, and accelerating from zero to 60 mph in less than a second, according to Fox Business.
- Elon Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire from SpaceX's record IPO Move over, Waymo & Tesla: Amazon’s Zoox robotaxis begin charging riders in Las Vegas Tesla delivers earnings surprise—TSLA stock soars after Q1 2021 earnings beat Musk said production is expected to begin in 2028, eight years after Tesla’s original delivery target.