October 19, 20263 min read

Tesla Roadster: the car that flies (sort of)

Tesla unveiled its new Roadster, a thruster-powered car that jumps over other cars. What was shown, and what still needs proving.

On October 15, 2026, Elon Musk finally unveiled the new Tesla Roadster. Promised since 2017, pushed back to late 2025, then to April, then postponed on October 1 because of the weather. And this time it isn't just an electric sports car: Tesla presents it as a flying car.

Highlights from the Roadster presentation.PCMag / YouTube

What we saw

The presentation took place at a SpaceX test site near Waco, Texas. The demo comes down to two scenes:

The Roadster climbs a curved ramp, drives upside down while sticking to the surface, takes off at the end, flips half a turn in the air and lands back on its wheels.
While driving, it uses its thrusters to jump over a line of Teslas: Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3.

Nobody was behind the wheel during the demo. Musk said it himself on stage: it was to make sure they didn't kill anyone.

How it works

No wings, no propellers. The Roadster carries 10 cold-gas thrusters, fed by about 600 liters of compressed air stored in carbon fiber tanks, the same technology SpaceX uses on its rockets. The tanks can be refilled, and the system works both in the air and on the ground for acceleration.

The numbers Tesla announced:

0 to 60 mph in under one second
around 300 miles of range
a top speed above 230 mph

Three versions are planned: Performance (the "regular" sports car), Thrust (with rear thrusters, for the track) and Rocket, the version with the full flight system, invitation only. Production is slated for 2028, with no official price.

What still needs proving

"Flying cars are real." Elon Musk, on stage

Let's be honest: what we saw looks more like controlled jumps than flight. The FAA, the US aviation authority, said the vehicle does not meet its definition of an aircraft, and Tesla itself states that flight mode is not approved for road use.

It also isn't really the first flying car in history: other projects, like Klein Vision's AirCar, have already flown with wings and a certification. The difference is scale: this is the first time a carmaker this big has opened reservations for a thruster-powered car.

Musk himself stays cautious: he said success "is not guaranteed." Analysts like Dan Ives mostly see the Roadster as a halo product: it won't move Tesla's sales, but it shows that Tesla and SpaceX can build things nobody else attempts.

My takeaway

What interests me most isn't the car. It's the technology transfer: taking tanks and thrusters designed for space and putting them into an everyday object. That's exactly the kind of bridge between tech and space that drives me.

Will we all be driving flying cars in 2028? No. But someone just showed that the idea is no longer science fiction, and that's enough to make me want to build.

What we saw

How it works

What still needs proving

My takeaway

Sources