Tesla’s new Roadster flew off a ramp, jumped over a semi-truck, flipped mid-air and landed on all four wheels at an event in Texas. It also drove upside down on a ramp. CEO Elon Musk claimed the top version can go from 0 to 100 kmph in 0.81 seconds – faster than anything else on wheels.
The flying part comes from rocket thrusters built into the car, developed with technology from SpaceX. The most extreme version, called the Rocket, has 10 thrusters and what Tesla calls a full flight system. It is a single-seater, invite-only, and Tesla has not said who gets to buy one or how many it will make.
There are two other versions. The base model has no thrusters and costs $50,000 upfront. The mid-tier Thrust has rear-facing boosters and costs $250,000, with limited availability. All three versions have a suction system underneath that pulls the car toward the ground for better grip – which is how it drove upside down.
The obvious question: can any of this actually be driven on a public road? Tesla has not said how thrusters, mid-air jumps or upside-down driving fit within traffic regulations anywhere in the world. It has also not released full specifications or confirmed that what was shown at the event will make it into cars that customers actually receive.
This is also a car that has been promised before. Tesla first showed a next-generation Roadster in 2017 with deliveries planned for 2020. It is now scheduled for 2028 – eight years late. The stunts are spectacular, but until the car ships and someone outside Tesla independently verifies what it can do, the flying car remains a demonstration, not a product.
Source: India Today (Auto Today)
