To put it as tactfully as possible Elon Musk might have a bit of a credibility – or credulity – issue with the Roadster, given Tesla originally announced it nine years ago and later promised it would be able to fly like the Doc Brown’s DeLorean. Missing the irony going back to the future was the only way you were going to actually get to see that happen. Irony that was definitely in short supply at a live event demonstrating the Roadster’s flying tech, in which Elon explained it had to be done in front of a live audience to prove it’s not AI. So, is the Roadster a reality at last? Or still a flight of fancy?
Conventional electric drive with 300 miles of range boosted by compressed air boosters based on spacecraft tech
Active downforce from suction fans so powerful they can hold the car upside down
Three versions promised, a ‘regular’ Performance model with active downforce, the Thrust with compressed air rocket boosters and the flying Rocket flying
230mph top speed promised along with 0-60mph in less than one second with thruster assistance
Nearly a decade after first announcing a second-gen Roadster Tesla says this one will be on sale in 2028
Design and models available
Tesla’s first car was the Roadster, this basically a Lotus Elise converted to electric power. It proved the point, launched the brand and Elon has been talking about following it up with a new once since 2017, later promising it would be able to float like the Back To The Future Delorean and would include a SpaceX version with compressed air thrusters to fire it from 0-60mph in less than a second and active downforce to suck it to the road surface for new levels of grip. Rory did an explainer on how that might work a while back but the tech is now at a stage where Tesla has been able to demonstrate it to a live audience, the top of the range Rocket version seen hanging upside down on its suction tech before barrel-rolling over a line-up of Tesla vehicles and touching back down to earth as smoothly as a SpaceX rocket.
Interior and tech
See above on the flying tech, the interior perhaps of secondary interest at this point but perhaps slightly more conventional going by the pictures we’ve seen. The ‘regular’ Performance and Thrust versions are two-seaters, the flying Rocket one a single-seater. All get yoke control for that essential spaceship vibe.
Batteries/range
Perhaps unsurprisingly the focus has been on the SpaceX inspired rocket thrusters more than the conventional batteries and motors powering the Roadster when it has its wheels on the ground. But Tesla claims a 230mph top speed and range of over 300 miles.
Price and release
Well, if you put your order in for one back in 2017 expecting delivery in 2020 as promised you might be forgiven for being a little frustrated at the rate of progress. So, we’ll take the promise of production starting in 2028 with a very hefty pinch of salt.
What other cars from Tesla are due this year?
While the Roadster appears a useful distraction and genuine flight of fancy Tesla customers might reasonably be wondering what the brand is doing to keep pace in the increasingly competitive electric car market it once called its own.
What other cars that are upcoming will this compete with?
