TL;DR: The next-generation Tesla Roadster, revealed on 15 October 2026 (US time) at SpaceX's McGregor test site in Texas, "flies" by combining a fan-powered suction system that glues it to the ground with SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters that fire pressurised nitrogen. The flagship Roadster Rocket is listed at over 230 mph (about 370 km/h) and under 0.59 seconds for 0 to 60 mph, but it is invite-only, not approved for public roads, and production is targeted for 2028.
Tesla has spent years promising a Roadster that could do things no road car should. At the reveal, a driverless prototype drove up a curved ramp until it was upside down, launched off, flipped mid-air and landed, then hit 60 mph in a claimed 0.81 seconds (The Verge, Teslarati). Tesla's "Do a kickflip!" clip on X passed 22 million views within a day. Here is what is actually going on under the carbon, without the hype.
What is the new Tesla Roadster?
The new Tesla Roadster is a two-door electric supercar from Tesla, sold in three configurations: Performance, Thrust and Rocket. All three use a fan-driven suction system for grip. Thrust adds rear cold-gas thrusters for launches, and the single-seat Rocket adds thrusters around the body so it can briefly leave the ground.
Tesla's own Roadster page labels them "road ready", "race ready" and "air ready", and notes of the Rocket: "So yes, it can fly." It also adds that the Rocket is not approved for public road use. Design was led by Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen (Wired).
Tesla Roadster key specs
These are Tesla's claimed targets and figures quoted by Tesla engineers, not independently tested numbers. Imperial figures are as published; metric conversions are ours.
| Spec | Performance | Thrust | Rocket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) | Under 1.6 s | Under 0.9 s | Under 0.59 s |
| Top speed | 210 mph (about 338 km/h)* | 230 mph (about 370 km/h)* | Over 230 mph (over 370 km/h) |
| Grip system | Fans, skirts, active wings | Fans plus rear thrusters | Fans plus perimeter thrusters |
| Nitrogen tank | None | 200 litres | 600 litres total |
| Availability | Reservation | Limited release | Invite only, not road approved |
Shared figures: rear-wheel drive with two motors making over 1 megawatt (1,341 hp) and over 1,400 Nm, a weight of "just under 1,700 kilos", a claimed range of over 300 miles (about 480 km), and a battery Tesla says can charge from 15 to 80 percent in 10 minutes (Wired). *Top speeds for Performance and Thrust come from Tesla engineering head Lars Moravy's interview with Hagerty, as reported by Tesla North and Wired.
How does the Tesla Roadster stick to the road upside down?
The Roadster uses four fans of about 20 kW each and four drop-down side skirts to suck air out from under the car, creating low pressure that pins it to the surface. Because it does not rely on speed, this "sucker system" makes downforce even when the car is stationary, which is how it held on upside down.
Tesla says the system provides "enough suction to hold the vehicle upside down, even when stationary" (Tesla). The reason it matters: a conventional wing makes almost no downforce at low speed. Moravy told Hagerty that below about 50 mph (80 km/h) a wing does little, while the fans let the car hold over 2 G in a corner from 0 to 50 mph (Tesla North).
The idea is not new. The McMurtry Spéirling Pure uses two fans spinning at up to 23,000 rpm to generate up to 2,000 kg of downforce (Wired), and fan cars have long been a motorsport trick. What Tesla adds is active wings and a road-car package around it.
How do the cold-gas thrusters make the Roadster fly?
Cold-gas thrusters store nitrogen at very high pressure and release it through nozzles. The expanding gas produces thrust without combustion, making them the simplest form of rocket engine. In the Roadster they push the car forward for launches and, in the Rocket version, push it upward and rotate it mid-air.
According to Moravy, the Thrust version carries a 200-litre carbon-overwrapped pressure vessel at up to 10,000 PSI behind the seats, feeding rear thrusters that produce over 80 kilonewtons in launch mode (Wired). That push does not depend on tyre grip, which is why it can beat the traction limit that caps every other fast car. Tesla says its thrusters use all-electric actuators to make "micro adjustments within a fraction of a second" to stabilise the car in flight (Tesla).
The Rocket adds a second 400-litre tank where the passenger seat would be, for 600 litres in total, plus six more thrusters: one in each corner and two at the front for yaw (Tesla North). Top Gear describes the Thrust launch as a "one-shot deal" because the tank empties in about six seconds (Top Gear).
Is the Tesla Roadster really a flying car?
Not in the aircraft sense. The Rocket can make short, low-altitude hops, flips and controlled landings using thrusters, but it cannot sustain flight. Its thrust fades as the nitrogen tank empties, and refilling currently takes six to seven hours, so "flying" here means a brief, spectacular, carefully controlled jump.
Moravy compared the fading thrust to letting air out of a balloon: it starts strong, then tapers off (Wired). Tesla is reportedly working to cut refilling to about 30 minutes. Nobody was inside the demo car; Elon Musk said Tesla wanted "to make sure we don't kill anyone" (Wired).
Why does this engineering matter?
It shows a different way to go fast. Most performance cars are limited by tyre grip. The Roadster attacks that limit twice: fans create downforce at any speed, and thrusters push without needing grip at all. Even if few people buy one, active suction and fast-reacting thrust control are ideas other engineers will study.
The caveats are real. Tesla first announced this Roadster in 2017 and once promised deliveries in 2020, and production is now aimed at 2028 (Wired). Even Moravy's acceleration figures do not fully match the reveal numbers, and remain targets (Tesla North). On X, reaction ranged from awe at the kickflip to sceptics asking for proof the car generated real upward force, and others arguing it is less a flying car and more a stunt platform.
What can a small business learn from a car built for speed?
Tesla did not sell the Roadster with a spec sheet first. It sold an outcome: a car that sticks, launches and flips. Websites work the same way. Customers do not care which framework you use; they care that the page loads fast, answers their question and makes calling you easy.
Speed is still the engineering underneath. A slow page loses people before they read a word, the same way a car without grip loses the launch. At JetBlok Studio we build custom sites to load in under 2 seconds and score 90+ on Google PageSpeed, rather than wrapping a drag-and-drop builder in a nice theme. If you want the comparison, read custom website vs Wix, see our pricing (packages from $999, No GST), or learn how we help businesses get cited by AI search on our answer engine optimisation page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How fast is the new Tesla Roadster?
Tesla lists the Roadster Rocket at over 230 mph (about 370 km/h) with 0 to 60 mph in under 0.59 seconds. The Thrust version targets under 0.9 seconds and the Performance version under 1.6 seconds. At the reveal Tesla claimed a 0.81 second run. These are Tesla's targets, not independent tests.
Can the Tesla Roadster actually fly?
Only the Rocket version, and only briefly. Perimeter cold-gas thrusters let it make short, low-altitude hops, flips and controlled landings. It cannot sustain flight, its thrust fades as the nitrogen runs down, and Tesla says it is not approved for public road use.
How does the Roadster drive upside down?
Four fans of about 20 kW each and four sealing skirts pull air out from under the car, creating suction strong enough to hold it to a surface even when stationary. Tesla calls this a multi-mode fan and ground sealing system.
What fuel do the Tesla Roadster thrusters use?
Pressurised nitrogen. The Thrust version uses a 200-litre tank at up to 10,000 PSI, and the Rocket adds a 400-litre tank for 600 litres total. The gas expands through nozzles to make thrust without burning anything.
When can you buy the Tesla Roadster in Australia?
Tesla has not announced Australian pricing or delivery dates. Production is targeted for 2028, Tesla notes the Rocket trim is not available in all regions, and the car has missed earlier launch dates, so treat any timeline with caution.
Sources
- Wired: Here's Exactly How Tesla Made Its New 230-Mph Car 'Fly'
- Tesla: Roadster
- The Verge: The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second
- Top Gear: The Tesla Roadster has finally landed
- Tesla North: Tesla VP explains how the Roadster's fans and thrusters work (Hagerty interview)
- Teslarati: Three configs, one can fly
- Tesla on X: "Do a kickflip!"
