Tesla's October 15 reveal of the updated Roadster showcased thruster-assisted jumps, flips and stabilization maneuvers powered by two high-pressure air tanks and ten nozzles. The company says the tanks can self-refill, but the full thruster system is limited to the top 'Rocket' trim, and Tesla states the thrusters are not approved for public road use. Similar thruster-based stabilization concepts have existed since the early 2000s in missile defense systems like Lockheed Martin's Multiple Kill Vehicle, developed under a 2004 Missile Defense Agency contract.
California Highway Patrol says a Tesla operating in Full Self-Driving mode struck a patrol car on Interstate 80 on October 13 while officers investigated a fatal crash, despite flares, cones and flashing lights marking the closed lanes. The impact pushed the cruiser into another emergency vehicle, hospitalizing both officers with serious injuries; the 22-year-old driver, who told police he had fallen asleep, suffered minor injuries.
A Tesla driver told California Highway Patrol he was asleep while using the vehicle's Full Self-Driving mode when his car sped past emergency flares, cones, and lights before slamming into a parked patrol vehicle. Two officers at the scene were seriously injured and hospitalized, according to CHP, which released video of the crash.
At a SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, Tesla staged a driverless demonstration of its long-delayed Roadster 2, launching the car into a jump, flip and landing cushioned by onboard thrusters. Vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy told Hagerty the car uses rear-wheel drive, two motors producing over a megawatt of power and 1,400 Nm of torque, more than Tesla's three-motor Plaid models.
Tesla unveiled an updated, production-intent second-generation Roadster at a Texas event, demonstrating it driving up a ramp and holding vertically on a wall via underbody suction fans, then flipping upside down and performing a barrel roll using SpaceX-derived cold gas thrusters. Engineering VP Lars Moravy said the suction system can generate up to 2Gs, and the car also hopped over a row of parked Tesla vehicles during the demo.
Tesla unveiled a new version of its long-delayed Roadster at a late-night event, featuring wedge-shaped styling and rear-mounted nozzles that fire 100,000 psi compressed nitrogen jets, reportedly to perform aerial stunts. The car uses rear-wheel drive and Tesla's own 4680 battery cells with what the company calls a special chemistry, and Elon Musk claimed a planned top speed of 383 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 0.8 seconds.
A passenger riding in a Tesla robotaxi in the Bay Area recorded the vehicle repeatedly emitting flatulent sounds through its novelty 'emissions testing' feature, unable to be turned off. The human safety driver on board, required since Tesla's robotaxis aren't yet licensed in California, told the passenger he had been adjusting settings and lost control of the function, including the volume.
Tesla unveiled a prototype of its long-delayed next-generation Roadster at a livestreamed event in Waco, Texas, nearly ten years after first taking deposits for the car. The two-seat vehicle demonstrated stunts including clinging upside down to a ramp, flipping mid-air and hovering. CEO Elon Musk said production would begin in 2028, gave no price, and said it would be the company's last model designed for a human driver, lacking its automated driving system.
Tesla showed off a new Roadster prototype at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, demonstrating compressed-air thrusters that let the car leap off the ground. Elon Musk's company says the vehicle is slated for release in 2028, continuing a pattern of repeatedly pushed-back launch dates for the car first teased in 2017.
At a Waco, Texas event, Tesla showed its Roadster launching off a ramp, flipping mid-air, and landing using cold-gas thrusters and a compressed-air system borrowed from SpaceX technology. Tesla says this 'Rocket' configuration, which removes the passenger seat for gas tanks, will be invite-only rather than sold to the public.
Tesla showed off its long-promised next-generation Roadster, demonstrating a 'SpaceX package' of cold-gas thrusters and a downward-force fan system that let the car flip, rotate mid-air, jump, and cling to a vertical ramp during a stage demo. The vehicle's sharp, flat-paneled design echoes the Cybertruck's angular styling.
Tesla showed off its new Roadster at a SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, using cold-gas thrusters developed with SpaceX to fly off a ramp and perform a midair flip before landing safely. Elon Musk said certain versions can hit 60 mph in under a second and top 230 mph, and Tesla said production will begin in 2028.
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