The dramatic display provided waiting customers with their first fresh look at EV maker’s long-awaited halo car. The vehicle's radical aerial capabilities rely heavily on technology developed in direct partnership with Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX.
Specifically, the redesigned Roadster features SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters mounted to the bottom of the vehicle. By releasing pressurised gas, these thrusters generate instant thrust, working alongside other specialised systems to perform unusual maneuvers impossible for conventional road cars.
Turns out the future does have flying cars https://t.co/6fexPp6SXI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
Despite the spectacle, widespread commercial adoption of airborne electric vehicles remains a distant prospect. The airborne sequence was executed strictly under controlled test conditions, and there is no indication that the vehicle or its thruster systems have received regulatory approval for operation on public roads. Major legal, safety, and operational hurdles remain unresolved before such technology could ever be considered practical for daily transportation.
The demonstration also highlights the protracted development timeline of the vehicle. First announced in November 2017, the next-generation Roadster has suffered repeated delays, leaving customers waiting years for the electric supercar.
According to reports following the Thursday night livestreamed unveiling, Tesla now plans to begin production in 2028. While the Texas test provided a dramatic preview of futuristic vehicular engineering, whether thruster-assisted flight becomes a viable reality for consumers remains an open question.