by Alimat Aliyeva
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has presented a new generation of the electric sports car Roadster at a SpaceX test facility in Texas. During the demonstration, the two-seater vehicle accelerated up an inclined ramp, performed an aerial flip and landed using built-in compressed-gas propulsion systems.
The electric car, developed with the involvement of SpaceX engineers, is reportedly equipped with ten propulsion units designed to enable brief aerial maneuvers. During the test, the Roadster also demonstrated its ability to jump over a row of parked Tesla vehicles, showcasing technology that could make it unlike any conventional production car.
The vehicle was unmanned during the demonstration. According to Musk, this precaution was taken for safety reasons. However, important questions remain about the technology’s practical application, including its reliability, energy requirements and whether such features could ever be used outside controlled test environments.
Tesla reportedly plans to begin mass production of the new Roadster in 2028, although the timeline could change. The company has not yet announced the final production specifications or confirmed that all the demonstrated capabilities will be available in the commercial version.
The new model continues a project first unveiled in 2017. Since then, the Roadster’s launch has been postponed several times, raising questions about when customers will finally be able to get behind the wheel. Tesla has previously promoted the car as an exceptionally fast electric sports car, with ambitious performance targets and a design intended to compete with high-end supercars.
One of the most unusual aspects of the project is the connection with SpaceX. The idea of incorporating rocket-inspired propulsion technology into a road car blurs the line between automotive engineering and aerospace innovation. If the technology proves practical, it could make the Roadster a remarkable engineering experiment. However, its real-world performance, safety certification and road legality will need to be established before the more spectacular demonstrations can become a reality.
For now, the Roadster remains one of Tesla’s most ambitious and long-delayed projects, with its eventual production version likely to attract considerable attention from both electric-car enthusiasts and the wider automotive industry.