Tesla has unveiled a new version of its next-generation Roadster. As expected, it received Tesla’s latest design “cyberfication” and cold-gas thrusters to allow it to jump and flip through the air.
The livestream featured impressive stunts but offered few details. Tesla released more information on X after the event, but there’s still no price and no production date.
Nine years in the making
Tesla first unveiled the next-gen Roadster as a prototype in November 2017 and promised production in 2020. That date came and went, and so did several more.
This year alone, Elon Musk promised an unveil in April, then late April, then “a month or so” after Q1 earnings. The demo was later pushed to August, then to October 1. Tesla finally streamed the event tonight.
The entire intro felt like Elon Musk and co. trying to create a reason to link Tesla and SpaceX ahead of an expected merger. It gave Solar Tile unveiling event ahead of Tesla’s SolarCity acquisition.
From S3XY to Cyber
Tesla confirmed that the design changed a lot since the 2017 prototype. Its design language evolved from the S3XY lineup to Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Optimus, and that the new Roadster takes inspiration from the SR-71 and the F-35.
On its updated Roadster page, Tesla describes hidden headlights, a full-length taillight, and flush-mounted aero. The “Ano White” paint is said to borrow from coatings used to protect rockets, and the tinted windows are meant to mimic the gold visor of a spacesuit.
Inside, there’s a yoke designed for steer-by-wire, a center touchscreen, and two smaller displays in front of the driver. Tesla also went with a fixed seat position and manual controls to save weight, along with magnesium, titanium, and carbon fiber throughout.
Three versions: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket
The configurations only came out after the stream, in a thread on Tesla’s X account. There are three:
- Performance: road ready, seats two, active aero and a “multi-mode suction system.” 0-60 mph in under 1.6 seconds. Available by reservation.
- Thrust: race ready, seats two, adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters. 0-60 mph in under 0.9 seconds. Limited release.
- Rocket: seats one, adds thrusters around the perimeter of the car for upward and rotational movement. 0-60 mph in under 0.59 seconds and a top speed of over 230 mph. Invite only.
Tesla quotes a range of over 300 miles. The company’s own Roadster page states that the Rocket isn’t approved for public road use, and Tesla treats Thrust and Rocket as “augments” on top of the Performance car.
The thrusters are where SpaceX comes in. Tesla says making them work in atmosphere rather than a vacuum required new hardware and controls, and that every usable void in the car is packed with carbon-fiber overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) to store compressed gas. More gas means more “flight time.”
Tesla claims the thrusters generate four to five times the force the tires can handle, which is how it gets around the traction limit that caps every other car’s acceleration.
The suction system does the opposite job. Tesla says its fans pull enough air from under the car to hold it upside down, even when stationary. In Track Mode, the car lowers itself and deploys active wings driven by the same actuators Tesla developed for Optimus. Tesla claims downforce “approaching F1 levels.”
What’s still missing
Tesla reopened Roadster reservations. It’s $5,000 due today, which Tesla calls fully refundable, and another $45,000 due within 10 days or the reservation gets canceled. That’s the same $50,000 Tesla asked for in 2017.
But Tesla didn’t give a price for any of the three versions, and there’s no production date other than “2028, actually”, an actual quote from Musk.
Some of the specs have also moved since 2017. Tesla originally promised 620 miles of range, a top speed above 250 mph, and seating for four in a 2+2 layout. The new car is now quoted at over 300 miles, over 230 mph on the Rocket trim, and two seats at most.
Acceleration went the other way. The base Performance trim beats the 1.9-second 0-60 mph Tesla promised in 2017, and the Thrust and Rocket claims are well beyond anything on the market, including the Rimac Nevera.
And it can also do impressive stunts:
I doubt using those features will keep your warranty going, though.
Electrek’s Take
The engineering here is real. Cold-gas thrusters that work in atmosphere, a fan system that can hold a car to a ceiling, and wings run by Optimus actuators. Nothing entirely new, but I think it’s the first time that it’s all in one car, which is impressive.
But the stunts that are making the headlines are on trims that are invite-only or limited, and not road legal. They will likley null your warranty, and at the end of the day, I doubt Tesla will sell more than a handful of those for marketing reasons only.
And it’s hard to ignore that the range claim got cut roughly in half from what Tesla promised nine years ago, along with two seats. Tesla collected $50,000 to $250,000 deposits from customers back then on the strength of those specs.
Now, what do those who wanted the originally unveiled new Roadster do?
Disclosure: I hold two Founders Series Roadster referral awards from Tesla’s old referral program and have been waiting since.
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