Performance
Two seats. Fans and an active wing glue it to the road. No thrusters.
- 0–60 mphunder 1.6 s (claim)
- Thrustersnone
- Seats2
- To reserve$50,000
- AvailabilityReservation
Revealed Oct 15, 2026 · McGregor, Texas
Yes. It really flies.
The new Tesla Roadster drove up an upside-down ramp, fell off it, flipped itself right-side up with SpaceX air thrusters, and landed. Then it jumped a row of five Teslas. Here's what's real, what's only claimed, and when you can get one.
0.81sec
0–60 mph on the live run Tesla claim
10
air-thruster nozzles (Rocket) Shown
250kg
of compressed air on board Tesla claim
2028
production start, says Musk Tesla claim
The short answer
Does the Tesla Roadster really fly?
Yes, in short hops. It doesn't cruise like a plane.
On October 15, 2026, in front of a live crowd at SpaceX's test site in McGregor, Texas, a new Roadster drove up a curved ramp until it was almost upside down, held on by fans sucking it to the surface. Then it dropped off, fired its air thrusters, rolled right-side up in midair, and landed. Later it flew over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Semi, Model Y and Model 3 in one flip.
There's no fuel and no fire. The "rockets" are blasts of super-high-pressure air from carbon-fiber tanks, the same kind of cold-gas thrusters SpaceX uses to steer its rockets. The air runs out in seconds, so it's a jump, flip or hop, not a flight across town.
- Left the ground and flipped in midair, live, in publicShown
- Jumped a row of five Teslas and landedShown
- Drove up a ramp almost upside down, held by suctionShown
- 0–60 in 0.81 seconds (no outside timer)Tesla claim
- How long or how high it can fly per tankUnknown
- A person inside during the stunts (it was empty)Unknown
Real shots
Straight from Tesla's cameras.
Real frames from Tesla's own videos. Tap any shot to watch it happen.
Moments
Every stunt, to the second.
Tap a moment and Tesla's livestream plays from that exact second.
Video: Tesla · Roadster Event livestream, Oct 15, 2026. Plays on YouTube's player.
Straight from the source
What Tesla and Musk posted.
Their own posts, shown the way X shows them.
Three versions
Road, race, or air.
Tesla split the car into three versions. All three get the fan suction and the moving wing. Only the top one gets the thrusters that lift it off the ground.
Thrust
Adds air thrusters in the rear that shove the car forward harder than the tires can grip.
- 0–60 mphunder 0.9 s (claim)
- Thrustersrear only
- Seats2
- To reserve$250,000*
- AvailabilityLimited release
Rocket
One seat. Thrusters all the way around the car to lift it, flip it, and land it. "So…yes, it can fly." (Tesla)
- 0–60 mphunder 0.59 s (claim)
- Thrusters10, all around
- Seats1
- To reserveInvite only
- Road legalNo, says Tesla
* Most outlets report a $250,000 reservation for Thrust; InsideEVs reports $50,000 for all three. All 0–60 times are Tesla's claims, not independent tests.
How it flies
Two tricks: stick, then fly.
The car uses two systems. Fans under the floor suck it to the ground, and tanks of compressed air blast out of nozzles to push, lift and spin it.
Store the air
Two carbon-fiber pressure tanks behind the seats hold about 600 liters, roughly 250 kg of air squeezed to very high pressure. These are the same type of tanks SpaceX uses.
Stick to anything
Fans under the car pull air out from beneath it, and seals along the bottom trap a low-pressure pocket. Tesla says it pulls up to 2 g, enough to hold the car upside down even when it's parked.
Blast it out
Valves open and the air rushes out of 10 nozzles at supersonic speed: down at the corners to lift, out the back to push, and out the sides to turn. Tesla says it makes 4–5 times the force the tires can.
Land and refill
Short bursts steady the car and soften the landing. Musk says "the car can recharge its air tank," but Tesla hasn't said how or how fast.
Our own back-of-the-envelope math (an estimate, not a Tesla number): air blasting from a cold-gas nozzle leaves at roughly 500–700 meters per second. At the 80 kN of thrust Tesla quoted for the rear thrusters, that uses about 115–160 kg of air every second. So a full 250 kg load would last only about 2 seconds at full blast.
Holding a car of about 2 tonnes in the air takes only about 20 kN, a quarter of that. So in theory the tanks could keep it hovering for roughly 6–9 seconds, minus the air needed to steer and land. That's why every stunt was a jump, flip or hop: the air simply runs out fast.
Claims vs. shown
What Tesla said, and what we actually saw.
Tesla's numbers come from Tesla's own event. Here's each one next to what the demo showed, until independent testers get their hands on one.
| Tesla says | Shown so far | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–60 mph in under 0.59 s (Rocket) | 0.81 s on a live run, about 1 s on a recorded run. No on-screen timer. | Tesla claim | SlashGear, Jalopnik |
| It can fly | Flipped off an upside-down ramp and over five Teslas, then landed. Short hops, no person aboard. | Shown | TechCrunch |
| Fans hold it upside down, even parked | Held on an almost-upside-down ramp while moving. Not shown parked. | Tesla claim | Electrek, Drive Tesla |
| Range over 300 miles | Not tested. 2017's promise was 620 miles. | Tesla claim | Electrek |
| Top speed over 230 mph (goal: Mach 0.5) | Not shown. | Tesla claim | Tesla North |
| Rear thrust over 80 kN | Visible supersonic exhaust on the runs. Force not measured by anyone else. | Tesla claim | Paultan |
| Production in 2028 | Musk on stage: "Actually. For real." First promised for 2020. | Tesla claim | Reuters |
| Price | Not announced for any version. | Unknown | TechCrunch |
Promise tracker
When can you actually get one?
Every promise Tesla has made about the Roadster, and whether it's been kept.
Production
2028
Musk's word on stage. It was first promised for 2020. Factory not announced (Giga Texas expected).
Price
Not announced
No price for any version yet. In 2017 the base price was $200,000. Analysts expect more.
Reserve now
$50,000
Performance: $5,000 now (refundable, says Tesla), then $45,000 by wire within 10 days. Thrust: $250,000*. Rocket: invite only.
Deliveries
Unknown
No delivery date beyond "production 2028."
2017 reservations
No word
Tesla hasn't said what happens to people who reserved, or paid $250,000 in full, back in 2017.
Regulators
Silent
No FAA or NHTSA statement yet. Tesla says the Rocket version is not approved for public roads.
Video
Watch it for yourself.
Played straight from YouTube. Every video belongs to its creator.
Timeline
Eighteen years to lift off.
From the first Roadster to the one that flies.
- 2008
The first Roadster
Tesla's first car, built on a Lotus Elise chassis. About 2,450 were made through 2012, and it was the first electric car to go over 200 miles on a charge. Source
- Nov 16, 2017
The Roadster 2 surprise
Driven out of the back of a Tesla Semi. Promised: 0–60 in 1.9 s, 620 miles, four seats, $200,000, deliveries in 2020. Source
- Jun 9, 2018
The thruster promise
Musk: a "SpaceX option package" with about 10 small rocket thrusters arranged around the car. Later he said they might even let it fly. Source
- 2019–2025
Delay after delay
Production slipped from 2020 to 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2024 Musk said 0–60 under 1 second was "the least interesting part." Source
- Sep 2026
"Go for launch"
Tesla sets an October 1 reveal at SpaceX's Texas test site and reopens $50,000 reservations. Weather pushes the show to October 15. Source
- Oct 15, 2026
It flies
Live in McGregor, Texas: an upside-down ramp, a midair roll, a flip over five Teslas, and 0–60 in 0.81 s. Three versions, production in 2028. Source
Pictures
Where it started: the 2017 prototype.
Freely licensed photos of the Roadster 2 prototype, credited to their photographers. For the new 2026 car, watch the videos above.
Articles
Plain answers, with sources.
The questions everyone is asking, answered properly.
Oct 16, 2026
Where we're going, we still need roads. Just not all the time.
The DeLorean flew in Back to the Future. In 2019 Musk said the Roadster would 'actually do something like this.' In 2026 it did, sort of. A fun comparison.
Oct 16, 2026
Tesla Roadster price: what we know, what it costs to reserve, and what happens to 2017 buyers
Tesla has not priced the new Roadster. Reserving costs $50,000 or $250,000 by version. How it works, and what 2017 buyers still don't know.
Oct 16, 2026
Tesla Roadster vs. Rimac Nevera vs. Model S Plaid
On paper the new Roadster is quickest, but only Tesla has timed it. The Nevera and Plaid numbers were measured. A side-by-side with sources.
Latest
News, in plain words.
We read the coverage, explain what's new, and link the source.
- 2026-10-16
Skeptics: nobody timed the 0.81-second run
There was no on-screen timer, and no one outside Tesla measured anything. Range is now over 300 miles, about half the 620 promised in 2017.
Jalopnik → - 2026-10-16
Next stunt: the Snake River Canyon?
Musk floated jumping Idaho's Snake River Canyon, the jump Evel Knievel failed in 1974. No date has been set.
Paultan → - 2026-10-15
It flew: the Roadster's live reveal, in 22 minutes
At SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site, the car climbed a near-upside-down ramp, dropped off, rolled itself upright with air thrusters, and landed. Musk's reaction: "Well, it worked." Then it flipped over five Teslas.
TechCrunch → - 2026-10-15
Three versions: Performance, Thrust and Rocket
Only Rocket, a one-seater that's invite only, gets the full set of 10 thrusters, and Tesla says it isn't approved for public roads. Performance reserves for $50,000.
Electrek → - 2026-10-15
Production in 2028, "actually, for real"
Musk set 2028 for production, eight years after the original 2020 promise. No price was given for any version.
Reuters → - 2026-10-15
The fan trick: how it sticks upside down
Fans under the floor suck the car down with up to 2 g, Tesla says, enough to hold it upside down even when parked. Paultan compares it to the 1978 Brabham fan car.
Drive Tesla →
Questions
Everything people are asking.
Does the Tesla Roadster really fly?
Yes, in short hops. At its October 15, 2026 reveal it flew off an upside-down ramp, rolled in midair and landed, then flipped over a row of five Teslas. It can't cruise like a plane, because the air in its tanks runs out in seconds. Only the one-seat Rocket version has the lift thrusters.
Sources: TechCrunch, Electrek
Is the flip video real?
Is the Roadster deposit refundable?
Tesla calls the first $5,000 for the Performance version fully refundable. The remaining $45,000 must be wired within 10 days or the reservation is cancelled. Read Tesla's reservation terms on tesla.com before you pay, and only reserve on Tesla's own website. Never send money through a third party claiming to sell reservations.
Sources: Electrek
How does a car fly with air?
How much does the new Tesla Roadster cost?
Tesla hasn't announced a price for any version. To reserve: Performance is $50,000 ($5,000 now plus $45,000 by wire within 10 days), Thrust is $250,000 by most reports, and Rocket is invite only. The 2017 base price was $200,000.
Sources: Electrek, TechCrunch
When can I buy one?
Musk says production starts in 2028 ("Actually. For real."). Reservations for the Performance version are open now on Tesla's website. The car was first promised for 2020.
Sources: Reuters
Is the flying Roadster street legal?
The flying version isn't. Tesla says the Rocket version is "not approved for public road use" and won't be sold everywhere. Performance is the road car. Asked if it's street legal, Musk said: "Depends on your street."
US law defines an aircraft as any device "used or intended to be used for flight in the air" (14 CFR 1.1). The FAA hasn't certified, waived or commented on the car; its only action was a no-fly zone over the test site. The light "ultralight" rules can't apply, since they require under 254 lb and no flying over crowds.
Sources: Electrek, 14 CFR 1.1, Teslarati (FAA)
How fast is it?
How far can it go on a charge?
Tesla says over 300 miles. That's about half the 620 miles promised in 2017.
Sources: Tesla North
Is it safe?
Musk himself called it "not necessarily a safety-optimized car" and earlier said that if safety is your top priority, don't buy it. Nobody was inside the car during the stunts.
Sources: TechCrunch
Who was driving during the stunts?
Is it like KITT from Knight Rider?
That's the comparison everyone's making. KITT's "Turbo Boost" made it jump; this one does it for real, then flips. Musk compared it to a James Bond car instead. Tesla named the submarine Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me as an inspiration, and Musk owns that car.
Sources: CarBuzz, TechCrunch
Is this the Roadster 2?
How does it refill the air?
Musk said "the car can recharge its air tank," and some outlets report an onboard compressor. Tesla hasn't explained how it works or how long it takes.
Sources: Paultan
Will it jump the Snake River Canyon?
Musk said Tesla may try it, the jump Evel Knievel failed in 1974. No date has been set.
Sources: TechCrunch
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