A dream that became a reality; The unveiling of the Tesla Roadster, a flying car with a rocket engine that reaches a speed of 97 kilometers per hour in less than a second.

Elon Musk promised to build a flying car, and the Tesla Roadster finally did just that. After nearly a decade of development, the new generation roadster moved upside down in a spectacular display, took flight for a short time and reached a speed of 97 km/h in less than one second. The long wait for such a show might be worth it, though the car's final release will likely come with heavy restrictions and considerations.

Tesla's new generation roadster flew in a short demonstration, went upside down and reached a speed of 97 km/h in just 0.81 seconds.

The long wait for such a show might be worth it, though the car's final release will likely come with heavy restrictions and considerations.

Tesla unveiled its new generation Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas. The program lasted less than 30 minutes and was more like a stunt performance than a conventional unveiling of a product.

There was no news of price, types, release date or other usual details and Musk only promised that production of the supercar would start in 2028. Almost 9 years have passed since the initial introduction, but the attendees came more than anything else to watch a car fly, and Tesla presented them with exactly the same sight.

First, the Roadster went up a very tall, multi-story ramp and stuck to the vertical track, relying on its incredible downforce. After reaching the top of the ramp, the car turned with the help of cold gas engines and slowly returned to the ground. The fan-based suction system provided by SpaceX and installed under the vehicle can create a suction force of up to 2G.

The Roadster then surpassed other Tesla products, including the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, and Cybercube. While flying, the car performed what Lars Moravi, Tesla's vice president of engineering, called a "kickflip." Musk explained that the Roadster uses attitude control thrusters and main thrusters in the rear, and therefore has missile-like capabilities.

Elon Musk says: "In practice, it can fly like a rocket." can roll and do crazy gymnastic moves; Really anything you want. Of course, I must say that we are not necessarily dealing with a car that is optimized for maximum safety, but it brings the level of fun to 11 out of 10.

Roadster has two high-pressure air tanks with a combined volume of 600 liters, which hold approximately 250 kg of air. The car uses 10 nozzles to perform maneuvers and can even refill its tank without the need for a special chemical propellant. The stored compressed air provides the necessary force to lift the car and perform the displayed movements.

It seems highly unlikely that such a version will be available for the average consumer, even with Musk's claims that the Roadster will truly be a road-going car.

To achieve such a goal, Tesla must meet the strict requirements of the US Federal Aviation Administration and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Production may begin in 2028 as promised by Musk, or the project may continue for another decade with missed deadlines and unfulfilled promises. However, the main event was simple and the car actually flew.

Musk himself called the Roadster "the ultimate driver-centric car." Lars Moravi says Tesla was inspired by aerospace designs, including the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.

The two-seater has seats that are molded directly into the chassis. Its steering and driving systems use electronic control technology without mechanical connections, and the yoke-shaped steering wheel, brake and gas pedal also work on the same basis.

The propellers and fans are located at the rear of the car around the diffuser section, and a retractable rear wing also produces more downforce.

Tesla previously said that the Roadster can reach a speed of 97 km/h from a standstill in less than one second, and claimed a time of 0.81 seconds during the event.

Musk explained that increasing the applied force along with reducing the mass of the vehicle increases the acceleration. According to him, the production version should also improve the displayed record, although he also accepted the extreme forces and the need to protect the occupants from extreme acceleration.

According to Musk: “I think you should get to about half the speed of sound; Mach 0.5 and maybe a little more." Such a claim once again demonstrates the experimental nature and unusual boundaries of the project. At the same time, the question about the practicality of the capabilities in a road and marketable version remains unanswered.

The road to the next generation roadster to such a show was long and winding. The prototype was unveiled as a surprise at the Tesla Semi launch event in 2017. The announced specifications seemed incredible even at the time and included acceleration from 0 to 97 km/h in 1.9 seconds, a top speed of over 402 km/h, a 200 kWh battery with a maximum range of 998 km, and a base price of $200,000. Musk promised the start of delivery in 2020; When such a plan seemed completely feasible.

Early buyers paid deposits of $50,000 and the limited edition Founders Series was reserved for $250,000.

The payments were effectively interest-free loans to help finance Tesla's plans to expand production. After a while, Tesla acted as if it forgot about the Roadster and the project became one of the most prominent examples of the introduced but not released product.

Production dates were pushed back as Tesla prioritized other vehicles, such as the Model Y, while grappling with the over-complexity of the Tesla Cybertruck.

Each time Musk talked about the Roadster again, he made bigger promises about its capabilities. The process of increasing expectations finally reached the introduction of the SpaceX package, which was supposed to equip the supercar with cold gas engines, give it the ability to hover and bring the acceleration time from 0 to 97 km/h to less than one second. The recent show put some of the same old claims in front of the audience in a practical way.

Elsewhere, Musk has tried to downplay the importance of the Roadster, calling it a minor issue that won't make a big difference financially for Tesla. He described the supercar as more of a joint engineering project between Tesla and SpaceX and, given its experimental nature, even questioned whether the Roadster could still be considered a car. A number of analysts have theorized that the Roadster's return is an attempt to prepare the ground for the rumored merger between Tesla and SpaceX.