Tesla Unveils Second-Generation Roadster With SpaceX Thrusters, Says Production Starts in 2028

Tesla unveiled a redesigned second-generation Roadster on Thursday at an event outside Waco, Texas, a car that uses SpaceX-supplied thrusters. CEO Elon Musk said production is planned to begin in 2028, according to TechCrunch, and did not name a price.

Three trims

Tesla described three versions, each listed with 300 miles of range and a top speed above 230 mph:

• Performance: "road ready," two seats, active aerodynamics and a suction system.
• Thrust: "race ready," two seats, rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters and a stated 0-60 mph time under one second.
• Rocket: "air ready," one seat, with 10 cold-gas thrusters around the body.

Reservations opened on Tesla's website: $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust. Rocket is invite-only.

The demonstration

In the demo, the car used fans and thrusters to climb an inverted ramp, spin and land, and to lift off over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y and Model 3. Engineering vice president Lars Moravy said the 10 thrusters draw on 600 liters of compressed air that can be recharged. Tesla said the car's voids are filled with composite-overwrapped pressure vessels.

Musk called the car "the best of the last of the human-driven cars" and said it is "not sure it moves the needle massively from a revenue standpoint."

Context

The original Roadster was shown in 2017, and early customers paid deposits of $50,000, with some paying $250,000 for one of 1,000 Founders Series cars. The launch slipped repeatedly, with delays in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, and a planned October 1 event was postponed because of severe weather, TechCrunch reported. Musk first floated a SpaceX thruster package in a 2018 post.

The figures above are as presented at the event and reported by TechCrunch; the performance claims have not been independently tested.