Tesla’s long-promised sports car has finally delivered a glimpse of something beyond ordinary driving. Elon Musk presented a Roadster that appeared to hover above the ground in Texas, but turning that eye-catching demonstration into a practical, road-legal vehicle remains a much bigger challenge.
Elon Musk unveils flying Tesla Roadster in Texas
The unveiling took place Thursday at SpaceX’s test facility in McGregor, Texas, during a livestream featuring Musk, Tesla design chief Franz von Holzhausen and vehicle engineering Vice President Lars Moravy. Musk teased an ambitious collaboration between his companies, promising “some crazy stuff” unlike anything seen in a conventional sports car (via Newsweek).
He compared the vehicle with James Bond’s gadget-loaded car and warned that success was not guaranteed, although he promised “Excitement is 100 percent guaranteed.” Footage of the demonstration spread across X, attracting 1.7 million views and reactions from public figures, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Musk has discussed adding SpaceX-inspired cold-gas thrusters to the Roadster since Tesla revealed the redesigned model in 2017. He has suggested that the system could enable hovering and short jumps. However, Thursday’s demonstration does not establish that owners will be able to fly the car freely.
Regulatory hurdles could become another factor if Tesla’s next Roadster is capable of leaving the ground. Federal Aviation Administration rules typically treat airborne vehicles as aircraft, although electric vertical takeoff and landing models fall under specialized frameworks. Flight restrictions near the Texas demonstration venue have also raised questions about how such a feature would be regulated.
Musk has put production in 2028, extending the wait for a car Tesla first unveiled nearly a decade earlier, when it also began accepting reservations. The company has made an ambitious performance claim, too, saying the Roadster could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than a second.
Tesla has not announced updated pricing. The original base model carried a $200,000 price tag, while the limited Founders Series cost $250,000. Inflation, delays, and the proposed SpaceX package could push the eventual price higher.
