After a two-week delay, Tesla’s (TSLA) Roadster event erupted with a massive bang: a flying one. The wedge-shaped, cyberpunk-looking Roadster EV appeared in front of an inverted half-coaster ramp erected at the SpaceX facility in Waco, Texas. The Roadster climbed halfway, glued to the ramp using a vacuum fan system, then launched off the ramp upside down and performed mid-air turns, using air thrusters to right itself and land on the runway. 354.63 -7.81 (-2.15%) At 12:59:44 pmEDT. Open market. The Roadster then performed a similar stunt, jumping over several Teslas (including a semi-truck), inverting itself, and then using its thrusters to land (an automaker first). “Well, it worked,” CEO Elon Musk said impassively. The Roadster also went from 0 to 60 mph in less than 1 second (0.81 seconds) during a test Tesla conducted at the event. While Tesla claimed the car could reach a top speed of 230 mph, Musk boasted that the production version could reach half the speed of sound, or Mach 0.5 (383 mph). So when can you expect to get one? “We will go into production in 2028,” Musk said. Tesla Roadster lands after its inverted ramp jump · Tesla Live Stream Tesla said the car comes in three configurations: Performance: Road-ready, 2-seat, with multi-mode suction system for next-level performance on and off the track; Thrust: Race-ready, 2-seat, with multi-mode suction system and rear-mounted cold gas thrusters enabling 0-60 inches Rocket: Air-ready, 1-seat, with multi-mode suction system, plus perimeter-mounted cold gas thrusters for forward and upward acceleration and lateral rotation motion. So… yes, it can fly. Tesla said all three versions had a range of more than 300 miles, with a top speed of up to 230 mph for the Rocket version. Officially, in terms of performance, 0 to 60 mph throughout the range is It is not yet known how the Rocket version, with its thrusters that allow short flights, would be allowed on public roads. The Tesla Roadster · Tesla Live Stream The event occurred two weeks after the initial October 1 reveal date. Tesla said the reveal was delayed due to weather conditions at the demonstration site, SpaceX’s (SPCX) rocket development and testing facility in Waco, Texas. Tesla is asking potential buyers to make a $5,000 deposit, followed by a $45,000 bank transfer within 10 days of the initial deposit for the high-performance version, and a $250,000 deposit for the push variant. The rocket version is by invitation only; no MSRP amounts were published. “There were hints that the Tesla Roadster could do something extraordinary, but I think what happened in Texas on Thursday night far exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Henry Catchpole, host of Hagerty’s “The Driver’s Seat,” who was present at the event. “How all this translates into a finished, usable, enthusiast-friendly road car remains to be seen. For now, it looks like an incredible engineering achievement.” Inside the Tesla Roadster · Tesla Live Stream Tesla bull Gene Munster of Deepwater Management had two big takeaways from tonight’s Roadster event. “1. It was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional automakers. 2. Elon can’t wait to bring Tesla and SpaceX together,” he posted on X.com. The original Roadster, launched in 2008 and on sale until 2012, was Tesla’s first electric vehicle and used a Lotus Elise chassis. Tesla announced its successor in 2017, accepted reservations with those high deposits, and originally said deliveries would begin in 2020. Initial reservation holders have been waiting for quite some time. During his appearance at the All-In Summit in September, Musk mentioned the Tesla Roadster. “It will be a success. Guaranteed excitement. Success is not guaranteed, but excitement is,” he added. For Tesla fans and watchers online, the event was certainly a success, even if some of the gravity-defying features “have no commercial value.” Pras Subramanian is a senior robo-reporter at Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including the events moving stocks. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance.
