The much-awaited 'flying' successor of Tesla’s Roadster, was unveiled on Friday. The promo video has delighted both petrolheads and futurists, as the redesigned Roadster reignites hope for a future with flying cars.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X, “Turns out the future does have flying cars”, as he shared a demonstration video of the car. The fifteen-second clip showed the Roadster flying over four cars and a truck in one stretch. The second-generation Roadster performed ambitious stunts, driving up a flat road and suddenly launching into the air, flipping multiple times before safely landing back on all four wheels.
Musk claimed that the Roadster could accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just 0.81 seconds. The new car utilises Musk’s SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters and a multi-mode suction system.
According to Tesla, first-principles engineering, manual controls and fixed seat positions help reduce the vehicle’s overall mass.
The multi-mode fan system acts as a suction by pulling air out from beneath the vehicle, allowing the vehicle to stay upside down.
The two-seater Performance variant of the car can be reserved but does not feature the cold-gas thrusters. The two-seater Thrust variant is a limited release but will feature cold-gas thrusters.
The top-most Rocket variant features cold-gas thrusters positioned around the perimeter of the vehicle and supports lateral rotational movement. “So yes, it can fly,” Tesla wrote.
However, it has not been approved for public road use and is limited to selected individuals by Tesla’s invitation.
The performance variant can be reserved for around ₹50 lakhs in India. A sum of ₹5,01,000 is to be paid as a down payment. The remaining ₹45,05,000 is to be paid in the next 10 days. The car is expected to start production by 2028.
The Roadster’s new prototype concept was first revealed in 2017 and was expected to start production in 2020. However, the release was delayed multiple times.
