Tesla shows Roadster flying at SpaceX site near Waco

Tesla demonstrated the flying capability of the second-generation Roadster at a SpaceX facility near Waco, Texas, on October 15, 2026. The demonstration vehicle had no driver on board for safety, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. InsideEVs was cited as the source for the demonstration.

During the demonstration, the Roadster drove up a curved ramp upside down and then landed using thrusters. Tesla claimed the car accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph (about 97 km/h) in 0.81 seconds.

The car's key technologies are suction fans under the body and SpaceX cold-gas thrusters. The suction fans push the car onto the road surface with up to 2G of force, enabling inverted driving, while the thrusters inject compressed gas to accelerate the car or control its attitude in the air.

Tesla split the new Roadster into Performance, Thrust and Rocket variants. The Rocket model with flight capability has not received approval for public road driving and is distinct from the road-legal Performance model.

Elon Musk said right after the demonstration that the Roadster will be a car that actually drives on roads, but that he is not sure it can legally operate in every region. When an audience member asked the same question, Musk avoided a definite answer, saying it depends on which road.

Tesla aims to start production in 2028 and has not disclosed the sale price, according to digitaltoday.co.kr. The Roadster was first unveiled in 2017 and its launch has been delayed several times.