Tesla presented a redesigned second-generation Roadster with thruster-assisted aerial capabilities at an event outside Waco, Texas, according to TechCrunch. Chief executive Elon Musk said the company intended to begin building the electric sports car in 2028, extending the development schedule of a vehicle first unveiled in 2017.
TechCrunch’s October 15, 2026, report described a demonstration involving fans, compressed-air thrusters and short airborne maneuvers. Musk attributed the project to collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX engineers. He outlined three planned versions of the Roadster but did not announce their sale prices.
Thruster demonstration and performance claims
According to TechCrunch, the demonstration vehicle used fans and thrusters to drive up an inverted ramp, rotate and lower itself onto the pavement. The car also used thrust to lift itself over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y and Model 3 while moving.
Tesla presented a zero-to-60-mph acceleration run of one second, the publication reported. Separately, the company attributed acceleration below one second to a proposed version equipped with rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters. Both figures should be understood as Tesla’s presented performance claims; the account does not provide independent test results.
Musk said the vehicle demonstrated represented the car Tesla planned to put on public roads. “This will be the actual car that’s on the roads,” TechCrunch quoted him as saying. He also said the system would let the vehicle lift itself and perform the demonstrated maneuvers at an owner’s discretion.
That description sets out Musk’s ambitions for the production vehicle. His remarks did not establish a customer delivery schedule beyond the stated plan to begin building the Roadster in 2028. The demonstration described by TechCrunch involved brief airborne movements, providing a more specific account of the presentation than the broader description of a flying car.
Three proposed Roadster trims
TechCrunch reported that Tesla described three versions named Performance, Thrust and Rocket. Their proposed seating arrangements and equipment differ, with the most extensively equipped thruster version described as a single-seat vehicle.
The following details reflect Tesla’s descriptions and website terms as reported by TechCrunch. The specifications and reservation arrangements have not been independently verified.
| Trim | Proposed seating | Equipment described by Tesla | Reported reservation terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Two seats | Active aerodynamics and a multi-mode suction system | $50,000 reservation |
| Thrust | Two seats | Rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters, with claimed zero-to-60-mph acceleration below one second | $250,000 reservation |
| Rocket | One seat | Ten cold-gas thrusters positioned around the vehicle | Invitation only |
Tesla described Performance as “road ready,” Thrust as “race ready” and Rocket as “air ready,” according to TechCrunch. Those labels are the company’s descriptions of the proposed versions. They do not, by themselves, establish regulatory approval or independently demonstrated capabilities.
The publication also attributed a claimed range of 300 miles and a top speed exceeding 230 mph to Tesla for all three trims. Those figures remain manufacturer assertions about the planned vehicles, rather than verified specifications for delivered cars.
The reported reservation amounts are distinct from the undisclosed sale prices. TechCrunch said Tesla’s website displayed the Performance and Thrust reservation charges on Thursday, while access to the Rocket version was described as invitation only. Musk did not provide a purchase price for any of the three versions during the presentation.
Compressed-air hardware and revised styling
Tesla engineering vice president Lars Moravy described a system using ten thrusters connected to 600 liters of compressed air to lift and rotate the car, according to TechCrunch. Moravy said the air storage system could be recharged. These remain attributed descriptions of the hardware rather than independently verified measurements or operating results.
TechCrunch also cited a Tesla post on X saying the company had packed the vehicle’s available internal spaces with carbon-fiber-overwrapped pressure vessels, or COPVs. The post described how Tesla intended to accommodate the compressed-air storage system within the car.
The reported hardware description gives more detail to an idea Musk discussed in 2018. TechCrunch cited his announcement that a proposed SpaceX option package would contain roughly ten small thrusters distributed around the Roadster. Musk said at the time that they could improve acceleration, braking, cornering and top speed, and suggested they might also allow the car to become airborne.
The exterior also differed from the earlier prototype, according to TechCrunch, which described a white vehicle with more angular bodywork. The publication compared its appearance with a Lamborghini and the Lotus Esprit featured in the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Those comparisons were visual descriptions rather than specifications supplied by Tesla.
In a separate post cited by TechCrunch, Tesla said the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and F-35 fighter jet influenced the design. The company linked the styling to changes in its broader design approach since the Roadster’s earlier unveiling, referencing the Cybertruck, Cybercab and Optimus.
Musk’s ambitions and earlier safety remarks
TechCrunch described the Roadster as a showcase project for Tesla and cited Musk’s earlier assessment that it might not make a substantial difference to company revenue. His comments placed emphasis on the vehicle’s capabilities and visibility rather than a stated sales contribution.
The publication also cited earlier podcast remarks in which Musk said safety was not the Roadster’s main goal and advised people whose foremost concern was safety against buying it. These were statements attributed to Musk, not evidence establishing the vehicle’s actual safety performance.
At the Texas event, Musk also raised the possibility of attempting a jump across Snake River Canyon, according to TechCrunch. The report presented that as a suggestion, without an announced schedule. The canyon was the location of Evel Knievel’s attempt to cross in a steam-powered rocket.
A development schedule stretching back to 2017
The second-generation Tesla Roadster first appeared at the end of the Tesla Semi unveiling in 2017, according to TechCrunch’s account of the project’s history. It was presented as a successor to Tesla’s original sports car, with deliveries initially expected within a few years.
TechCrunch reported that the earlier reservation program accepted $50,000 deposits and that some customers paid $250,000 for one of 1,000 planned Founders Series vehicles. Those historical reservations concerned the earlier offering; the amounts should not be read as announced sale prices for the redesigned trims.
The publication traced the project’s subsequent delays through Tesla’s Model 3 production difficulties in 2018 and the company’s work on other vehicles, including the Model Y and Cybertruck. It reported that Musk postponed the Roadster in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Repeated postponements also drew public comments from reservation holders, including technology creator Marques Brownlee and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, according to TechCrunch. Following the Texas presentation, Brownlee questioned the demonstrated capabilities and the proposed 2028 schedule in a social media post cited by the publication.
The unveiling itself went through several proposed dates. TechCrunch reported that Musk said on Joe Rogan’s podcast in late 2025 that he wanted to present the redesigned vehicle before that year’s end. A week later, he moved the proposed reveal to April 1, 2026, during Tesla’s shareholder meeting.
Musk joked that an April Fools’ Day presentation would give him an explanation if the date slipped again, according to TechCrunch. The event was subsequently postponed. Tesla then attempted to hold it on October 1, 2026, the publication reported, before severe weather prompted another delay.