Tesla Flying Roadster Concept
Learn more at Livestream →A Tesla–SpaceX collaboration that uses compressed air to leave the pavement.
Tesla’s second-generation Roadster concept can lift off from a standstill, a capability demonstrated in Texas alongside jumps over parked cars. Developed with SpaceX, the two-seat electric coupe uses compressed-air thrusters beneath and behind the body to generate lift and cushion its return to the ground. Rearward thrust also assists acceleration, while a separate fan suction system held the car upside down on a half-pipe ramp. The air tanks can be recompressed without fuel. Beneath the angular hardtop body, seats are moulded directly into the chassis, and electronic steering replaces the mechanical connection between steering wheel and road wheels. Scissor doors flank the cabin, with a deployable spoiler at the rear. The demonstration ran a pre-programmed sequence without a driver. Production is targeted for 2028, extending a Roadster development story that began with its unveiling in 2017 and planned deliveries in 2020.
