Now that the Tesla Cybertruck is out of the way, it looks like Elon Musk is ready to finish up another of his pie-in-the-sky concepts. A car that can fly…in more ways than one.
Musk on Tuesday posted an update about the next-generation Tesla Roadster on X. The original Roadster, launched in 2008, was Tesla’s first product before becoming a volume automaker with the Model S.
The next-gen Roadster concept was first revealed in 2017 alongside the Tesla Semi, which reached pilot production last year. That was two years before the Cybertruck concept debuted.
“Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster,” Musk wrote. “There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car.”
Musk said the production version will be revealed later this year ahead of the start of production in 2025 and that it will have the previously announced SpaceX package, which will use cold gas thrusters to help the car accelerate and also “fly”— or hover for short distances.
“I think it has a shot at being the most mind-blowing product demo of all time,” Musk said.
The Roadster concept was a 2+2, but Musk explained that the SpaceX package would replace the rear seats with a tank that would be filled and refilled with pressurized gas as the vehicle drove.
He also upped the ante on performance and claimed that the car will be able to accelerate to 60 mph in less than one second rather than the 1.1 seconds mentioned in 2021.
“Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. It will be safe, but very intense. Probably not wise for those with a medical condition – same as a hardcore roller coaster,” Musk said at the time.
One fan created a digital rendering of what the 1.1 second acceleration would look like.
The quickest production car in the world today is the electric Rimac Nevera, which can sprint to 60 mph in 1.74 seconds, while a 12,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster can reach that speed in about a half-second.
“And that’s not even the most interesting part,” Musk added about the acceleration, possibly referring to the flying capability.
The Roadster was initially advertised with a top speed of over 250 mph and a driving range of 620 miles per charge. Tesla began taking reservations in 2017 at prices ranging from $200,000 to $250,000, with the latter Founders Series requiring a deposit equal to the full price of the vehicle.
We’ll find out if these wild performance promises ring true next year.
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