From The Verge · Andrew J. Hawkins · · 1m 50s
Tesla's flying Roadster is pure spectacle
Elon Musk's jaw-dropping stunt in Texas won't result in a car you can actually buy or fly.
In brief
Elon Musk's jaw-dropping stunt in Texas won't result in a car you can actually buy or fly. Tesla demonstrated a flying Roadster in Waco, Texas, but the company admits the rocket-equipped version won't be approved for public road use and remains years from production. Originally reported by The Verge.
Roadster takes flight in Texas
Last night in Waco, Texas, Elon Musk demonstrated a Tesla Roadster that drove vertically up a ramp, launched into the air, executed a mid-air kickflip over other Teslas, and landed using cold-gas thrusters.
The stunt was genuinely impressive
The car was equipped with six hundred litres of compressed air, ten directional cold-gas thruster nozzles, and a two G suction-fan system directly inspired by SpaceX.
But it won't be a real product
Tesla says the Rocket configuration will be invite only.The company admits it won't be approved for public road use.
Tesla skipped the commercial details
The company provided no pricing or battery range specs.The Roadster's range estimate was downgraded from six hundred miles to three hundred miles.
Musk calls it a small project
Musk acknowledged the Roadster is a small potato project that won't move the needle financially compared to mass-market models like the Model Y.
“the last best driver's car”
Competitors already have similar tricks
Tesla has been lapped several times in the electric hypercar market.BYD's Yangwang U nine Extreme produces three thousand horsepower for a top speed of three hundred eight miles per hour.
The stunt was a PR victory
If the goal was to score a PR victory, dominate social media feeds, and cement Tesla's brand as a frontier tech pioneer, the Roadster demo succeeded.
Spectacle, not a viable product
The flying Roadster is completely useless as a viable product. But as a thirty-minute flex of engineering muscle, it was truly a sight to behold.
“It's completely useless as a viable product. But as a 30-minute flex of engineering muscle, it was truly a sight to behold.”
The headline
Tesla demonstrated a flying Roadster in Waco, Texas, but the company admits the rocket-equipped version won't be approved for public road use and remains years from production.
