Tesla Unveils ‘Flying’ Roadster Prototype, Targets 2028 Production

Tesla has unveiled a prototype of its next-generation Roadster sports car featuring technology designed to enable brief airborne manoeuvres, with production targeted for 2028.

The demonstration took place on Thursday, October 15, at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, United States. Elon Musk, who leads both Tesla and SpaceX, showcased the two-seater vehicle performing a series of stunts, including travelling upside down along a specially designed ramp before launching into the air, flipping and landing on its wheels.

According to CNN, the demonstration vehicle operated without a human driver as a safety precaution.

“Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance,” Musk told spectators before the demonstration.

The prototype uses high-pressure air tanks and 10 nozzles to generate thrust for its airborne manoeuvres. Musk also claimed that the vehicle could accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than a second.

The project combines Tesla’s electric-vehicle technology with aerospace technology developed in collaboration with SpaceX. Musk described it as the product of cooperation between what he called the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.

He also urged spectators to share what they had witnessed, saying the demonstration would allow them to confirm that the performance was real rather than artificially generated.

Despite the spectacle, questions remain about the Roadster’s practical capabilities, safety, regulatory approval and suitability for everyday transportation.

Roger Connor, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, told CNN that designing a vehicle to function both as a road car and an aircraft presents significant engineering challenges.

Aircraft must minimise weight, while road vehicles require features such as bumpers and crumple zones for occupant protection. Combining the two sets of requirements, he argued, could compromise performance and increase costs.

Connor also questioned whether the demonstration constituted flying in the conventional sense, describing the manoeuvre as a brief hop rather than sustained flight.

Jim Dukhovny, chief executive of flying-car startup Alef, told CNN that the technology was feasible but highlighted the challenges of making vehicles transition safely from vertical take-off to forward flight while maintaining lift and stability.

Tesla’s demonstration therefore represents an experimental application of aerospace technology to a sports car, rather than proof that the Roadster can operate as a conventional aircraft.

Musk said production of the next-generation Roadster was targeted for 2028. The schedule remains a future target, and the demonstration does not establish when customers will receive production vehicles.