I Watched the Roadster Fly in 2009’s Shadow: Tesla’s Car Just Climbed a Vertical Ramp, Flipped Over Its Own Lineup, and Did 0-60 in 0.81 Seconds
“Omg. Did you see the Tesla Roadster that just climbed a cliff and in air and flipped over last night.”
That was my reaction after watching Tesla’s next-generation Roadster demonstration in Waco, Texas. The car climbed a towering ramp, hung upside down, then launched into the air and flipped over Tesla’s own lineup. And Tesla claimed it hit 60 mph in 0.81 seconds.
I’ve followed this car’s story for a long time. In 2009, I was at Tesla’s Manhattan Model S launch event. I met Elon Musk and Franz von Holzhausen, watched Musk’s Letterman appearance, and rode in a Tesla at the Chelsea Piers ride-along afterward. I recently published a retrospective on that night, when the original Roadster was a roughly $98,000 proof of concept for a company still trying to persuade the world that electric cars could be exciting.
Last night felt like a sequel. Seventeen years later, I watched the Tesla Roadster in air promise take a very different form: a rocket-assisted hypercar making a kick flip in front of its siblings.
What happened at Tesla’s Waco Roadster in Air Really reveal
The event lasted less than half an hour. It felt more like a stunt show than a conventional product launch. There was little time spent on everyday questions like final price or customer delivery details. Instead, Tesla showed the car doing things few people expected to see from a vehicle.
First, the Tesla Roadster in air drove up a multi-story, C-shaped ramp. At the top, it stopped upside down, held against the surface by a fan-based suction system underneath the car. Then it did the climb again. On its second run, it left the ramp, flipped, and descended in a controlled hover.
Next, it jumped over Tesla vehicles, including the Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi and Cybercab. Tesla engineering vice president Lars Moravy called one of the maneuvers a “kick flip.” Near the end, the Roadster performed another flip in air and from a stationary position before hovering back down.
Image Source: The Verge
The footage and reporting describe a real demonstration. Still, “flying” needs a little context. This was a short, controlled jump and hover, not sustained flight, and not a car that can take off and travel through the sky like an aircraft.
How the Roadster’s suction system and thrusters work
The ramp stunt depended on two different systems. The suction fans, supplied by SpaceX and mounted underneath the car, pull the Roadster toward the ramp. Tesla says the system can generate up to two Gs of suction force. That extra force helps the tires stay pressed against the surface, even when the car is upside down.
The thrusters do a different job. The Tesla Roadster in air now carries two high-pressure air tanks with a combined volume of 600 liters. Reports say they hold about 250 kilograms of air and feed 10 nozzles. The nozzles direct bursts of compressed air to control the car’s position and rotation. In simple terms, they work like small steering jets: push air one way, and the car moves the other way.
Musk said the system can recharge its air tanks, so it does not need specialized chemical propellant. That’s a clever engineering detail. But compressed air still has to be stored under pressure, and producing that pressure takes energy. The system doesn’t make thrust free.
The car also features steer-by-wire controls, including a yoke, seats molded directly into the chassis, active aerodynamics and a retractable rear wing. Moravy said the design drew inspiration from aircraft such as the SR-71. It’s ambitious engineering, and a striking mix of automotive and aerospace ideas.
Image source: The Verge
The 0–60 claim comes with an important caveat
Tesla claimed the demonstrated Roadster reached 60 mph in 0.81 seconds. Musk said a production version could do better, and teased acceleration approaching half the speed of sound.
That figure needs to be read carefully. The sub-second performance depends on thrust assistance, not just the electric motors and tires found in a conventional car. Tesla’s claim is not an independently verified production-car test result. It also raises a very human question: how would a driver safely handle those forces?
Tesla’s website now describes three performance tiers:
- Performance (Road Ready): A two-seater with active aerodynamics and a multi-mode suction system. Tesla targets a 0–60 mph time under 1.6 seconds and more than 300 miles of range.
- Thrust (Race Ready): A two-seater adding rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters. Tesla claims 0–60 mph in under 0.9 seconds and calls it a “limited release.”
- Rocket (Air Ready): A single-seat version with thrusters around the car’s perimeter, enabling sideways and rotational movement in the air. Tesla Roadster’s in Air lists a top speed above 230 mph and 0–60 in under 0.59 seconds. It is “invite only” and “not approved for public road use.”
Those are manufacturer-published claims, not independent test results. And the most dramatic capability, the ability to jump and hover, is clearly not an everyday road feature.
Tesla Roadster in Air: The flying version is not road legal
Here’s the first honesty test. On stage, Musk said, “This will be an actual car that’s on the roads.” Afterward, Tesla acknowledged that the flying version would not be approved for public roads.
That distinction matters. A vehicle built to drive on public streets must meet road-safety rules. A machine that also jumps and uses thrusters faces additional safety and regulatory hurdles. As the Associated Press put it, the Roadster has thrusters and a suction system, but it is not for public roads yet.
Tesla’s “Road Ready” trim may be intended for street use. However, readers shouldn’t assume every version, or the flying configuration from the demonstration, will be road legal.
The nine-year wait makes promises harder to trust for a Tesla Roadster in Air
Tesla first revealed the next-generation Roadster in November 2017 as a surprise “one more thing” at its Semi event. At the time, Musk promised 0–60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph, a 200-kWh battery, up to 620 miles of range and a $200,000 starting price. He said deliveries would begin in 2020.
Some early customers put down $50,000 deposits. The Founders Series required $250,000. Those customers have waited years beyond the promised delivery window, and the car still hasn’t reached production.
Now Musk says production could begin in 2028. Given the earlier timeline, I’d treat that as an aspiration, not a schedule. A spectacular reveal can revive interest, but it cannot erase the cost of missed deadlines.
Tesla Roadster that goes in air is taking reservations again. Engadget reports that the base reservation starts at $5,000, with another $45,000 due within 10 days. The version with suction fans and accelerator thrusters has a reported $250,000 reservation payment. The jump-and-hover version is limited to selected customers.
My practical advice is simple: don’t put down $50,000 based on a promised delivery date. First, get clear written terms on the total price, refundability, configuration, road legality and delivery timing. Especially after the 2017 delay, customers deserve clarity before they commit that kind of money.
A flying hypercar is not a climate solution
Is this a green technology? Honestly, not in any direct, practical sense. The Tesla Roadster in air is a high-cost halo vehicle for a small number of buyers. A stunt show does not decarbonize transportation.
Still, the engineering is worth watching. Battery systems, power electronics, lightweight structures, aerodynamics and precise control all matter to better electric vehicles. High-performance projects can help companies test ideas under demanding conditions. But that does not mean every feature will reach an affordable car, or that this demonstration will directly cut emissions.
For a broader view of the forces shaping EV adoption, see our coverage of global and American EV incentives and an earlier look at Tesla’s quarterly deliveries. Everyday EV progress still depends on practical things: competitive prices, dependable charging and models people can actually buy.
Image Source: The Verge
Tesla lost time, but it won the absurdity race
The Roadster’s long delay gave competitors room to catch up. Rimac’s Nevera set extraordinary performance benchmarks. Porsche refined electric performance with the Taycan. Chinese automakers, including BYD, now offer powerful track-focused EVs at prices that challenge the old idea that high performance must cost a fortune.
Tesla no longer owns the shock of the new. The company spent nine years promising a hypercar while the rest of the EV industry kept moving.
But none of those cars flew.
That line captures the strange truth of last night. Tesla may have lost ground in the conventional performance-car race, yet it delivered a spectacle nobody else had put on this scale. I can be amazed by the engineering and still be clear-eyed about the business: the Roadster is a show, its wildest version is not road legal, and 2028 is not a promise customers should bank on.
In 2009, I watched the Roadster era begin as an improbable electric-car story. Last night, I watched its next chapter flip over a lineup of Teslas. The excitement is real. So is the need to hold the company to its claims.
Acknowledgment: Thank you to Andrew J. Hawkins and The Verge, Mariella Moon and Engadget, and the Associated Press for their reporting and details that helped inform this post.
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- Read more about BYD and Tesla EV competition.
- Read more about Tesla Model Y’s electric vehicle market position.
Sources
- The Verge: The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60 mph in under a second
- Engadget: Relive Tesla’s ridiculous(ly fun) Roadster stunt show
- Associated Press: Tesla’s Roadster gets thrusters and a suction system, but it’s not for public roads yet
