WASHINGTON (TNND) — Tesla unveiled its new Roadster on Thursday during a dramatic event that had Elon Musk saying, “Well, it worked.”
During the event, the vehicle was seen using air thrusters to fly off a ramp and display a “midair maneuver.”
“Turns out the future does have flying cars,” CEO Elon Musk said during the event at the SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas.
The vehicle was seen flying and doing a midair flip after what Tesla describes as accelerating from zero to 60 mph in under a second. Musk said that certain Roadster versions can reach a top speed of over 230mph.
“Flying cars are real,” Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy said.
The Roadster was on display by using a giant curved ramp and using what was described as a fan-based suction system to stay attacked to the ramp until it was upside down. Then, the SpaceX collaboration thrusters took over, allowing the Roadster to take off the ramp.
In another display, the Roadster was seen launching over a line of cars and a semi-truck, where it did another midair flip before landing.
On X, Tesla said, “Every car on the road today is limited by one thing: tire grip. Roadster’s thruster system generates 4–5x the force the tires can. More force on the same mass means significantly better acceleration – physics does the rest.”
Roadster’s initial concept was debuted in 2017 and executives shared Thursday that production on the vehicles would begin in 2028.
The cost of the Roadster was not shared at the event. However, according to Tesla’s reservation page, a $50,000 reservation payment was available for the “Performance” Roadster and a $250,000 reservation payment was available for the “Thrust” Roadster. There is also an “invite-only” “Rocket” version, which has a single-seat and “full flight system.”
Source: wjla.com
