Key takeaways
- Tesla hasn't said whether any Roadster trim will be street-legal in the US, and CNBC called the question unclear.
- Only the Performance trim, which Tesla labels road-ready, skips the thrusters; it still has the suction fans.
- Tesla says carbon-fiber pressure tanks fill all the usable empty space in the car, and the company hasn't explained how that squares with federal safety rules.
- Production is promised for 2028, and no final price has been announced.
Tesla unveiled its second-generation Roadster on Thursday, Oct. 15, at SpaceX’s rocket test site in McGregor, Texas. The car drove up a curved ramp, clung to it upside down, then leapt off, flipped and landed on the stage. What it didn’t show was a route onto public roads.
CNBC said it’s unclear whether the car will be street-legal, and Wired said the car is likely to draw attention from federal regulators. Tesla hasn’t published an answer.
What on the Roadster would worry a safety regulator?
Three pieces of hardware stand out: SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters, carbon-fiber overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) packed through the car, and a fan-based suction system under the floor. None of them is standard on a road car, and Tesla hasn’t said how any of them would be handled under federal vehicle rules.
The thrusters handle acceleration, brief flight and mid-air control, according to TechCrunch. The suction system creates extra downforce. TechRadar reports up to 80 kN of rear thrust. Tesla also lists a steer-by-wire system and a steering yoke, which are further departures from a conventional car.
Which Roadster trim has a shot at the street?
Performance is the obvious candidate. Tesla’s own labels call it road-ready: it seats two, has the suction system and has no thrusters. Thrust is labeled race-ready and adds rear thrusters. Rocket is labeled air-ready, seats one and carries the full thruster array.
TechRadar thinks only Performance is likely to be road-legal and Thrust track-only. That’s the outlet’s guess, not a Tesla statement. Tesla hasn’t said whether even Performance would meet federal safety rules. The car is left-hand-drive only, and it won’t get Tesla’s FSD driver-assist system. Musk called it the last Tesla meant to be driven by a human.
My view: Rocket looks built for closed venues. A one-seat car with an air-ready label, sold by invitation only, doesn’t read like something aimed at your commute.
The pressure tanks are the part I’d ask about first
Tesla says its SpaceX-derived COPVs fill all the usable empty space in the car, per TechCrunch. TechCrunch also reports 600 liters of compressed air storage. Musk said the tank can be recharged and needs no special propellant. How a tank layout like that behaves in a crash hasn’t been addressed.
The outlets disagree on what’s inside. TechRadar and TechCrunch say compressed air. Wired says compressed gas without naming it. Ars Technica says nitrogen at 100,000 psi, and that figure appears only there. Ars is also openly skeptical, dismissing the performance claims as vaporware, so treat that number as commentary until Tesla confirms it.
Which trims carry how many tanks isn’t clear either. Wired counts four thrusters, TechCrunch counts 10 on the Rocket trim. Whether the road-ready Performance trim carries any pressure vessels at all isn’t stated, since Tesla lists the hardware as part of its SpaceX-derived package.
Suction fans have a racing history
Suction fans pull a car toward the pavement, and the idea isn’t new. TechRadar compares the Roadster’s system with the McMurtry Spéirling’s and notes Formula 1 has banned suction systems. The Roadster’s version is the one Tesla puts on the road-ready Performance trim.
Tesla says the system uses patented side skirts and actuators from its Optimus robot to adjust automatically to different road surfaces. Whether skirts and fans that close to the pavement work with ordinary road debris, potholes or speed bumps hasn’t been reported. Neither has what happens if the fans fail mid-corner.
A car Musk says isn’t built around safety
Musk was blunt on stage. As Wired quoted him:
“This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car.”
On a podcast earlier this year, per TechCrunch, he said safety isn’t the main goal for the Roadster, and that the aim is for nobody to die in it. He also floated trying to jump the Snake River Canyon, where Evel Knievel made his steam-rocket attempt.
Only TechRadar says the stunt demo ran autonomously, with no driver. If that’s right, it hints that Tesla didn’t want a person behind the wheel for the flips. Musk also said success wasn’t guaranteed, according to TechRadar.
What this means if you’re thinking of reserving
Don’t treat a Roadster reservation as a promise of a car you can drive to work. Reservations are open only for Performance and Thrust, and Tesla reopened them recently in the US, Canada and China. Performance is the one whose description fits public roads.
Payment terms are reported inconsistently. TechRadar and Wired say $5,000 now and the balance within 10 days, for $50,000 total on Performance and $250,000 on Thrust. TechCrunch frames those as the reservation amounts, and CNBC reports $50,000 deposits. Read Tesla’s own order page closely before you put money down.
Production is promised for 2028. Tesla first showed this Roadster in November 2017 and has missed every delivery target since, per CNBC and TechCrunch. If the street-legal question matters to you, waiting costs you nothing. For more on how the claims compare with what outlets measured, see our Tesla Roadster claims vs. reported numbers breakdown.
What nobody has answered yet
The big one: will any trim be street-legal in the US, and how would it meet federal safety rules? Tesla hasn’t said. No final price for any trim has been given, and the performance figures are Tesla or Musk claims from a staged demo, not independent tests.
The outlets also disagree on 0-60 times, top speed, thruster count and gas type, so those aren’t settled. Other open items: how many maneuvers one tank can deliver, how long recharging takes, and whether a human-driven car could do these stunts safely. The same goes for what happens to the original 2017 reservation holders.
Tesla reports third-quarter results after the bell on the Wednesday following the event, which may bring more detail. Don’t count on it.
Tools & products mentioned
- Tesla Roadster on Amazon — Check current price
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Frequently asked questions
Will the new Tesla Roadster be street legal?
Tesla hasn't said. CNBC called it unclear, and Wired expects federal regulators to take notice. Tesla labels the Performance trim road-ready, but it hasn't explained how any trim would meet federal safety rules.
Can the Tesla Roadster really fly?
In the demo it jumped, flipped and barrel-rolled using SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters, and Tesla describes it as brief flight, not sustained flying. The full thruster array is on the invite-only Rocket trim.
How much does the Tesla Roadster cost?
No final price has been given. Outlets report $50,000 total for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, via $5,000 now and the balance within 10 days, though TechCrunch frames them as reservation amounts.
When does the new Tesla Roadster come out?
Musk said production will begin in 2028. Tesla has missed every delivery target since the car was first shown in November 2017.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- TechRadar: Tesla’s new Roadster can do a barrel roll, climb walls and hit 230mph
- Wired: The Tesla Roadster 2 Is Here—and It Flies
- CNBC Tech: Tesla unveils long-delayed Roadster developed with SpaceX, fueling merger speculation
- TechCrunch: Tesla reveals SpaceX-powered Roadster that flies and falls with style
- Ars Technica: Tesla turns to 50-year-old stunt technology as it tries to Roadster again
- Yahoo Finance: 'Something extraordinary': Tesla Roadster wows with compressed air thrusters for limited flight
