On Thursday night, Tesla and CEO Elon Musk unveiled what’s been billed as the company’s last human-driven car. The Roadster 2 is the long-awaited followup to the electric automaker’s first vehicle, the Roadster.
At a demonstration event McGregor, Texas—at SpaceX’s rocket development and testing facility—the new car did what Musk has long promised: With a herky-jerky burst of steam, it flew into the air. At one point, the car flipped over the automaker’s entire line-up, floating several feet over its electric semi-truck. Tesla executives said the vehicle could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1 second.
“This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car,” Musk said.
Tesla fans have waited a long time for the vehicle. The Roadster 2 was first announced in 2017, and at the time Tesla said the new sports car would be the fastest production vehicle in the world.
The “flying” technology is enabled by four thrusters, Tesla vehicle engineering head Lars Moravy said.
Musk says Tesla plans to enter production in 2028. The company initially promised the Roadster 2 would ship in 2020. Enthusiasts put down $50,000 deposits for what was advertised as a $200,000 car. (That deposit is worth more than $68,000 in 2026 dollars.) Some got sick of waiting. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman complained on X last year that he had trouble canceling his reservation. Musk posted that Altman received a refund in 24 hours.
Musk has said that Tesla should no longer be regarded as a carmaker and that the company is focused on building autonomous vehicle technology and robots.
The unveiling event comes at a weird time for electric vehicles. Sales of EVs have stalled in the US after the GOP-led Congress nixed federal supports. Meanwhile, the global energy crisis has EV sales booming elsewhere. Electric luxury hypercars—the class to which the Roadster 2 belongs—are in an especially tricky spot. Several luxury automakers have said that wealthy buyers are now looking for the sound and power of a typical gas-powered vehicle. Lamborghini shelved its plans to make an EV earlier this year.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.