A Tesla that not only drives on the road but also flies through the air? What long sounded like a bold announcement from Elon Musk is now set to become reality. During a presentation at the SpaceX test site near Waco in the US state of Texas, Tesla showcased a prototype of the new Roadster on Thursday evening. The vehicle demonstrated unusual flight maneuvers.

Real life, baby https://t.co/3QEqn18wig

During the demonstration, no human was at the wheel, but rather a robot. The Roadster first drove up a ramp, stopped halfway, and then continued to accelerate. The vehicle moved upside down through the air, performed a barrel roll, and landed back on the ground.

According to the report, the unusual maneuvers are due to a technology developed by Tesla in collaboration with engineers from the space company SpaceX. The Roadster is said to be equipped with so-called cold gas thrusters.

Unlike conventional rocket engines, no fuel is burned. Instead, escaping gas generates a powerful thrust. This additional thrust can move the vehicle in different directions.

The technology is intended not only to enable flight maneuvers but also to improve driving performance. The thrusters could assist in accelerating and braking and generate additional forces during cornering.

During the presentation, the Roadster is also said to have flown over other Tesla vehicles and performed additional somersaults. Independent technical measurements of the flight performance are not available in the current reporting.

In addition to the flight maneuvers, another announcement attracted attention. Tesla showed a video in which the Roadster accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than a second. This corresponds to about 97 km/h.

If Tesla achieves this value under verifiable conditions, it would be an extraordinary acceleration performance. So far, however, it is a demonstration by the manufacturer. An independently confirmed test is not mentioned in the report.

Elon Musk appeared confident about the new technology during the presentation. „Flying cars are real,“ declared the Tesla CEO.

Those already looking forward to a flying Tesla for everyday use will need to temper their expectations.

According to the Tesla information reported, the specially equipped „Rocket“ variant will only be available by invitation from the company.

A major reason for this is the legal restrictions. Flight maneuvers of this kind are not permitted in public road traffic. Tesla also points out that the special version may not be offered in all regions.

Whether and under what conditions the vehicle could one day be used in Austria is currently open.

Financially, the new Roadster is likely to be an option for only a few interested parties. A total of 250,000 euros is required to reserve a version with additional thrusters.

The payment is made in two steps. Initially, 5,000 euros are due. Within ten days, an additional 245,000 euros must be transferred.

A final sale price was not mentioned during the presentation. According to the report, Tesla’s website explicitly states a full refund only for the initial payment of 5,000 euros.

This leaves open the conditions under which buyers can actually obtain the vehicle.

Patience is required for Tesla’s new sports car anyway. As early as 2017, Elon Musk announced the next generation of the Roadster. Since then, the planned production start has been postponed several times.

Musk now names the year 2028 as the new date for the start of series production.

The Roadster holds special significance for Tesla. The first generation was launched in 2008 and was the first production vehicle of the electric car manufacturer. Production was discontinued in 2012.

With the new model, Tesla apparently aims not only to build on this history but also to demonstrate the technical possibilities arising from collaboration with SpaceX.

The presentation in Texas provides impressive images for this. Whether the shown flight maneuvers, the announced acceleration, and the production start in 2028 will actually be implemented as planned remains to be seen.

(APA/DPA/VIENNA.AT)

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