Tesla has demonstrated its redesigned Roadster performing a series of unusual stunts, including a claimed 0-to-60-mph run in 0.81 seconds. Despite the spectacle, the vehicle remains a concept, with production not expected to begin until 2028.

The presentation opened with the Roadster driving up a vertical ramp before transitioning onto a horizontal section. In a second demonstration, it launched from the ramp, used onboard thrusters to rotate in midair, and landed under control. The car later performed a barrel roll over Tesla’s vehicle lineup before returning to the ground.

A sharper design and electronic controls

The vehicle is being presented simply as the Roadster, without a numerical or additional name. Its styling differs substantially from the curvier sports car Tesla showed in 2017, adopting a more angular appearance.

According to the information presented, the Roadster will use steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and throttle-by-wire systems. Its rear spoiler can vary aerodynamic downforce while the car is moving and includes high- and low-downforce modes.

Thrusters power the airborne demonstrations

Tesla attributes the Roadster’s airborne maneuvers to its collaboration with SpaceX. Fans beneath the car are said to generate as much as 2G of downforce while the vehicle is stationary, while 10 cold-gas thrusters provide midair control.

The thrusters draw from two onboard 600-liter tanks filled with ultra-high-pressure air. Elon Musk described the system as using ordinary atmospheric air, allowing the tanks to be replenished as the vehicle is driven.

The same thruster system is also linked to the claimed acceleration figure. Tesla said the demonstrated Roadster reached 60 mph in 0.81 seconds, although the source material does not provide additional performance details or testing conditions.

Production timing and unanswered specifications

The demonstrated car is not described as a production vehicle. Tesla’s presentation indicated that production would begin in 2028, nearly a decade after the Roadster was first shown in 2017.

Many core specifications remain undisclosed. Tesla did not provide figures for range, horsepower, battery capacity, motor configuration, driven wheels, production location, manufacturing capacity, initial markets, or the broader schedule leading up to production.

Tesla’s website lists three versions: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. The Performance model requires a $50,000 deposit, while the Thrust version, identified as the model needed for the claimed sub-one-second acceleration, requires $250,000. The Rocket is described as a single-seat version available by invitation only.

The presentation also did not explain when reservation holders could configure their cars, how order positions would be managed, or what would happen to customers who reserved the previously shown Roadster.

The latest demonstration offered a detailed display of the Roadster’s claimed stunt capabilities, but Tesla has yet to provide the full production specifications or a more complete path from concept vehicle to customer deliveries.