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Are Tesla’s claims for its new ‘flying’ Roadster real, or is it just full of cold gas?
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- DeepHorus
Tesla has re-unveiled its next-generation Roadster, a low-slung electric sportscar originally shown in a very different form back in 2017. At the reveal, CEO Elon Musk claimed the car would fly, and the demonstration appeared to back that up: the vehicle performed an airborne flip, drove upside down, and accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in under one second. Tesla also promised the car would beat track records around the world. No other production car has come close to that acceleration figure.
The original Roadster concept was pitched as a machine that would deliver a "hard-core smack down to gasoline powered cars." At the time, electric cars had already proved themselves through rapid acceleration, but true electric sportscars were scarce apart from the original 2008 Tesla Roadster. The next-generation model was meant to change that, trading comfort and efficiency for speed and track performance. Nearly nine years later, however, Tesla has still not released it.
In the intervening decade, the trail Tesla intended to forge has become well trodden. Croatia's Rimac Nevera R reached 300 km/h a full 3.5 seconds faster than a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. Xiaomi, a smartphone company, set a Nürburgring record with its SU7 Ultra, while Porsche went even faster electrically. China's BYD demonstrated a car that can jump using its active suspension system. Track-focused EVs with videogame-like performance, including one capable of driving upside down, are already on sale.
The upside-down run was enabled by what Tesla calls a "multi-mode suction system," a fan-car setup similar in principle to the McMurtry Speirling. Fans create a low-pressure zone beneath the vehicle, letting ambient air pressure push the car against the surface, while skirts seal the underside so air cannot enter. A patent describes adjustable skirts, an improvement that would let the car work beyond smooth track surfaces.
The source treats the demonstration as real rather than faked, noting that fan cars exist, rocket boosters could boost acceleration, and self-righting flying machines using small gas thrusters are known. Even so, the displayed downforce numbers look incredibly high and potentially unreal. The car's movements in the air also appeared much quicker than one would expect from a car.
Tesla's demo remains the most impressive shown by any automaker so far. Yet the company is no longer first to the electric sportscar segment, and rivals have set the records Musk now promises to break. Whether suction downforce, rocket assistance and rapid self-righting translate into lap times remains unproven.
Much depends on whether the Roadster reaches customers at all. After almost nine years of delays, Tesla faces a field of established electric performance cars and skeptical observers. The claims are plausible in isolation, but only a production car on a real circuit will settle the argument.
