Tesla’s Roadster Takes Flight in Waco, but Road-Legal Status Is Unclear
?s next-generation Roadster drove upside down, leapt over cars and briefly flew during a demonstration in Waco, Texas. The stunt delivered the spectacle...
Tesla’s next-generation Roadster drove upside down, leapt over cars and briefly flew during a demonstration in Waco, Texas. The stunt delivered the spectacle Elon Musk had promised, but left basic questions about the car’s price, specifications and public-road use unanswered.
The electric supercar also reached 60 mph in less than a second, according to the event coverage. Tesla said the Roadster would use SpaceX thrusters, which powered its aerial maneuvers. The demonstration lasted less than 30 minutes and leaned more toward a stunt show than a conventional product launch.
A flying car, with caveats
Musk said the Roadster would enter production in 2028, nearly nine years after the vehicle was first promised. Tesla gave no price, trim details or release schedule at the event.
Nor did the company settle whether owners could drive the flying Roadster on public streets. Musk told the audience it would be a car “on the roads,” then qualified that statement, saying he was not sure it would be legal in every jurisdiction. He added that someone would be able to own one.
That distinction matters: a vehicle can be available to buyers without being cleared for ordinary road use everywhere. The demonstration showed what the car could do on a controlled stage; it did not establish where, or under what rules, those capabilities could be used.
A rival claims the field
California startup Alef Aeronautics used the reveal to stake its own claim in the flying-car market. It released a video of its electric aircraft flying over the Roadster, calling Tesla the second flying-car maker in history after Alef.
Alef said the flight was its 1,000th logged test. Its vehicle uses distributed electric propulsion, while the Roadster is expected to rely on thrusters. Both are electric and all-wheel drive, and both share an early investor, Tim Draper.
Tesla’s display answered the audience’s biggest spectacle question: the Roadster can leave the ground. Its promised production year is 2028.
Source: theverge.com
