Tesla unveils new Roadster with SpaceX thrusters hitting 60 mph in 0.8 seconds

Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have finally Revealed the long-awaited follow-up to the brand’s first production car, the Roadster. It has been nine years since the ambitious concept was first shown, and the new model made its debut during an event at SpaceX’s testing facility in McGregor, Texas, according to Car and Driver. A Roadster prototype drove up an arching Hot Wheels-like structure, using a fan system with 2 g’s of suction to stick to the road. After reaching the top, the prototype used SpaceX-supplied thrusters producing over 80 kilonewtons of force to fly forward and do a barrel roll before landing in a cloud of white smoke. “It can basically fly like a rocket,” Elon Musk told the crowd. During acceleration tests, the Roadster hit 60 mph in a claimed 0.8 second using its four rear-mounted thrusters, which are fed by ultra-high-pressure air tanks. Musk claims the new Roadster will reach over 230 mph and eventually try to crack half the speed of sound at 383 mph. Tesla says the Roadster will be available in three configurations called Performance, Thrust, and Rocket, with production slated to begin in 2028. Whether you plan to park one outside your warehouse or just watch it fly on YouTube, your morning commute is about to look a lot more complicated.