Tesla showed what the demonstration of the new Roadster looks like from on board, with the car rising, flipping in mid-air and landing on its own. The video includes several viewpoints of the test, which was carried out without anyone inside the vehicle.
The footage shows the moments when the electric sports model lifts off the ground, turns upside down and continues moving in an inverted position. The car then lands using a system of cold-gas thrusters.
The system relies on nitrogen at high pressure, which can reach 10,000 psi. It is connected to a 200-liter tank located behind the driver.
The time required to restore the pressure is precisely what raises questions about the technology’s practical use outside a demonstration environment. Unlike conventional electric vehicle charging, the cold-gas system requires special infrastructure, the final form of which has not been announced.
Tesla plans to begin production of the new Roadster in 2028. The base Performance version does not have cold-gas thrusters. The Thrust variant adds such thrusters at the rear and is presented as a configuration capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in less than two seconds.
The most extreme version is called Rocket. It has a single seat and is designed for maneuvers such as flipping in mid-air. At present, the Roadster with a cold-gas thruster system remains a prototype. Confirmed production specifications, final rules for its use and a decision on its road legality have yet to be announced.