After nine years of waiting, Elon Musk relaunches the Tesla Roadster: the electric supercar promises extreme performance and the ability to fly. Production is expected from 2028
After nine years of waiting, announcements and huge advances paid by customers to secure a place on the list, the new Tesla Roadster returns to center stage. Elon Musk presented in Texas the second generation of the electric sports car, accompanying its debut with a spectacular demonstration that aims to transform the car into something very different from a traditional supercar. The event took place on Thursday at a testing center in SpaceX in McGregor, IN Texasin front of an audience of enthusiasts and supporters of the brand. Some of those present have been waiting for the car since 2017, when Tesla opened reservations asking for a $50,000 advance for the standard model and $250,000 for the exclusive Founders Series version. The demonstration focused above all on the integration between automotive engineering and technologies developed for the aerospace sector. There Roadsters she negotiated a curved ramp, landed in a controlled manner and performed a series of stunts, even jumping over five other Tesla cars. A show built to highlight the ambitions of Musk and the desire to bring the automotive sector back to the forefront, as the company invests more and more resources in autonomous driving and robotics. On stage, alongside the heads of design and engineering, Tesla’s number one illustrated the direction he intends to give to the project. Second Muskthe Roadsters in the future it could become “the only manually driven car produced by Tesla”, a prospect that reflects the company’s change in strategy, increasingly focused on autonomous vehicles and new applications of artificial intelligence.
Delivery times still uncertain
According to the Wall Street Journal, for those who have already paid the advance, however, the road to delivery remains long. Musk indicated 2028 as the expected year for the start of production, underlining that this time the deadline must be taken seriously. A promise that brings attention back to a project that should have reached the market as early as 2020. Essential questions also remain to be clarified, starting with the final price. During the presentation, some spectators repeatedly asked how much the new sports car will cost, without getting an answer. Also on the approval front for road use, Musk did not provide detailed explanations. “It depends on the road, but it will be a usable car,” he declared, leaving open questions about the technical and regulatory requirements necessary to market a vehicle equipped with such particular solutions. The atmosphere of the event was more reminiscent of a musical show than a traditional automotive presentation. Artificial fog, red lasers and a scenography dominated by a large spiral ramp accompanied the car’s entrance. Completing the demonstration were the effects linked to the propulsion systems, designed to underline the most unusual characteristics of the project. Lars Moravyvice president of engineering at Teslaexplained that the car uses a fan intake system located in the lower part, designed to increase ground grip and downforce. During the test, the car also made a jump thanks to a pair of compressed air thrusters, a solution that Musk had anticipated for some time and which represents one of the most innovative and discussed elements of the Roadster.
The declared performances are equally extreme
Second Teslawith the thrusters activated, acceleration from zero to 96 kilometers per hour could take just a second. Executives also indicated a higher top speed of 370 kilometers per hour. These are values which, if confirmed in the final version and in the conditions envisaged for their use, would place the Roadster in the most exclusive range of high-performance cars. Thursday’s presentation actually represents a new chapter in a story that began in November 2017. On that occasion Tesla showed the first prototype of the second generation and opened bookings, fueling the expectations of customers willing to commit significant sums to purchase the future electric supercar. Production, initially scheduled for 2020, was postponed several times, while the project remained in the background of company priorities.
The design has also changed significantly compared to the original prototype. The new version features more aggressive and angular lines, with stylistic references to Cybertruckthe electric pick-up that divided the public and observers. A choice that differs from the more fluid and elegant shapes of the sports car shown in 2017 and which aims to give the Roadsters a more radical visual identity. The new car fits into a delicate phase for Tesla. In recent years, Musk has progressively shifted his focus towards robotaxis, autonomous driving and humanoid robots, arguing that these technologies will have a decisive role in the future of the company. The return of the Roadster therefore also represents an attempt to relaunch the brand’s image as a manufacturer of cars capable of standing out for performance, innovation and desirability. Moravy described the project as the world’s first flying car and “the last real car for serious driving enthusiasts.” Ambitious definitions, which underline the objective of Tesla to expand the boundaries of electric mobility and propose new technological solutions in the luxury sports segment. There Roadsters second generation takes up the legacy of the first model, introduced in 2008. Based on a Lotus profoundly modified and powered by batteries, the original car played a decisive role in the history of Tesla: it helped demonstrate that an electric car could offer sporting performance and arouse interest even outside the public sensitive to environmental issues. That success helped build the foundation for the subsequent development of models aimed at a broader market. The new generation aims at a completely different segment from that of popular cars. In the absence of an official price, the reference is represented by the luxury supercars of Porsche, Lamborghinis And Ferraribrands that compete on the ground of performance, exclusivity and prestige. The new one Roadsters represents one of Tesla’s most ambitious bets in the electric supercar segment. If the announced performances are confirmed in the final version, the car could carve out a space for itself among high-end models, competing with brands such as Porsche, Lamborghinis And Ferrari. Even without significantly impacting overall sales volumes, it could contribute to turnover and strengthen the technological image of the brand. With the start of production indicated for 2028, Tesla aims to transform a project awaited for years into a new showcase of its engineering capabilities, combining extreme performance, electric propulsion and solutions derived from the experience of SpaceX.
