After nine years of delays, Tesla finally showed the 2028 Tesla Roadster on 15 October at Waco, Texas and made it leave the ground using compressed-air thrusters.
It was a genuinely remarkable demonstration. It is also worth separating what the car did on a closed site from what Tesla has actually promised to build, because the two are not the same thing.
Quick answer: Tesla revealed the Roadster in three trims, with production targeted for 2028. It showed a one-second 0–60 mph run and used thrusters to hop over parked vehicles. Tesla says all trims exceed 230 mph and offer 300 miles of range. Reservations are open at $50,000 and $250,000 but no production price has been announced.
What Tesla Actually Showed
The new Tesla Roadster used fans and thrusters to climb an inverted ramp, spin and land back on the pavement. In a second run it lifted itself over a line of parked Teslas a Cybercab, a Cybertruck, a Semi, a Model Y and a Model 3 while moving.
Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of engineering, said ten thrusters fed by 600 litres of compressed air provide the lift and the spin, and that the air tank can be recharged.
Tesla said on X that "every usable void" in the car holds carbon fibre overwrapped pressure vessels. Coverage of the event has noted that this type of vessel has previously been linked to SpaceX rocket explosions a point raised about the technology, not a finding about this car.
Does It Actually Fly?
Not in the sense the word usually means. What the Tesla Roadster flying demonstration showed was brief, powerful hops: the car leaves the ground, rotates, clears an obstacle and comes back down.
Nobody at Tesla claimed sustained flight, and the physics of carrying compressed air rather than fuel sets a hard limit on how long any of this can last.
So "flying car" is a fair description of the spectacle and a poor description of the product. Treat it as very dramatic jumping.
Three Trims — and One of Them Seats One Person
| Trim | Tesla's description | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | "Road ready" — active aerodynamics, multi-mode suction system | 2 |
| Thrust | "Race ready" — rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters | 2 |
| Rocket | "Air ready" — ten cold-gas thrusters, invitation only | 1 |
The one worth noticing is Rocket. It carries all ten thrusters, it is the one that does the aerial work, and it seats a single person. The version that does the thing everyone watched the video for is not a two-seat sports car at all.
Tesla Roadster 0–60 mph and Top Speed
The demonstration showed 0–60 mph in one second, with the Thrust trim claimed to go under a second. For context, the 2017 concept was quoted at 1.9 seconds, so this is the one number that has improved.
On Tesla Roadster top speed, Tesla says every trim exceeds 230 mph roughly 370 km/h.
Be careful with the bigger numbers circulating online. A figure of 380-plus mph has been widely shared, but it originated in a critical post by YouTuber Marques Brownlee rather than from Tesla. Tesla's own stated figure is "exceeds 230 mph".
The Number That Went Backwards
Here is the part the coverage is skipping. Compare what Tesla promised in 2017 with what it said this week.
| Claim | 2017 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Range | 620 miles | 300 miles |
| Top speed | Over 250 mph | Exceeds 230 mph |
| 0–60 mph | 1.9 seconds | About 1 second |
The Tesla Roadster range figure has fallen from 620 miles to 300 a reduction of about 52%, or less than half the original promise. In kilometres that is roughly 998 down to 483.
That is not unusual in itself; concept claims routinely come down on contact with engineering, and everything here is still a claim rather than a tested result. Real-world figures tend to land lower again, for all the reasons EV range drops in daily use. It is worth knowing which direction the numbers have been moving.
You Can Reserve It. There Is No Price.
Reservations opened immediately: $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, with Rocket available by invitation only.
No production price was announced for any trim.
Worth sitting with that. These are deposits on a vehicle whose price nobody has stated, for delivery in 2028, from a programme that was first shown in 2017 with a 2020 production target and has slipped repeatedly since. Anyone considering it should read the reservation terms very carefully, particularly on refunds.
What Musk Said About Safety
Asked about safety at the event, Elon Musk said "safety is not the main goal" and that Tesla would "aspire not to kill anyone in this car".
He also described it as "the best of the last of the human-driven cars", said the demo would be the most exciting "whether it works or not", and acknowledged the Roadster may not "move the needle massively from a revenue standpoint". Those are his words, and they frame this as a halo project rather than a volume product.
When Will Production Begin?
Tesla's stated target is 2028, and Musk described what was shown as "the actual car that's on the roads".
History argues for patience. The Roadster was revealed in 2017 for 2020 production, then pushed to 2021, 2023, 2024 and later, with the reveal itself moved more than once including from 1 October to 15 October this year. We covered that reveal timeline and the earlier claims before the event.
What It Means for Pakistan
Directly, very little. Tesla has no official sales presence in Pakistan, the reservations are in US dollars, and the deposit alone is larger than the price of most new cars sold here.
Indirectly it is worth watching, because halo cars are where manufacturers test things that reach ordinary models later thermal management, motor design, battery packaging.
If you want an electric car you can actually buy and run here, that is a different conversation: our AVATR 11 review covers what premium EV ownership really involves locally, and rising petrol costs explain why more buyers are asking. We also stock accessories for the EVs on sale here.
2028 Tesla Roadster: The Verdict
The demonstration was extraordinary and the engineering behind ten thrusters and 600 litres of compressed air is real. What Tesla has committed to building is a different and smaller question.
Three things to hold onto: it hops rather than flies, the range claim has halved since 2017, and you can place a $50,000 deposit on a car with no announced price for 2028 delivery.
We will update this page when Tesla publishes production specifications or a price.
Questions about what fits your car? Contact us — 0321-1117525 · Open Mon–Sun, 9am–9pm.
