Tesla drew attention after unveiling the Roadster, a car it showed doing a flip and leaping over a truck.

On Oct. 16, blockchain outlet Decrypt reported that the vehicle uses cold-gas thrusters based on SpaceX technology, but the flying version has not yet been approved for use on public roads. There has also been no confirmed news of approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Tesla showcased the new Roadster a day earlier at a SpaceX test site in Texas. The vehicle drove along an inverted ramp, launched into the air, rotated and landed on its wheels. Tesla also released footage of it clearing several Tesla vehicles and a Semi truck. The demonstration video recorded more than 10 million views on X, formerly Twitter.

Compressed air makes those movements possible. Lars Moravy (라스 모라비), Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, explained that 10 thrusters are connected to a 600-liter compressed-air system. Unlike typical rockets that burn fuel, it gains thrust by expelling compressed air through nozzles. Some SpaceX technology was applied in the process.

The Roadster is divided into three types: Performance, Thrust and Rocket. Performance is a two-seat base model. Thrust adds cold-gas thrusters to the rear to improve acceleration performance. Rocket, which has flight capability, is a single-seater designed so thrusters positioned around the body support forward movement, ascent and midair rotation.

Its acceleration performance also drew attention. In the on-site demonstration, it reached 60 miles per hour, about 97 km, from a standstill in 0.81 seconds. Tesla said the Rocket model reaches the same speed in less than 0.59 seconds, with a top speed exceeding 230 miles per hour, about 370 km. It put the range per charge at more than 300 miles, about 483 km.

Elon Musk (일론 머스크), Tesla's chief executive, referred in October last year to the next-generation Roadster's flight potential and previewed it as "better than all James Bond movies combined". Tesla introduced this model as "the best among the last vehicles humans drive directly".

Even so, there are significant hurdles before actual sales and use. Tesla's reservation page lists a $50,000 deposit for the two-seat Performance model and a $250,000 deposit for the Thrust model. Of that, $5,000 must be paid in advance, and the remainder must also be paid within 10 days. The price for the single-seat Rocket model, designed around a full flight system, has not been disclosed, and only invited customers can access it.

The problem is regulation. Tesla states on its website that the flying Rocket model is not approved for use on public roads. Musk also answered a question about whether legal road driving is possible by saying, "It depends on which road."

There is also plenty that needs to be confirmed technically. This demonstration focused on short hops and midair rotation. It is difficult to judge sustained flight performance or usability on general roads based only on the released scenes.

Tesla showed, through this Roadster, the possibility of extending a car's movement into the air. For it to become a product customers can actually use, it must secure safety across varied driving environments and specify the scope and conditions of use. How much it resolves those tasks, alongside a production plan for 2028, will be key to commercialization.

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