Austin — Tesla Unveils New Roadster With Nitrogen Jet Stunts

Tesla showed a prototype of its long-delayed second-generation Roadster this week, with chief executive Elon Musk claiming a top speed of 383 mph (616 km/h) and a zero-to-60-mph time of 0.8 seconds, according to Ars Technica. The reveal marks nine years since Tesla first promised the car in 2017, and the company has yet to set a price or firm delivery date.

What did Tesla demonstrate at the event?

The centerpiece of the showcase was a stunt in which the car appeared to spin and maneuver in the air, a trick Tesla achieved using four rear ports that fire jets of compressed nitrogen gas at 100,000 psi, Ars Technica reports. The outlet notes the technology is not new — compressed-gas thrusters have been used in stunt work for roughly five decades — but its application to a production-intent road car is unusual. Ars Technica said it could not immediately locate the section of federal motor vehicle safety rules governing when such a system would be legal for street use.

The car's exterior, per the report, borrows heavily from Giorgetto Giugiaro's original Lotus Esprit design and more recent Lamborghini Gallardo styling, with a wedge-shaped body and four large exhaust-style pipes at the rear that house the nitrogen jets rather than any combustion exhaust.

How does the Roadster's battery differ from other Tesla models?

Tesla is using its in-house 4680 battery cell in the new Roadster, the same cell format the company has struggled to scale, according to Ars Technica. The outlet reports Tesla says it developed a battery chemistry specific to this model, a move the publication frames as a likely response to customer complaints about 4680 performance in existing vehicles. Tesla has kept the car rear-wheel drive, a departure from the all-wheel-drive layouts common among high-performance EVs.

How do Tesla's performance claims compare with rivals?

Musk's claimed figures — 383 mph top speed, 0.8-second 0-60 time, and up to 2 lateral Gs of cornering force — would be records if achieved, but Ars Technica points out that a smaller British manufacturer already exceeds some of those numbers today. The McMurtry Spéirling, a single-seat electric track car, generates up to 3.5 lateral Gs, more than Tesla's projected 2 Gs for the Roadster, according to the report. McMurtry has sold at least 24 cars of a planned 100-unit run, Ars Technica said, and the Spéirling has already set a faster lap time around the Top Gear test track than a Formula 1 car and broken the Goodwood Hill Climb record, per the outlet. Unlike the Roadster as shown, the Spéirling can also drive upside down, the report notes.

Why is this considered Tesla's second attempt at the Roadster?

Tesla first unveiled a Roadster concept in 2017 with similarly aggressive performance targets, but the car never reached buyers who placed early reservations, and the project has run for nine years without a production version, Ars Technica reports. The outlet frames the new reveal as a repeat of that pattern: bold claims, a showbiz-style demonstration, and competing EVs already on sale that match or beat the numbers Tesla is promising for a car not yet in production. Musk has relocated Tesla's headquarters to Texas, but the report notes he again turned to the Southern California entertainment industry — this time stunt technology rather than a studio back lot — to stage the unveiling, a comparison the outlet draws to Tesla's earlier remote-controlled Cybercab demonstration.

What happens next for the Roadster program?

Tesla has not published a price, production timeline, or regulatory pathway for the nitrogen-jet system in the material reviewed, and Ars Technica's own attempt to find applicable federal rules for the technology came up empty as of its report. Tesla says the car's roof panel will be removable, according to the rendering described in the coverage, but specifications beyond the headline performance claims and battery details were not disclosed. Investors and prospective buyers are likely to look for a firmer production date and independent verification of the top-speed and G-force figures before treating the numbers as more than projections, a pattern that mirrors the original 2017 Roadster announcement.