Tesla’s new Roadster can fly, but the Rocket version is not approved for public roads

Tesla has revealed its new Roadster, with a two-seat Performance car, a Thrust upgrade and an invitation-only Rocket configuration that the company says can fly. The Rocket carries a substantial restriction on Tesla’s own page: it is not approved for public-road use. Those capabilities do not apply to every Roadster reservation.

Two seats for the road, one for flight

Performance combines active aerodynamics with a multi-mode suction system. Powered fans pull air out from beneath the car to generate downforce, including while stationary. Thrust adds rear cold-gas thrusters, with Tesla advertising acceleration from 0–60 mph in under one second.

The single-seat Rocket adds thrusters around the vehicle for forward, upward and rotational movement, with rapid adjustments to stabilize flight. Availability is region-dependent. Tesla describes Thrust and Rocket as upgrades rather than features included with the base car.

The $50,000 and $250,000 figures are reservation deposits

The US reservation page lists $5,000 due today and $45,000 within 10 days for Performance. Selecting Thrust changes the second payment to $245,000, taking the total deposit to $250,000. Neither amount establishes the final purchase price.

Tesla says reservations are not final until payment is received and may be canceled if payment is incomplete after 10 days. Thrust is limited to one order per customer. The initial payment is labeled refundable, while separate wording restricts refunds for modifications, so customers need to review the reservation agreement rather than infer one blanket policy.

The remaining questions concern production and permitted use

Roadster pursues driver involvement, unlike the Cybercab robotaxi project. Tesla’s current product page provides no delivery date or final retail price.

The costs of producing and maintaining these systems remain unspecified. Research on the cost of commercializing physical capabilities, focused on robots, illustrates why a demonstration alone cannot establish economic viability. The Roadster’s Rocket configuration also carries an explicit public-road restriction.