Tesla’s unveiling of a rocket-powered version of its Roadster sports car has drawn praise from technology executives and electric-vehicle industry leaders, while raising questions about its safety, practicality and readiness for commercial production.
The prototype, demonstrated on Thursday at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, United States, performed a series of manoeuvres, including driving upside down before briefly lifting off the ground using rocket technology.
Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the company planned to begin production of the new Roadster in 2028, although the demonstration did not establish whether the vehicle could sustain flight or function as a practical means of air transportation.
The vehicle uses 10 nozzles and high-pressure air tanks to generate thrust, with Musk claiming it could accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than a second.
The demonstration attracted reactions from prominent figures, including OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, who praised the vehicle on social media.
“Wow the new roadster looks quite amazing, good job,” Altman wrote on X.
US President Donald Trump also described the vehicle as “very impressive”, according to published reports, while Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated Musk on the development.
The unveiling also drew attention from Chinese electric-vehicle executives, with Nio founder and CEO William Li praising the technology.
“Amazing! This we really don’t have. Kudos to Tesla,” Li wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng, described the vehicle as “a very cool flying car in another form” but cautioned that making such technology commercially viable would require careful attention to flight safety and regulatory certification.
He said the transition from vertical take-off to forward flight remained a major technical challenge and stressed that manufacturers would have to meet aviation certification requirements before deploying the technology for practical use.
The reactions highlight the growing interest in flying vehicles but also underline the gap between a prototype demonstration and a product that can safely operate in everyday conditions.
On social media, some users welcomed the prospect of a vehicle that could rise above traffic, while others questioned its practicality and raised concerns about accidents, insurance costs and the risks of combining road and aviation technology.
The demonstration also drew criticism from aviation experts who questioned whether the brief airborne movement qualified as flight in the conventional sense.
Roger Conner, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, told CNN that aircraft and road vehicles had different design requirements, making it difficult to develop a machine that performed both functions efficiently.
“Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that,” Conner said.
See also:China Moves to Control Who Gets Its Most Powerful AI Technology
He warned that combining the two could compromise the performance of both.
“Inevitably, something that is a hybrid between the two is going to be a poor performing aircraft and a poor performing vehicle, and also quite expensive,” he added.
Conner also questioned whether the demonstration amounted to sustained flight, describing the movement as “hopping”.
However, Jim Dukhovny, chief executive of flying-car startup Alef, said the technology was feasible, while acknowledging the challenges involved in ensuring a safe transition from vertical take-off to forward flight.
The Roadster project forms part of Musk’s broader efforts to extend Tesla’s technology beyond conventional electric cars through collaboration with SpaceX, his aerospace company.
However, the prototype’s ability to remain airborne for extended periods, travel meaningful distances and operate safely in real-world conditions has yet to be established.
The planned 2028 production timeline will therefore depend on whether Tesla can address the engineering and regulatory challenges involved in developing a vehicle capable of operating on roads and in the air.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
