How do the thrusters and fans work?
The "SpaceX package" isn't new talk. In June 2018, Musk posted that an option package would add "~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car." The 2026 version runs on stored gas, not rocket fuel.
In the Thrust car, MotorTrend reports a carbon-fiber-wrapped tank behind the seats holding up to 200 liters (about 53 gallons) of nitrogen at up to 10,000 psi. It feeds four rear nozzles. Car and Driver reports Tesla's figure of more than 80 kilonewtons of thrust, roughly 18,000 pounds of force. The Rocket drops the passenger seat for a second, larger tank, bringing the total to 600 liters, and adds six more nozzles: one at each corner and two up front to control yaw. Those are what let the car hop and roll.
The catch is supply. Hagerty reports that refilling all 600 liters takes six to seven hours today, and that Tesla is working to cut that to about half an hour. Every boosted launch spends a finite tank of gas, so the sub-one-second number is a party trick you can repeat only a handful of times before a long recharge.
The fan system is the more useful idea. Below about 50 mph a wing does little, so four electric fans of roughly 20 kilowatts each pull air from under the car while four skirts seal it to the road. Tesla engineering VP Lars Moravy told Hagerty the system holds more than 2 g in a corner from 0 to 50 mph. At higher speeds, the movable wings and that pop-up rear wing take over.
Tesla Roadster top speed
Tesla's official line is a top speed of "up to >230 mph," and its own X post attaches that figure to the Rocket. MotorTrend reports a promise of more than 210 mph for the Performance trim. Musk wants more. At the event he said Tesla wants to crack half the speed of sound, about 383 mph, and on X he's since floated demos that exceed it. Treat that as a goal, not a spec.
At 230 mph (about 370 km/h), the Roadster wouldn't threaten the top of our fastest cars list. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme claims 308 mph, and the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ ran 304.77 mph. It would sit closer to the Corvette ZR1, which Chevy rates at 233 mph. The Roadster is built to win the first second, not the last mile.
Where would it rank on the 0-60 list?
If the Performance trim hits its target, it would top our 0-60 list as it stands today, ahead of the Nevera's 1.74 seconds and the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Porsche 911 Turbo S at 2.0 seconds. That's the honest comparison, because it pits tire grip and fan suction against tire grip.
The Thrust and Rocket numbers belong in a different conversation. A car pushed by gas jets is closer to a dragster with a rocket assist than to a road car. Road & Track reports that the invite-only Rocket won't be road-legal. Musk's own hedge about the car in general: "I'm not sure it's necessarily legal in all jurisdictions." Our list ranks the best-supported time for each car, so the Roadster goes on it once someone outside Tesla puts a timer on a production car.
How much is the new Tesla Roadster?
Tesla hasn't announced a price. What it has posted are deposits, according to MotorTrend and Reuters:
- Performance: $50,000 ($5,000 up front, the rest within 10 days)
- Thrust: $250,000 ($5,000 up front, the rest within 10 days)
- Rocket: invite only, no deposit listed
For reference, Tesla's 2017 base price was $200,000, and the first 1,000 Founders Series cars were $250,000, paid up front.
The Roadster's long road to 2028
The promises have changed a lot since 2017. That year, Tesla's Roadster page listed 0-60 in 1.9 seconds, over 250 mph, 620 miles of range, four seats and all-wheel drive, and Tesla said production would start in 2020. The 2026 car trades two seats, the front motor and half the range for fans and thrusters. Range is now "over 300 miles," and Moravy told MotorTrend that charging from 10 to 80 percent should take 10 to 12 minutes; Hagerty's film puts the target at 15 to 80 percent in about 10 minutes.
The timeline slipped in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024, TechCrunch reports. Late in 2025, Musk said on Joe Rogan's podcast he wanted a demo by year's end, then moved it to April 1, 2026. An October 1 event was pushed back by severe weather before the October 15 reveal finally happened.
Frequently asked questions
What is the new Tesla Roadster's 0-60 time?
Tesla claims under 1.6 seconds for the Performance trim, under 0.9 second for the Thrust and under 0.59 second for the Rocket. The fastest run shown publicly was about 0.8 second on Tesla's own timer. None has been independently tested.
What is the Tesla Roadster's top speed?
Tesla says over 230 mph for the Rocket trim. MotorTrend reports over 210 mph for the Performance.
When is the Tesla Roadster release date?
Musk says production starts in 2028. Tesla hasn't given a delivery date.
Can the Tesla Roadster really fly?
The Rocket prototype made short, thruster-powered hops and barrel rolls at the reveal. It's invite-only and not approved for public roads.
How much range does the new Roadster have?
Tesla claims more than 300 miles, about half the 620 miles promised in 2017.
Is the Tesla Roadster faster than the Rimac Nevera?
On paper, yes. The Nevera's verified 1.74 seconds is the best on our list today, and Tesla claims under 1.6 seconds without thrusters. Until a production Roadster is tested, the Nevera keeps the record.
