Tesla Shows Roadster Prototype With Rocket-Style Thrusters
Elon Musk showed off a new Tesla Roadster prototype on Thursday. Its rocket-style thrusters can lift the car into the air.
The car can flip over and land using the thrusters. The Associated Press reported the demonstration combined cold-gas thrusters and suction.
The thrusters lifted and spun the car in midair. Tesla said production of the updated Roadster would start in 2028.
The company earlier said deliveries would begin in 2020. But that plan slipped.
The launch came after years of delays and long waiting. Tesla first showed a next-generation electric sports car.
That was more than a decade before the Roadster unveiling. Tesla shares rose about 2% in morning trading on Friday. The rise came after the unveiling.
Klear Note — A prototype is an early model, not always the final car sold.
Key Terms 3
- prototype An early test version of a product, built before final production.
- Roadster Tesla's electric sports car model.
- cold-gas thrusters Small jets that push out compressed gas to move an object.