Is Tesla's "flying sports car" safe? Musk: If safety is your top priority, don't buy it.

Tesla’s second-generation Roadster launch event showcased extreme stunts including inverted driving, airborne flips, and a 0-100 km/h acceleration of 0.81 seconds, with every attendee receiving a pair of earplugs. The inverted driving relies on a rear fan that pulls air from under the car to generate downforce equivalent to roughly twice the vehicle’s weight; the airborne stunts use the same cold gas thrusters as SpaceX, featuring 10 nozzles and about 250 kg of compressed gas that occupies the rear seats. A rough calculation of cold gas propulsion efficiency shows that hovering the 2-ton vehicle requires approximately 28 kg of gas per second, meaning the full 250 kg supply is only enough for 9 seconds of hovering, with actual usable time being just a few seconds. Media outlets described the feat not as flying, but as “coolly crashing”. While the performance was spectacular, the specifications are drastically misaligned with promises made nine years ago: its range has shrunk from roughly 1,000 km to around 480 km, delivery has been delayed from 2020 to 2028, and pricing remains unannounced. The thruster-equipped version will likely fail to meet traffic regulations, and U.S. aviation regulators have never certified such devices. The event also did not address the risks posed by the compressed gas tank (holding hundreds of atmospheres of pressure) behind the rear seats in collisions or rollovers. Musk’s consistent stance on the matter is: “If safety is your top priority, don’t buy the Roadster.” Separately, per BIT (bit.com) market data, Tesla’s U.S. stock is up 4.3% in pre-market trading, while SpaceX is up 1.9%. The Tesla Roadster is equipped with cold gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX.