Tesla says Roadster can fly: three questions to ask

Ari reads a headline: Tesla says its new Roadster can fly. He pictures lifting off over the traffic jam on his way to work. But what is actually being claimed? This car is our illustration, not Tesla’s car or its demonstration. Let’s follow the claim,

one step at a time. Tesla’s Roadster page lists three versions: Performance, Thrust and Rocket. It says all three use a fan system that pulls air out from beneath the car. That suction presses the car down onto the road, for grip. So the fans

hold the car down. They aren’t what lifts it. For that, Thrust and Rocket add what Tesla calls cold-gas thrusters. Here’s the basic idea. Gas stored under pressure rushes out through a nozzle. Pushing gas one way pushes the thruster the other way. That push

is called thrust. A NASA report on small spacecraft describes cold-gas thrusters this way. That explains the principle, not Tesla’s design, or whether it’s safe. On Rocket, Tesla says thrusters around the edge of the car support forward and upward acceleration, and turning. Then it

adds: so yes, it can fly. That is Tesla’s claim. We haven’t tested it, and no independent check is shown here. Now the fine print. Tesla lists Rocket as invite only, with seating for one, and says it isn’t available in all regions. And the

page carries a note: not approved for public road use. So a flying commute over traffic is not what this page offers. A headline like this blends three different questions. What did the maker claim, or show? Who can actually get one? And is it

approved for the road? "It can fly" is where the questions start, not where they end.