Electric carmaker Tesla has formally unveiled its long-awaited next-generation Roadster at a dramatic demonstration in which the car used compressed-air thrusters to lift into the air and perform manoeuvres, Fox News reported. The car was unveiled at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas.
There the car was seen lifting off the ground, spinning in mid-air and accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than a second. After the demonstration, Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, said it turned out there really would be flying cars in the future. Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice-president of vehicle engineering, added that flying cars were no longer fantasy but reality.
In the demonstration, the new Roadster raced up a huge curved ramp, staying attached to the track even when fully upside down because of a fan-based suction system. It then used cold-gas thrusters to launch off the ramp into the air, performed tricks in mid-air and landed safely. In another demonstration, the car flew over several cars and semi-trucks, turned on its side and landed successfully on the other side.
Musk said some special versions of the Roadster would go from zero to 60 mph in under a second and have a top speed of more than 230 mph. Tesla said the speed of an ordinary car is limited by the grip of its wheels, but the thruster system produces four to five times more force than the tyres. The company called it the best creation in the history of human-driven cars. Tesla officials said main production of the car would begin in 2028.
When the first Roadster concept was shown in 2017, its base price was set at $200,000 (about Tk 2.46 crore). After the unveiling, Tesla’s booking page showed an advance booking fee of $50,000 (about Tk 61.5 lakh) for the Performance version and $250,000 (about Tk 3.07 crore) for the Thrust version, which has acceleration thrusters. A special version called Rocket, a single-seater with a full flight system, will be offered by invitation only.
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