The next-gen Tesla Roadster was first shown in 2017. Since then, entire smartphone lineups have come and gone. It finally showed up again this week, and it apparently decided that driving on roads was too 2017. Doc Brown would be proud.

Ramp, Flip, Land, Repeat

On Thursday, October 15, Tesla showed off the Roadster at a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas, NBC reports. A compressed-air thruster system launched the car off a large curved ramp. In the released videos it flips midair, lands safely, and clears a line of vehicles and a semi-truck. Tesla says the thrusters produce four to five times the force of the tires alone.

The spec sheet is just as theatrical: 0 to 60 mph in under a second, and certain versions topping 230 mph. Tesla's website lists a $50,000 reservation payment for the Performance model and $250,000 for the "Thrust" version with the acceleration thrusters. Production is expected to start in 2028.

Flying Car or Very Confident Jump?

Tesla's leadership was quick to declare that flying cars are real. To be fair to physics, though, NBC describes the car as leaving the ground, not sustaining flight. It's less The Jetsons and more a very expensive stunt jump. That's still undeniably cool, and the engineering behind a car that survives a midair flip deserves respect.

The bigger subplot is corporate. Building the Roadster with SpaceX thruster tech, and unveiling it at a rocket site, has fueled speculation about the two companies getting even closer, possibly through a merger. Meanwhile, anyone who reserved a Roadster back in 2017 has learned plenty of patience: production is now slated for 2028, eight years after the original 2020 delivery promise.

Great tech demos make headlines. Shipping is what makes history.

If your own big digital launch has been "coming soon" for longer than you'd like to admit, our team would love to help you get it off the ramp, no thrusters required.

Source: NBC Washington