During the unveiling, the car performed an aerial stunt after driving up a curved ramp. It flew off the edge, flipped mid-air, and hovering over a heap of white fumes, landed safely. Still, Tesla is accepting payments for car reservations — with caveats.
The story so far: On October 15, multi-billionaire Elon Musk launched a revamped Tesla Roadster. The demo thrilled many, but the actual vehicle will not enter production until 2028 and the car must clear numerous regulatory hurdles.
Musk recently launched his self-driving, steering wheel-less Tesla CyberCab on a limited basis, even before the NHTSA announced an investigation into its certification standard. A limited release ‘Thrust’ augmented model that seats two comes with the multi-mode suction system and the cold-gas thrusters in the rear for maximum acceleration under a second. Moreover, the demo did not involve a human driver. The flight system will require extensive testing before any commercial release, to certify the safety of potential human drivers inside. On the flip side, Mr.
Tesla is pitching the new Roadster as a space-tech vehicle, stressing its similarities to rocket design and sprinkling in space age-style terms to market the design features. The revamped Tesla Roadster can hit 97 km/hr in less than a second, and get to a top speed of more than 370 km/hr, according to Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy.
The Roadster “challenges the limits of design, engineering and physics to deliver an expertly crafted extra-terrestrial vehicle,” the Tesla website says.
The Tesla Roadster is only available as a Left-Hand Drive vehicle | Photo Credit: Tesla India Mr. Musk has noted that the car may not be legal in all countries. It is only available as a Left-Hand Drive vehicle, as per Tesla’s India website, which will lead to legal complications in the country.
