Tesla is planning to finally show its new Roadster as early as this month, and the event is supposed to include a stunt where the car lifts off the ground, according to a new report from The Information (paywall).
There’s a catch. The car will be operated remotely with nobody in it, and spectators will be kept several hundred yards back because the SpaceX-developed cold gas thrusters are loud enough to damage their eardrums.
The demo keeps shrinking
The demonstration is planned for SpaceX’s rocket test site in McGregor, Texas, three people familiar with the plans told The Information. We reported based on another The Information report in June that Tesla had pushed the Roadster demo to August while the thruster package, internally code-named A71, was still being worked out.
A few months ago, the plan was a lot wilder. Tesla wanted the Roadster to race up a magnetized roller-coaster-style ramp, drive upside down, right itself, and hover, according to the report. Tesla previewed that version to Elon Musk, delayed it, and has since cut some of it back.
