Tesla’s flying-car pitch leaves buyers with years of delays and no delivery guarantee

Tesla’s October Roadster show renewed a promise customers first heard in 2017. The car was then expected in 2020. Six years after that target, Tesla still lists the Roadster in design development, and its current U.S. reservation agreement says it cannot guarantee when the car will be delivered, or whether it will be delivered at all.

Tesla announced three versions: a two-seat Performance car without the demonstrated thrusters; a Thrust version aimed at track use; and an invitation-only, single-seat Rocket version for airborne maneuvers. WIRED reported reservation payments totaling $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust. Those are deposits. Tesla had not set final purchase prices.

The agreement also leaves the final price, options and hardware unsettled. A reservation secures a place in line, not a vehicle order. Tesla holds the money without paying interest or putting it in escrow. Either side can cancel for a full refund until the customer completes configuration after Tesla’s invitation. Customers commit money while Tesla retains broad flexibility over what it will supply.

The proposed airborne system carries severe practical limits. MotorTrend’s Frank Markus calculated that, at Tesla’s stated 3,750-pound target weight, a 400-liter tank feeding the downward thrusters could support a rise to ten feet, a brief hover and landing within about seven seconds. His estimate assumes all that tank’s gas goes toward lift; using it to turn reduces the available time. That describes a short maneuver with a tight gas budget.

Replenishing that gas is another obstacle. Markus reported that the initial system would use an external nitrogen supply, with a full Rocket refill taking six to seven hours. He questioned Musk’s suggestion that the car could replenish itself: separating and compressing gas onboard would add equipment and weight. The useful ownership question is how often an owner can use the feature and what the equipment, refills, inspections and repairs will cost.

Cold-gas thrusters expel stored gas through nozzles without combustion, as NASA explains. The gas is consumed; the technology does not require throwing away a rocket engine after each use. We have not verified Tesla prices for refilling, replacing components or servicing the pressure system. Those costs need a documented answer before anyone can describe the feature as practical to own.

Tesla’s Rocket feature also carries an explicit road-use restriction. AP’s October 16 dispatch quoted the company’s wording: “Not approved for public road use.” The attraction being promoted therefore came with a restriction on where customers could use it. That is central to the product’s usefulness.

Physicist Rhett Allain estimated roughly 10g of vertical acceleration in one demo maneuver, using video positions, a roughly four-meter truck for scale and a constant-acceleration fit. His calculation raises a concrete question about carrying a person through that motion. He also identified a useful role for the separate suction fans: improving tire grip during ordinary driving.

Breitbart’s October 16 report led with the stunts and repeated Musk’s claims of a breakthrough collaboration. It included the 2028 production target, deposit amounts and a legal caveat, but omitted the earlier 2020 target. That emphasis presents the newest promise without accounting for the missed deadline. The AP dispatch led with the delay; MotorTrend and WIRED subsequently supplied substantive technical criticism.

The 2028 target reported after this reveal is eight years later than the date in the original launch coverage. Coverage that starts afresh with each spectacle lets the company renew the promise without accounting for the last one.