TSLA today $362.44 ▼ $4.72 (1.3%) |
| Tesla's Roadster demo used ten nozzles and 250 kilograms of compressed gas for the stunts. |
Top 12 News Items
- Tesla Roadster revealed with cold-gas thrusters, suction system, and three variants — Electrek
| Tesla showed the next-generation Roadster driving upside down on a curved ramp, performing a mid-air flip, and executing a kickflip over a lineup of vehicles including the Semi. The vehicle uses ten nozzles and roughly 250 kilograms of compressed gas for the thrusters, with the system able to replenish its supply after recharging. Three configurations were detailed after the stream: Performance with active aero and suction for under 1.6 seconds 0-60, Thrust with rear thrusters for under 0.9 seconds, and Rocket with perimeter thrusters for under 0.59 seconds and over 230 mph top speed. The design incorporates hidden headlights, a full-length taillight, yoke steer-by-wire, fixed seats, and materials including magnesium, titanium, and carbon fiber. Production is now targeted for 2028. The Roadster page lists a range of over 300 miles across variants. The livestream included a warning from Elon Musk that success was not guaranteed given the experimental nature of the propulsion. Source: electrek.co |
- Cybercab parts shared with Semi and Optimus parts shared with Roadster — Teslarati
Tesla is applying cross-program component sharing at scale, with Cybercab structural and assembly elements appearing in the Semi while Optimus actuators and mechanisms feed into the new Roadster. The approach ties the four programs together through common hardware choices in structural elements, actuators, and final assembly processes. This sharing occurs even as each vehicle maintains distinct duty cycles and regulatory requirements. Source: x.com - Roadster Ano White paint draws from SpaceX rocket coatings — Teslarati
The finish is formulated to handle UV, cryogenic conditions, static, and corrosion, while the gold-tinted glass is modeled on spacesuit visors and titanium accents are carried over from rocket hardware. The paint choice aligns the Roadster visually and functionally with SpaceX vehicle protection needs. Titanium accents appear on both the car and the rocket fleet. Source: x.com - Florida homeowner paid $60,000 for Tesla solar, then Powerwall failed in hurricane blackout — Yahoo Tech
The system was installed for backup power yet did not engage when the grid went down during the storm. The homeowner had expected the combination of solar panels and Powerwall to maintain electricity through extended outages. No further details on the cause of the failure were provided in the report. Source: tech.yahoo.com - Company that put gas engines in Teslas goes bankrupt owing $37 million — Electrek
Obrist Powertrain and Obrist Technologies filed for insolvency with combined debts of roughly €31.8 million. The Austrian firm spent more than a decade developing its HyperHybrid range-extender system for Tesla vehicles but never reached production. Three group companies are now insolvent, with the powertrain unit owing about €18.85 million to 34 creditors and the patent-holding unit owing €6.08 million. The German sales arm added another €6.8 million in liabilities. Founder Frank Obrist cited high development costs, failed investor talks, and the broader shift to full battery-electric vehicles in Europe. Source: electrek.co - Tesla remote operators keep crashing its Robotaxis, data shows — Electrek
Five remote-takeover crashes have now appeared in NHTSA reports, and every instance ended in contact. Two new August incidents in Dallas and Austin involved a Model Y striking an SUV at 0.4 mph and a dumpster at 1 mph while under remote control. Both were low-speed property-damage events with no passengers aboard. The remote operator field in the reports is coded as “Remote (Commercial / Test).” Tesla does not disclose the total number of remote interventions, so no rate can be calculated from the data. Source: electrek.co - Tesla confirms Autopilot/FSD was engaged when car crossed a median and killed a man — Electrek
A 2021 Model Y on Route 55 in Vineland, New Jersey, left the southbound lanes, crossed the grass median, struck a tree, and hit an oncoming Chevrolet SUV head-on. The 68-year-old SUV driver was killed. Tesla’s report to NHTSA marked the automation status as “Verified Engaged.” The report lists the New Jersey State Police as the investigating agency and notes the information came from media sources. Fields describing the vehicle’s actions and software version remain redacted. Source: electrek.co - Tesla loses Cybercab assembly lead to Rivian R2 weeks after launch — Electrek
Jody Kerns, Senior Manager of Cybercab General Assembly at Giga Texas, is moving to Rivian as Director of General Assembly for the R2 program in Normal, Illinois. He had run final assembly on the Cybercab from its first steering-wheel-less unit through the start of commercial service in Austin. Kerns previously spent 14 years at Volkswagen of America, ending as Director of Assembly, and four years in Toyota paint shops. This marks the second Cybercab launch leader to depart Tesla this year. Source: electrek.co - Tesla claims 0-60 mph in 0.81 seconds for new Roadster — @Tesla
The official Tesla account posted the figure alongside video of the vehicle accelerating. A follow-up post clarified 0.67 seconds with rollout subtracted. The times apply to the highest-performance variant shown in the Texas demonstration. Source: x.com - Next-gen Roadster reservations open with three variants and staged payments — r/teslamotors
Performance, Thrust, and Rocket versions are listed, with Thrust limited to one per customer and Rocket available by invitation only. Thrust requires a $5,000 deposit today and the remaining $245,000 within ten days. The Performance model is described as road-ready with active aero and suction. Source: reddit.com - Tesla Roadster uses fan suction system for up to 2 G of force — Euronews.com
Lars Moravy described the underbody system that pulls the car toward the surface to enable inverted driving on the ramp. The technology borrows from SpaceX for the remaining propulsion after the suction phase. Musk noted the car can perform rolls and gymnastics but is not necessarily safety-optimized. Source: euronews.com - Tesla Roadster reservations now live with Performance, Thrust, and Rocket trims — InsideEVs
The base Performance version carries no thrusters. The top Rocket variant is invite-only and includes perimeter thrusters for vertical and rotational movement. All variants share the over-300-mile range figure. Source: insideevs.com
Tesla X Takeover: What's Hot Right Now
- Too good to be true rabbit emoji — TSLAming
The post simply states the reveal felt too good to be true, accompanied by a rabbit emoji. Source: x.com - Maybe this time it's different rabbit emoji — TSLAming
The post questions whether the latest Roadster demonstration marks a genuine shift, again with a rabbit emoji. Source: x.com - Tesla should add thrusters to vehicles — TSLAming
The post jokes that Tesla should equip the entire lineup with thrusters. Source: x.com - View Exterior Photos of the New Tesla Roadster — Car and Driver
The gallery shows the updated design language with hidden headlights and full-length taillight. Source: caranddriver.com - Here Are All Of The Crazy Tricks The Tesla Roadster Just Did — InsideEVs
The Roadster leapt over Tesla's entire lineup, including the 13.5-foot-tall Semi, during the demonstration. Source: insideevs.com
Short Spot
Tesla First Principles
Cold-gas thrusters on a passenger car change the mass and energy budget in ways that are straightforward to calculate but hard to reconcile with everyday driving. The Roadster demonstration used ten nozzles and approximately 250 kilograms of compressed gas to produce the flips and jumps shown in Texas. That propellant load must be carried at all times, directly subtracting from the vehicle’s 300-plus-mile range claim and adding structural mass that the fixed seats and exotic materials are already trying to offset. Replenishment after use requires an onboard compressor or refueling step that adds complexity to the vehicle’s support systems. The 250-kilogram figure appears only for the demonstration configuration and may differ across the three variants.
The suction system under the car is presented as an alternative to conventional wings or splitters, capable of pulling up to 2 G to keep the vehicle inverted on the ramp. Generating that force through fans rather than aerodynamic surfaces avoids drag penalties at high speed yet requires continuous electrical power and moving parts that must survive road debris and weather. The 2 G figure is impressive in a controlled demo, but scaling it to variable road surfaces and regulatory crash standards introduces variables the current prototype has not yet addressed in public testing. Power draw from the fans also competes with the propulsion and battery systems already tasked with delivering the sub-one-second acceleration times. The system’s ability to operate repeatedly without external support remains unproven outside the Texas event.
Sharing components across the Cybercab, Semi, Optimus, and Roadster programs spreads the cost of developing those thrusters and suction hardware, yet each platform carries different duty cycles and safety cases. A thruster pack sized for a one-seat Rocket variant may prove oversized or undersized once adapted to a two-seat Performance model or a commercial Semi. The engineering choice to amortize development this way reduces per-unit cost only if the shared hardware meets the strictest requirements of every program without excessive redesign. Production timing for 2028 on the Roadster overlaps with expected volume ramps for the other three programs, tightening the window for any necessary variant-specific changes. The approach also concentrates risk: a single component failure or regulatory delay can affect multiple revenue streams simultaneously.
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