Why Tesla needs its cars to fly | The Vergecast

The Verge38 min2026-10-22 ▶ Watch on YouTube

What this video is

⚡ a 38-minute video, readable in 60 seconds

This segment of The Verge Cast centers on Tesla's Roadster reveal event, discussed by host David Pierce and guest Andy Hawkins, The Verge's Senior Transportation Editor, after an unrelated opening news brief. The conversation's center of gravity is whether the flashy, SpaceX-style demo represents real progress toward a shippable car or is spectacle covering a nine-year history of delays and shifting specifications. Both speakers express skepticism toward Tesla's ability to deliver on its Roadster claims given that history, and the source does not present an explicit disagreement between the host and the guest on this point. The episode later shifts to an unrelated recommendation-of-the-week segment about using AI tools for media suggestions.

[00:18] The episode opened with the '90 Seconds on the Verge' news segment covering unrelated stories, including Trump's proposed ocean renaming and new product launches, before turning to the Tesla Roadster discussion.

Key takeaways

[02:07] Tesla held an event last week, after delaying it a couple of times, featuring a demo of the Roadster climbing a wall, going vertical upside down, flying down, flipping, and jumping over other cars.
[02:36] Host David Pierce said the Tesla event didn't reveal much new information about the actual shipping Roadster, calling it just a cool demo.
[03:10] Guest Andy Hawkins, The Verge's Senior Transportation Editor, joined the show to discuss the Roadster's history and the recent event.
[04:21] The original Roadster was Tesla's first car and served as a proof of concept that an electric-powered sports car could find an audience.

+ 38 more takeaways

[04:57] In 2017, during the Tesla Semi truck unveiling, Elon Musk revealed what was then called the second-generation Roadster as a 'one more thing' moment.
[05:36] Tesla claimed the second-generation Roadster would have a zero-to-60 time of perhaps less than one second.
[05:42] Tesla claimed the second-generation Roadster would have a 600-mile battery range.
[06:07] Tesla initially promised the second-generation Roadster would roll out in 2020, but that date was pushed back repeatedly and never happened.
[07:30] A host attributed the Roadster's nine-year delay partly to the extremely high expectations Elon Musk set for his engineering team, repeatedly raising the bar as deadlines slipped.
[08:04] Reservation holders put down $50,000 to $250,000 for founder editions of the Roadster, which a speaker described as essentially interest-free loans Tesla could use however it wanted.
[09:06] The hosts noted the rise of an electric supercar market, citing Rimac and Bugatti as competitors that overtook the Roadster in people's imagination.
[10:34] The hosts referenced the Cybertruck launch incident where a demo window broke on stage as part of discussing Tesla's history of launch events.
[11:15] The demo included specs stated as a sub-one-second 0-60 time and cold gas SpaceX thrusters enabling a flight and landing maneuver described as 'falling with style.'
[12:46] The car uses SpaceX thrusters and ultra high pressure air compression tanks to perform its stunts.
[13:01] A fan technology creating downforce, described in the discussion as what 'glues the car to the road,' reportedly allowed the car to drive vertically and upside down; this description is not attributable to a specific speaker.
[14:28] Footage of the demo car's underside suggested it was missing its entire battery, the heaviest part of an EV, and there is little other information available about the actual demo car.
[15:31] The invite-only 'Rocket' trim shown performing the stunts supports multi-mode forward, upward, and lateral rotational acceleration and is not approved for public road use.
[16:02] A speaker said even the wealthiest person in the world would not be able to simply buy the Rocket trim, since some connection to Tesla is needed to get an invite.
[17:41] Term four of the new Roadster's two-page terms and conditions states Tesla does not guarantee it will deliver the version of the car ordered, or any version at all, because the Roadster remains under development.
[17:59] A speaker said they don't understand how anyone could trust the company to deliver this car given nine years of missed deadlines, stated without further evidence given.
[21:06] A host said the original 2017 Roadster version, for which people put down deposits, is dead and will not be produced.
[21:43] A Tesla executive reportedly said there will be a base-model Roadster, without the party tricks or cold gas thrusters, that will still be impressive.
[21:57] The base-model Roadster is said to have a zero-to-60 time of under two seconds.
[22:14] The promised range for the Roadster has been cut from the originally advertised 600 miles down to about 300 miles.
[23:17] A host argued that electric performance has since been proven out elsewhere, citing the Rimac Nevera, the Pininfarina Battista, a BYD performance EV, and luxury EV brands including Porsche, Audi, and Mercedes as evidence.
[24:24] The Tesla Model S Plaid already achieved an under-two-second 0-60 acceleration, which a host said undercut the Roadster's unique selling point.
[24:34] The host used the phrase 'SpaceX coded ludicrous' to describe the angle the host suggested Tesla pivoted the Roadster demo toward.
[24:44] A speaker noted Elon Musk is CEO of Tesla and owner/CEO of SpaceX, with long-standing rumors he wants to merge the two companies.
[26:16] Tesla has had a tough couple of years with sales cratering, tied to the end of EV tax credits after Trump's election and protests against Musk and Tesla.
[27:13] A host described the CyberCab as still very much a science project, though dozens exist in Texas today.
[27:40] Elon Musk has reportedly said he wants the Roadster to jump over Snake River Canyon in a recreation of Evel Knievel's 1970s stunt.
[27:56] The host amended a commenter's claim that Musk has the sensibilities of a 14-year-old, saying instead 'a seven-year-old boy.'
[29:20] A host described Tesla's large interest-free reservation deposits as effectively an interest-free loan program for Tesla for a car that may never come out.
[29:55] A host noted the Cybertruck is not considered a great success, and Tesla discontinued the Model S and the Model X.
[30:09] CyberCab is in production with some units on the road, though its future remains an open question, per a host.
[30:20] The Model 3 and Model Y continue to generate profit, giving Tesla runway to figure out its next moves, a host said.
[30:39] A host noted there is talk of a real cheap EV, a possible Model 2 priced around $25,000, described as bare bones with less content and design work than the Model 3.
[31:01] A host speculated that Musk might not make the cheaper-car decision himself, suggesting someone else could decide if left in charge of Tesla while Musk runs Musk Holdings.
The source does not state an explicit disagreement between host David Pierce and guest Andy Hawkins; both are presented as skeptical of Tesla's ability to deliver on the Roadster given its history of delays.
[35:49] A host said they go to Claude and ask it to recommend new music based on a list of liked music, saying it works well.
[37:27] A host's recommendation of the week was simply to make a list of movies, shows, and music you like.
But I do think that it was sort of like with the deadlines passing and Tesla just breaking all of its promises to these reservation holders, people who were putting down $50,000, upwards of $250,000 to reserve one of the founder editions of

In 2017, during the Tesla Semi truck unveiling, Elon Musk revealed what was then called the second-generation Roadster a ▶ 4:48

Tesla claimed the second-generation Roadster would have a 600-mile battery range. ▶ 5:45

The hosts referenced the Cybertruck launch incident where a demo window broke on stage as part of discussing Tesla's his ▶ 10:44

Shown on screen — grab and go

QUOTETesla Roadster 'Rocket' package description

Air ready with seating for one. Features a multi-mode suction system paired with cold-gas thrusters, supporting forward and upward acceleration as well as lateral rotational movement. So yes, it can fly. Note: Not approved for public road use.

merged from two overlapping OCR reads at 15:52 and 15:56 of the same on-screen Tesla marketing card; the second read filled the gap in the first. shown at 15:52

QUOTERoadster Reservation Agreement delivery clause

Roadster Reservation Agreement Terms & Conditions. 4. Delivery. You understand that Roadster is still under development at the time you entered into this Agreement and so we cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered.

transcribed from the on-screen Tesla reservation contract text shown at 17:43, spacing restored from the crushed OCR read. shown at 17:43

How this brief was shaped: Discourse (interview / podcast / video essay) · confidence Medium

Transcript shows two named podcast hosts, David Pierce and a co-host, trading exchanges about why the Tesla Roadster launch happened the way it did, with one host visibly skeptical per the OCR split-screen layout. The format is a two-person podcast discussing and debating a single news event rather than one narrator teaching or reporting straight facts.

The lens sets this brief's structure, never its facts — every claim is held to the same citation and fact-check standard.

Jump to a moment

0:00Intro 0:1890 Seconds on The Verge 2:07Tesla’s Roadster Event 3:55Roadster History Recap 7:05Why it Took So Long 10:04Inside the Reveal Event 13:44Is it a Real Roadster?20:53What Will Buyers Actually Get?22:43Does the Roadster Matter Now?29:44The Last Human Tesla?35:20One More Thing 37:34Wrap Up

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