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Tesla Roadster’s ‘SpaceX package’ with rocket thrusters could actually work
This weekend proved to be a fruitful one for Elon Musk’s Twitter followers and fans of the next-generation Tesla Roadster, as the billionaire entrepreneur discussed, in honest-to-goodness seriousness, how the electric car maker would utilize SpaceX technology to make the upcoming all-electric supercar an absolute monster on wheels. Needless to say, there was quite a lot to take in.
Musk started off his Twitter discussion on the next-generation Roadster by stating that the car will feature ~10 rocket thrusters that are “arranged seamlessly around (the) car.” Musk further noted that the thrusters would “dramatically” improve acceleration, braking, and cornering, to the point that the Roadster would be able to fly — a reaffirmation of his previous statement referring to the vehicle having the capability to fly “short hops.”
Musk noted that Tesla would be using SpaceX’s Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV), a container consisting of a thin, non-structural liner wrapped with a structural fiber composite. COPVs are designed to hold a fluid under pressure, and are used by SpaceX’s first-stage rocket boosters during re-entry and landing. Musk further explained the use of SpaceX’s technology in later tweets.
SpaceX option package for new Tesla Roadster will include ~10 small rocket thrusters arranged seamlessly around car. These rocket engines dramatically improve acceleration, top speed, braking & cornering. Maybe they will even allow a Tesla to fly …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2018
While the idea of using rocket propulsion to enhance the performance of an all-electric supercar might seem to be well into the realms of science fiction, using COPVs for the next-gen Roadster is actually pretty feasible, at least from a technical standpoint. SpaceX’s COPVs have operating pressures of around 350 bars (5,000 psi) and too powerful for a land vehicle. If Tesla installs a similar version of SpaceX’s upper stage thrusters that are used in guiding rockets, rear-mounted devices could store just enough compressed air to provide Tesla’s next-gen Roadster an additional boost in acceleration for a short duration.
Note, gas contained would be ultra high pressure air in a SpaceX rocket COPV bottle. The air exiting the thrusters would immediately be replenished whenever vehicle pack power draw allowed operation of the air pump, which is most of the time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2018
Rocket thrusters placed in front of the vehicle that provides thrust opposite of the Roadster’s direction of travel, at least in concept, could help the electric car’s braking capability, while thrusters placed along each side of the vehicle can help in cornering by providing lateral force. In order to accomplish this, however, Tesla would have to carefully balance the weight of components from the upgraded SpaceX package – Musk noted that the vehicle would sacrifice its rear seats from the standard 2+ 2 configuration to accommodate the additional hardware – with output from the rocket thrusters to maximize the vehicle’s performance. Onboard electric air pumps would repressurize the space-grade containers when they were depleted, making for repeat fun, at least in a theoretical sense. Musk also stated that SpaceX COPVs that will be used for the next-generation Roadster will be durable, and be “literally bulletproof.”
Exactly. Total energy stored even in ultra compressed air is low vs battery, but power output is insane. The composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) is most advanced ever made. It’s what SpaceX is qualifying for NASA crewed missions. Extremely robust — literally bulletproof.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2018
Overall, Musk reiterated that the next-generation Tesla Roadster is designed to be the best car in the industry when it gets released. During his tweetstorm, Musk mentioned that with the all-electric supercar, Tesla is attempting to beat ICE vehicles on “every performance metric;” thus transferring the “halo crown effect” gas cars have as the top speed standards in the automotive market.
New details about Tesla’s next-generation Roadster have been released by Elon Musk lately. The SpaceX option for the vehicle was announced during the 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting, and not long after that, Musk also revealed that the vehicle would feature an “Augmented Mode” designed to “enhance human driving ability,” thereby providing assistance to drivers who would be operating the insanely powerful supercar.
During the unveiling of the next-generation Tesla Roadster, Elon Musk noted that the purpose of the all-electric supercar is to give a “hardcore smackdown” to gasoline-powered cars. The specs of the vehicle that were unveiled then, which are representative of the all-electric supercar’s base trim, are already record-breaking, including a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 8.9 seconds, a top speed of over 250 mph, 620 miles of range thanks to a 200 kWh battery, and 10,000 Nm of torque. With the Roadster’s SpaceX option, the all-electric supercar could very well establish a new class of vehicles that lie beyond the hypercar echelon.
News
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla is adding an awesome new driving feature to Model Y vehicles, effective on Juniper-updated models considered model year 2026 or newer.
Tesla is rolling out a new “Comfort Braking” feature with Software Update 2026.8. The feature is exclusive to the new Model Y, and is currently unavailable for any other vehicle in the Tesla lineup.
Tesla writes in the release notes for the feature:
“Your Tesla now provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.”
🚨 Tesla has added a new “Comfort Braking” update with 2026.8
“Your Tesla provides a smoother feel as you come to a complete stop during routine braking.” https://t.co/afqCpBSVeA pic.twitter.com/C6MRmzfzls
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
Interestingly, we’re not too sure what catalyzed Tesla to try to improve braking smoothness, because it hasn’t seemed overly abrupt or rough from my perspective. Although the brake pedal in my Model Y is rarely used due to Regenerative Braking, it seems Tesla wanted to try to make the ride comfort even smoother for owners.
There is always room for improvement, though, and it seems that there is a way to make braking smoother for passengers while the vehicle is coming to a stop.
This is far from the first time Tesla has attempted to improve its ride comfort through Over-the-Air updates, as it has rolled out updates to improve regenerative braking performance, handling while using Full Self-Driving, improvements to Steer-by-Wire to Cybertruck, and even recent releases that have combatted Active Road Noise.
Tesla holds a unique ability to change the functionality of its vehicles through software updates, which have come in handy for many things, including remedying certain recalls and shipping new features to the Full Self-Driving suite.
Tesla seems to have the most seamless OTA processes, as many automakers have the ability to ship improvements through a simple software update.
We’re really excited to test the update, so when we get an opportunity to try out Comfort Braking when it makes it to our Model Y.
News
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android.
Tesla is finally bringing an update of its Robotaxi platform that Android users will love — mostly because it seems like they will finally be able to use the ride-hailing platform that the company has had active since last June.
Based on a decompile of software version 26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app, Tesla looks to be ready to roll out access to Android users.
According to the breakdown, performed by Tesla App Updates, the company is preparing to roll out an Android version of the app as it is developing several features for that operating system.
🚨 It looks like Tesla is preparing to launch the Robotaxi app for Android users at last!
A decompile of v26.2.0 of the Robotaxi app shows some progress on the Android side for Robotaxi 🤖 🚗 https://t.co/mThmoYuVLy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2026
The breakdown of the software version shows that Tesla is actively developing an Android-compatible version of the Robotaxi app, and the company is developing Live Activities for Android:
“Strings like notification_channel_robotaxid_trip_name and android_native_alicorn_eta_text show exactly how Tesla plans to replicate the iOS Live Activities experience. Instead of standard push alerts, Android users are getting a persistent, dynamically updating notification channel.”
This is a big step forward for several reasons. From a face-value perspective, Tesla is finally ready to offer Robotaxi to Android users.
The company has routinely prioritized Apple releases because there is a higher concentration of iPhone users in its ownership base. Additionally, the development process for Apple is simply less laborious.
Tesla is working to increase Android capabilities in its vehicles
Secondly, the Robotaxi rollout has been a typical example of “slowly then all at once.”
Tesla initially released Robotaxi access to a handful of media members and influencers. Eventually, it was expanded to more users, so that anyone using an iOS device could download the app and hail a semi-autonomous ride in Austin or the Bay Area.
Opening up the user base to Android users may show that Tesla is preparing to allow even more users to utilize its Robotaxi platform, and although it seems to be a few months away from only offering fully autonomous rides to anyone with app access, the expansion of the user base to an entirely different user base definitely seems like its a step in the right direction.
News
Lucid unveils Lunar Robotaxi in bid to challenge Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
Lucid’s Lunar robotaxi is gunning for Tesla’s Cybercab in the autonomous ride hailing race
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering.jpg)
Lucid Group pulled back the curtain on its purpose-built autonomous robotaxi platform dubbed the Lunar Concept. Announced at its New York investor day event, Lunar is arguably the company’s most ambitious concept yet, and a direct line of sight toward the autonomous ride haling market that Tesla looks to control.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
A comparison to Tesla’s Cybercab is unavoidable. The concept of a Tesla robotaxi was first introduced by Elon Musk back in April 2019 during an event dubbed “Autonomy Day,” where he envisioned a network of self-driving Tesla vehicles transporting passengers while not in use by their owners. That vision took another major step in October 2024 when, Musk unveiled the Cybercab at the Tesla “We, Robot” event held at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, where 20 concept Cybercabs autonomously drove around the studio lot giving rides to attendees.
Fast forward to today, and Tesla’s ambitions are finally materializing, but not without friction. As we recently reported, the Cybercab is being spotted with increasing frequency on public roads and across the grounds of Gigafactory Texas, suggesting that the company’s road testing and validation program is ramping meaningfully ahead of mass production. Tesla already operates a small scale robotaxi service in Austin using supervised Model Ys, but the Cybercab is designed from the ground up for high-volume, low-cost production, with Musk stating an eventual goal of producing one vehicle every 10 seconds.
At Lucid Investor Day 2026, the company introduced Lunar, a purpose-built robotaxi concept based on the Midsize platform.
Into this landscape steps Lucid’s Lunar. Built on the company’s all-new Midsize EV platform, which will also underpin consumer SUVs starting below $50,000. The Lunar mirrors the Cybercab’s core philosophy of having two seats, no driver controls, and a focus on fleet economics. The platform introduces Lucid’s redesigned Atlas electric drive unit, engineered to be smaller, lighter, and cheaper to manufacture at scale.
Unlike Tesla’s strategy of building its own ride hailing network from scratch, Lucid is partnering with Uber. The companies are said to be in advanced discussions to deploy Midsize platform vehicles at large scale, with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi publicly backing Lucid’s engineering credentials and autonomous-ready architecture.
In the investor day event, Lucid also outlined a recurring software revenue model, with an in-vehicle AI assistant and monthly autonomous driving subscriptions priced between $69 and $199. This can be seen as a nod to the software revenue stream that Tesla has long championed with its Full Self-Driving subscription.
Tesla’s Cybercab is targeting a price point below $30k and with operating costs as low as 20 cents per mile. But with regulatory hurdles still ahead, the window for competition is open. Lucid’s Lunar may not have a launch date yet, but it arrives at a pivotal moment, and when the robotaxi race is no longer viewed as hypothetical. Rather, every serious EV player needs to come to bat on the same plate that Tesla has had countless practice swings on over the last seven years.
Tesla adds awesome new driving feature to Model Y
Tesla finally brings a Robotaxi update that Android users will love
![Lucid Lunar robotaxi concept [Credit: Rendering by TESLARATI]](https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/lucid-lunar-robotaxi-concept-teslarati-rendering-80x80.jpg)
