Tesla's flying Roadster has sparked excitement, but one popular YouTuber isn't convinced by its promises.
Tesla's latest Roadster showcase has sent shockwaves across social media after the electric sports car was shown pulling off aerial stunts using cold-gas thrusters. However, tech creator Marques Brownlee (better known as MKBHD) is calling cap on whether Tesla can ever turn this wild concept into a showroom reality.
MKBHD Questions Tesla's Flying Roadster
Following the presentation at SpaceX's McGregor testing facility, Brownlee took to social media and published a detailed breakdown titled "The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction", casting serious doubt on the vehicle's feasibility.
Elon Musk has made massive claims about the Roadster since its 2017 reveal, from sub-second zero-to-sixty acceleration to speeds exceeding 250 mph. The latest event took things to a cartoonish extreme, displaying the sports car performing hops and barrel rolls with SpaceX-derived thruster packs.
Brownlee was quick to ask how any of this is supposed to work in everyday practice. Specifically, he questioned whether current consumer tire compounds could withstand such violent forces, and raised alarms over how many elements of the demonstration would clash with basic street-legal safety regulations.
"There were several parts of that demo that would not be street legal," Brownlee noted, suggesting features like bumper-extending thrusters could only ever exist in track-only modes. For him, the jaw-dropping stunts risk becoming a distraction from the reality of putting a safe, road-certified vehicle on dealership lots.
From Enthusiast to Skeptic
Brownlee's critique carries extra weight because he was once one of the biggest champions of the rocket-car concept. Back in 2019, when Musk first teased cold-gas thrusters for the Roadster, MKBHD openly celebrated the sheer audacity of a hovering Tesla.
Nearly a decade later, the hype has run face-first into regulatory and technical reality. As an early deposit holder who previously experienced years of delays, Brownlee noted that theatrical product demos do not substitute for crash testing, road clearance, and production viability.
Tesla is targeting 2028 for actual production, but turning a hovering prototype into a consumer-ready car remains an uphill battle. Until Tesla delivers verified crash and road testing, MKBHD is not holding his breath.
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