The SpaceX thruster-assisted demonstration, in which the prototype drove upside down on a curved ramp and flipped midair over a lineup of Tesla vehicles, drew praise from President Donald Trump, who called it "very impressive" and said he was "very happy" for Musk, as well as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who said the car "looks quite amazing." On Wall Street, Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco turned more positive on Tesla ahead of third-quarter earnings while keeping an Equal Weight rating and $400 price target, viewing the Roadster as a showcase of SpaceX technological crossover rather than a near-term sales driver, while Barclays noted the collaboration revived speculation of a merger ahead of Tesla's Dec. 6 annual meeting.
In media briefings after the event, Vice President of Hardware Engineering Lars Moravy disclosed that the thruster system runs on nitrogen stored at 10,000 psi in a 200-liter carbon-overwrapped pressure vessel behind the seat, generating 80 kilonewtons of thrust for about five seconds per charge and currently taking six to seven hours to refill, with a target of under 30 minutes. The car, slated for 2028 production in a dedicated building at Giga Texas, uses bespoke 4680 battery cells on an 800-volt architecture designed to charge from 15% to 80% in 10 minutes, Optimus robot actuators to move its active aerodynamic wings, and four 20 kW rear fans with drop-down skirts for its suction system, targeting a total weight just under 1,700 kilograms.