The Tesla Roadster can recharge its compressed air supply autonomously, but the refueling time remains unclear. Tesla has stated that the new Roadster can recharge its compressed air from surrounding air to power its thrust system, but the company has not disclosed the refueling duration, compressor capacity, or the number of consecutive uses possible. According to InsideEVs on October 16, 2026 (local time), the Roadster will draw air from the environment, compress it, and store it to replenish the vehicle’s onboard compressed air tanks. The Roadster is offered in three variants: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. All three use intake fans to press the vehicle’s body against the road. However, the thrust system is only available on higher-tier models. The standard Performance variant does not include this system, while the limited-edition Thrust model adds a rear-facing booster for enhanced acceleration. The Rocket variant is available by invitation only. It is equipped with ten full thrust generators for takeoff and in-flight attitude control. This is a single-seat vehicle; being placed on the waiting list does not guarantee access to the full flight configuration. Tesla stated at a demonstration event that the flight configuration uses two pressure vessels with a combined volume of 600 liters, holding approximately 250 kg of compressed air. However, these figures apply only to the demonstration setup and have not been confirmed for the Thrust model. These thrust generators do not burn fuel; instead, they use compressed air to generate propulsion. Air is expelled rearward to propel the vehicle forward, while other nozzles manage lift or control attitude in flight. As compressed air is consumed, the vehicle’s mass decreases, but so does the thrust pressure. Therefore, maintaining performance depends not only on battery capacity but also on remaining air volume in the tanks. Elon Musk stated that the Roadster can autonomously recharge its air tanks without requiring special external propulsion. However, compressing air still consumes electrical energy, meaning use of this feature may reduce overall driving range. What remains unclear is the system’s real-world operational capability. Tesla has not disclosed refueling time, compressor power output, how many takeoffs are possible before recharging is needed, or the rate of compressed air consumption. Short bursts of thrust-assisted acceleration may not deplete the tank immediately. However, sustained thrust scenarios—such as takeoff or hovering—could result in vastly different consumption rates. It is still unknown how many consecutive takeoffs are possible with a fully charged tank or how long the vehicle can remain airborne. Meanwhile, the intake fans operate independently of the compressed air tanks used for thrust. These fans draw air beneath the vehicle to generate downforce, improving road grip. Since they are powered electrically by the battery pack, they continue to provide downforce even as compressed air levels decline. By Hyunwoo Choo