Understand the electric transition.

Original reporting, analysis and a car file for electric transport and clean energy. Every number keeps the test, market and date it came from. Last updated .

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Photo: Tesla, press image

AnalysisElectric cars

Tesla's flying Roadster: what the cold-gas thruster stunts proved, and what is still only a promise

On 15 October Tesla showed an uncrewed Roadster jumping, rolling and landing on SpaceX-style cold-gas thrusters. The stunts happened on camera. The price, delivery date, road approval and most of the performance figures are still claims.

Did Tesla's new Roadster really fly with cold-gas thrusters? Yes, briefly and with nobody on board. At a livestreamed event near Waco, Texas, on 15 October 2026, a Roadster used suction fans and cold-gas thrusters to leap off a ramp, roll and land over a row of Teslas. It is not on sale yet. Tesla took reservations, gave no price, says production starts in 2028, and says the flying version is not approved for public roads.

Latest from Charjin

The day in brief

Start from the decision you are making.

  1. Should I buy an EV, a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid? Guide Start with the charging you can rely on, not the badge.
  2. How long will my car take to charge? Calculator Your battery, your charger, your tariff.
  3. Will electricity actually save me money? Calculator Energy cost per 100 km, with your own prices.
  4. Which range figure can I trust? Guide EPA, WLTP and CLTC measure different things.
  5. What should I check on a used EV? Checklist Battery health, warranty, charging and software.

Nine electric cars, checked against their makers.

Figures
As published by the manufacturer
Range
Labelled with its test cycle, never converted
Last checked
Car Official range Peak DC
BYD Seal Electric 460–570 km WLTP up to150 kW
BYD Atto 3 Electric up to420 km WLTP up to88 kW
BYD Dolphin Surf Electric 220–322 km WLTP up to85 kW
MG MG4 EV Electric up to530 km WLTP up to144 kW
Kia EV3 Electric up to605 km WLTP up to128 kW
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Electric up to570 km WLTP up to260 kW
Volkswagen ID.4 Electric up to571 km WLTP up to175 kW
Tesla Model 3 Electric up to750 km WLTP up to250 kW
Tesla Model Y Electric up to622 km WLTP up to250 kW

Solid bars run to the lowest published figure; hatching covers the spread across batteries and versions. Click a column heading to sort. The full file adds hybrids, batteries and efficiency.

More from Charjin

Florida wants its federal EV-charger money for air-taxi pads

Florida's transport department plans to spend its remaining NEVI charging funds on 32 charging sites for electric air taxis, arguing that private firms have already covered its highways. For drivers, the plan means no new state-funded road chargers, and public rapid charging there costs about three times as much per kilometre as charging at home.

Report Charging 10 sources

France and Germany want to pause the plug-in hybrid CO2 correction until 2030

A Franco-German deal struck on 16 October would keep today's rules for calculating plug-in hybrid emissions in place until the end of the decade, six weeks before a tougher step was due. It is a negotiating position, not law, but it matters for official CO2 figures and the company car tax that follows them.

Report Hybrids 10 sources

The day in brief

Cars people cross-shop, side by side

Compare any two cars

A car only makes sense with the grid, the battery and the charger around it.

Every number has a condition.

A range figure means nothing without its test cycle. A charging time means nothing without its window. Charjin keeps those conditions attached, and marks how far each figure can be trusted. How a claim is checked.

Published reference
Stated in the starting manufacturer source.
Market or version specific
Belongs to a named cycle, powertrain or configuration.
Local check needed
No single figure holds everywhere.

Try “Ioniq 5 charging”, “battery warranty” or “plug-in hybrid”.