Tesla patent shows new Roadster with a hidden 700 kg-downforce rear wing — SkimNews
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- Tesla's patent (US 2026/0285418 A1), published by the USPTO on September 24, describes a two-piece "Deployable and Active Rear Wing Assembly" that sits flush in the bodywork, deploys in under 3 seconds, and produces up to 700 kg of downforce at speeds above 100 mph.
- The wing runs a smaller leading-edge slat 3 to 15 mm ahead of a main element on a four-bar linkage, switching between "DRS mode" (0 kg downforce, 250 drag counts removed) and high-downforce mode based on speed, acceleration, steering, brake, GPS, and "autonomous driving sensor data."
- Two safety systems protect against rear impacts: mechanical latches that release above a force threshold and fold the wing flush with the rear of the car, and a predictive system using cameras, radar, and lidar that begins retracting it before an expected collision.
- The filing is a continuation of a March 2025 application now listed as abandoned, with named inventors David Lemire and James Michael Arthur Crook, filed roughly a year after Musk said Tesla was "close to" finalizing the Roadster's design.
- Patent drawings show a low fastback 2+2 with a large rear diffuser matching the next-gen Roadster's silhouette, and Tesla has scheduled the Roadster unveiling for October 1 in Texas.
- This is Tesla's second Roadster-aligned aero patent in roughly a year, following an underbody duct that generates downforce while simultaneously cooling the battery.
Why it matters: Tesla's patent positions the next Roadster as a serious track car — 700 kg of downforce puts it in McLaren Senna (800 kg) territory rather than the 2017 SpaceX thruster pitch. The October 1 unveiling lands one week after the patent's September 24 publication, giving fans concrete aero numbers to compare against whatever Tesla shows in Texas.
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