Elon Musk Demos Tesla Roadster, Claims It Can Fly

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, introduced what he touted as a flying automobile on Thursday, a concept previously confined to the realms of science fiction and animated shows. During a product launch event held at a SpaceX test facility in Texas—SpaceX being another one of Musk's public ventures—he showcased Tesla's latest Roadster. This two-seater sports car was presented with extraordinary capabilities: not only could it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under a second, a new record, but Musk also described how it employed an under-car suction mechanism to ascend a steep incline, suspend itself upside down, then detach, perform an aerial flip, and utilize air jets for landing. Musk informed the attendees that the vehicle operated without a human driver during the display, explaining it was “to make sure we don’t kill anyone.” He candidly added, “Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance.”

The demonstration on Thursday continued with the Roadster deploying its jets to clear a row of conventional Tesla vehicles parked adjacent to each other. Subsequently, the rear jets propelled the car to achieve its record-breaking 60 mph acceleration. Despite the seemingly successful staged event, the genuine capability of the car to deliver on its promise—offering owners true flight beyond mere hops, alongside high-speed road performance—is yet to be fully established. The vehicle's propulsion system relies on 10 nozzles and what Musk termed “ultra high-pressure air tanks,” enabling both aerial movement and rapid ground acceleration. Musk characterized this innovation as “the results of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.” He announced a 2028 production target for the car, though it's worth noting Tesla's history of Elon Musk often overshooting his initial production timelines. Addressing an excited audience of Tesla enthusiasts, Musk stated, “we need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI. So you guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes, because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe.” Nevertheless, the extent of the car's true flight capability remains uncertain, especially given the absence of any long-range flight demonstration during the event.

The question of whether flying taxis will eventually supersede conventional automobiles is increasingly pertinent. Recent years have witnessed significant strides in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs. While several operational prototypes exist, considerable engineering hurdles persist for developing road-legal vehicles capable of genuine flight. Roger Connor, the curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, commented to CNN prior to the event on Thursday, stating, “Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that.” He further elaborated, “Inevitably, something that is a hybrid between the two is going to be a poor performing aircraft and a poor performing vehicle, and also quite expensive.”

In related developments, a California-based startup named Alef is developing a car that achieves airborne status using eight propellers, evenly split between its front and rear. This vehicle, however, weighs a mere 254 pounds, a fraction of the Tesla Roadster’s presumed mass, and is designed to transport only one individual, whose weight must not exceed the vehicle itself. Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef, informed CNN before the Tesla presentation that he would not be astonished if Tesla managed to lift its Roadster off the ground. However, he cautioned that this does not equate to genuine "flight." Dukhovny affirmed, “It absolutely is 100% feasible,” but then added, “That being said, the hardest part on all eVTOLs, and for us, it’s a transition from (rising) vertical to (moving) forward. It needs to be extremely careful, making sure you do not lose lift, and making sure it’s very stable.” Similarly, Roger Connor voiced skepticism regarding the ability of a street-legal car like the Roadster to achieve the kind of flight an owner might desire. He concluded, “We’re not talking about sustained flight. We are literally talking about hopping.”