Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has just reiterated that the always “coming next year” next-gen Roadster electric sports car will have a flying capability.
Next-gen Tesla Roadster can fly
Tech enthusiast @pmarca took his complaints about the apparent slow progress in terms of flying car development to social media platform X. The X post attracted Tesla CEO’s attention.
According to CEO Musk’s response, the “new Tesla Roadster can fly.” However, he did not provide any more details about the upcoming electric car.
Earlier this year, the Tesla boss announced plans to introduce the highly awaited updated version of the next-gen Roadster since the prototype is already about seven years old. CEO Musk also noted then that the new Roadster would hit the market by next year.
Details scarce on functionality, speculations point to SpaceX tech
In hindsight, Tesla CEO Musk had previously hinted that the next-gen Roadster sports car will feature a “SpaceX package.”
The package would reportedly include cold air thrusters, theoretically enabling the Tesla Roadster to “fly” or jump for short distances only.
This considered, it would not be surprising if Tesla actually ends up leveraging SpaceX’s technology to deliver a true flying car in the future.
Recent remarks from CEO Musk also revealed that the Roadster can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just below 1 second.
Production delays
Tesla CEO Musk’s announcement stimulated significant interest, with some fans asking about the new Roadster’s launch timeline.
“WHEN? Seriously, I’ve had a large deposit for 7 years. I’m literally going to be too old to enjoy it when/if you start making it.”
X user @PTrubey
In hindsight, Tesla initially introduced the next-gen Roadster prototype in 2017. It planned to kick off the electric sports car’s production in 2020. However, it delayed production every year since then.
CEO Musk has gained a reputation for releasing overly ambitious statements, including concepts that did not transpire and aggressive timelines that often end up being delayed. This considered, it remains vague when Tesla could actually launch the next-gen Roadster and what its true capabilities are.