Tesla unveils flying car prototype, eyes 2028 production

The flying car prototype by Tesla. Photo: Tesla

Tesla has unveiled a prototype of its new Roadster sports car that can briefly rise into the air using rocket technology, with production targeted for 2028.

According to CNN, the demonstration was held on Thursday at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, United States, where the two-seater vehicle performed a series of manoeuvres, including driving upside down before making a short airborne movement.

The prototype was operated without a driver during the test, with Musk saying the decision was taken “to make sure we don’t kill anyone.”

“Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance,” he said.

CNN reported that the vehicle uses 10 nozzles and high-pressure air tanks to generate thrust, with Musk claiming it could accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than a second.

The Tesla boss attributed the development to cooperation between the electric vehicle manufacturer and SpaceX, the rocket company he also leads.

He described the project 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.”

Musk also sought to assure spectators that the demonstration was genuine, saying, “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.”

Despite the display, questions remain about whether the vehicle can achieve sustained flight and how practical it would be for everyday transportation.

Roger Conner, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, told CNN that combining the requirements of road vehicles and aircraft presented significant engineering challenges.

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“Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Conner questioned whether the demonstration amounted to flying in the conventional sense.

“We’re not talking about sustained flight. We are literally talking about hopping,” he said.

However, Jim Dukhovny, chief executive of flying car startup Alef, said the technology was achievable, while pointing to the difficulties involved in making such vehicles transition safely from vertical take-off to forward flight.

“It absolutely is 100% feasible,” he told CNN.

“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,” he added.

CNN also reported that Alef’s prototype weighs about 254 pounds, uses eight propellers and is designed to carry one person.

Musk said Tesla intended to begin production of the new Roadster in 2028.

CNN reported that the latest display adds to Musk’s ambitions to push Tesla’s vehicle technology beyond conventional electric cars, although the prototype’s ability to operate as a practical flying vehicle has yet to be established.