Tesla reveals in a video what it describes as a flying car

On Thursday, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, unveiled a car that he said would be able to fly. It is a feature that has long been associated with science fiction and cartoon programs shown on Saturday mornings. During an event to unveil a new product held at a testing facility belonging to SpaceX - another company owned by Musk - the latter showed off the new Tesla Roadster, a sports car that can accommodate two people.

The capabilities of this car are not only limited to accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a record time of less than one second, but Musk explained that it uses suction power from the bottom of the chassis to be able to climb a steep slope and hang on it upside down, before launching from it into the air, performing an acrobatic movement, and then using air thrust to land safely. The car was not equipped with an actual driver during this demonstration; Musk indicated to the audience that this was done “to ensure that no one’s life is endangered.”

“Success is not guaranteed, and I really mean that,” Musk said. “The experiment is likely to work, but if it doesn’t, we are a safe distance away.”

Later in the show, which took place on Thursday, the Roadster used the same jets to jump over a row of current Tesla models lined up next to each other, and then used the jets installed at the back of the car to accelerate its movement and reach a speed of 60 miles per hour in that record time. However, despite the success of this pre-arranged offer, it remains uncertain whether the car will actually be able to fulfill its promises; That is, giving their owners the ability to fly - and not just make short jumps - while at the same time maintaining the ability to drive at very high speeds on the roads.

The car relies on 10 nozzles and what Elon Musk described as “ultra-pressure air tanks” to propel itself, whether in the air or to accelerate its movement at high speed while on the ground. Musk described this technology as “the result of a collaboration between the best car company in the world and the best rocket company in the world.”

Musk stated that the car will enter production in 2028; Note that Tesla's history indicates that Musk had previously made promises regarding the completion dates for certain projects, but he did not adhere to those timetables, as their implementation was delayed for several years. “We need an audience to prove that this is not just artificial intelligence or a computer simulation,” Musk told an enthusiastic crowd of Tesla fans. “You can tell others that you saw it with your own eyes, because what you will see with your own eyes you may not believe.”

However, it is difficult to say whether the car is truly capable of flying, despite the demonstration that took place on Thursday evening. The presentation certainly did not include any proof of its ability to fly long distances. Recent years have witnessed many developments in the field of electric vehicles with vertical take-off and landing, known as eVTOL, and although there are some working models, there are still many engineering obstacles that prevent the creation of cars that are roadworthy and capable of actually flying at the same time.