Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk has unveiled a new Tesla Roadster sports car featuring air jets designed to lift it off the ground. During a demonstration at a SpaceX test facility in Texas, the two-seater vehicle reportedly climbed a steep ramp, flipped in the air, landed with the help of air jets and jumped over parked Tesla cars.
Elon Musk said the Roadster could accelerate to 60 miles per hour in less than one second with the help of jets fitted at the rear. The demonstration was conducted without a driver inside the vehicle for safety reasons. According to the report, the technology uses 10 nozzles and high-pressure air tanks developed through a partnership between Tesla and SpaceX, with production planned for 2028.
However, questions remain about the vehicle’s safety, cost and ability to sustain flight over long distances. Roger Connor, a vertical-flight curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, told CNN that combining road safety features with the lightweight design needed for flight would be difficult. He cautioned that the demonstration showed the vehicle hopping into the air rather than proving it could function as a conventional aircraft.
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I saw the video and it was indeed a wonderful one.