Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has unveiled a new Roadster sports car featuring a demonstration of its ability to briefly lift off the ground, as technical and regulatory challenges continue to hinder the development of commercially viable flying cars.
Musk revealed the vehicle during a launch event at a SpaceX test facility in Texas. The demonstration was livestreamed on Tesla’s X account, showing the car launching from a steep ramp before landing on its wheels.
“Flying cars are real,” Musk said during the event.
He cautioned that the vehicle’s “success is not guaranteed”, although he added that “it will probably work”.
According to Musk, the car uses “ultra high-pressure air tanks” to propel itself into the air.
Describing the project as the result of collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX, he said it demonstrated “what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company”.
Musk said production of the vehicle was expected to begin in 2028.
Despite decades of interest in flying cars, technical and regulatory hurdles have prevented the concept from becoming a mainstream mode of transport.
American aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss introduced an early flying-car prototype in 1917. However, the development of more practical designs has gained momentum in recent years, driven partly by advances in electric motors and high-performance batteries.
