SpaceX · Tesla · Elon Musk · CBS News Technology
Elon Musk releases flying Tesla prototype to cheering Texas crowd
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled what he described as a "flying" car, equipped with thrusters, during a livestreamed event at his SpaceX rocket company's facility on Thursday.
Key facts
- Would-be buyers can place a reservation online, with a $5,000 deposit, for a non-flying model of the Roadster
- The vehicle would go into production in 2028, he said
- The Roadster will not move the volume or revenue needle, with production likely limited, and investors should not model it as a growth driver," Wall Street analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives said
- The concept of flying cars has been around almost as long as motor vehicles themselves, with American aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss debuting the first flying car prototype in 1917
Summary
Technical and regulatory challenges have so far prevented the much-hyped flying car sector from getting off the ground. Musk revealed Tesla 's new Roadster sports car during a launch event at a SpaceX test facility in Texas. During the demo, which was livestreamed on Tesla's X account, the car launched from a ramp that curled over so the vehicle was upside down, appearing to defy gravity by clinging to the surface before flying off the end, and then rolled over 180 degrees midair to land on its wheels. "Flying cars are real," Musk said during the event, adding that the vehicle's "success is not guaranteed" but "it will probably work.