Tesla flying car? Elon Musk teases "unforgettable" demo

Elon Musk is hinting that Tesla will soon showcase a flying car — possibly "before the end of the year."Why it matters: A flying car would combine two of Musk's long-running passions — flight and cars — and could remake the budding world of airborne electric vehicles.Catch up quick: Musk delivered the eye-popping teaser during an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, who asked him about the status of the long-delayed Tesla Roadster sports car."We're getting close to demonstrating the prototype," Musk said, adding that "this product demo will be unforgettable."Asked why, Musk added, "My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don't have flying cars."When Rogan pressed him to explain further, Musk responded, "I think if Peter wants a flying car, we should be able to buy one."State of play: The current market for what technologists consider the closest thing to flying cars revolves around eVTOLs — electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles.Companies like Joby Aviation, which recently bought Blade Air Mobility's urban air taxi business, are working on them.They look like oversized drones and typically seat four passengers and a pilot.Proponents say they could make transportation cleaner, quieter, safer and more affordable, Axios' Joann Muller reported.The intrigue: Musk had previously dismissed the idea of flying cars."I like things that fly," he told TED's Chris Anderson in 2017. "But there is a challenge with flying cars in that they'll be quite noisy. The wind force generated will be very high. Let's just say that if something's flying over your head, there are a whole bunch of flying cars going all over the place, that is not an anxiety-reducing situation."He added: "You're thinking, like, 'Did they service their hubcap, or is it going to come off and guillotine me as they're flying past?'"But in the new Rogan interview, Musk suggested that the Roadster demo "has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever."He said it will "hopefully" take place "before the end of the year.""This is some crazy, crazy technology we got in this car," he said, comparing it to "all the James Bond cars" combined.Reality check: Musk has a long track record of promising new products long before they become a reality. Musk said in 2017 that the new Roadster would arrive in 2020 at a price tag of $250,000 and a 0-to-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — a Musk rival — publicly canceled his order last week, saying it had been almost eight years since he had placed a $45,000 deposit.

Comments

World news

Toronto synagogue is hit for 10th time. The rabbi has thoughts

National Post

Comments

Similar News

Tesla says Musk should be paid $1tn - will shareholders agree?

Major Tesla investor to vote against Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package

Elon Musk’s $1tn Tesla pay deal to be rejected by huge Norway wealth fund

Norway’s oil fund to vote against Elon Musk’s $1tn pay deal at Tesla

Tesla sued by family who says faulty doors led to death of parents in fiery Wisconsin crash

Elon’s antics may have cost Tesla more than a million vehicle sales

Tesla chair warns Musk could quit if shareholders reject $1tn pay deal

Elon Musk could leave Tesla without $1 trillion pay package

Geely targets 100,000 UK sales in push to take on Tesla and BYD

US investigates Tesla’s ‘Mad Max’ high-speed driver assistance mode

US agency acts over reports of Tesla ‘Mad Max’ driver assistance mode

Why Tesla can’t win as profits slump despite record revenue

Tesla reports steep drop in profits despite US rush to buy electric vehicles

Tesla profits drop more than a quarter despite record car sales

Horror moment Tesla driver sent flying after charger explodes in 'arc flash' blast

Tesla dominates UK mega battery market

B.C. Tesla charging explosion linked to third-party adapter captured on video

Mystery deepens after missing schoolgirl found dead in pop star D4vd's Tesla

Proxy adviser ISS says Tesla investors should oppose $1tn Musk pay deal

Can Tesla stay a trillion dollar company on just two models?

World news

Toronto synagogue is hit for 10th time. The rabbi has thoughts

Best gifts under $50 that look expensive

Toronto-area home sales down 9.5 per cent in October from last year

Ile d'Oleron attack: Driver rams into pedestrians and cyclists on French holiday island

Barabak: Proposition 50 is a short-term victory against Trump. But at what cost?

Typhoon Kalmaegi: Thousands evacuated from Philippines as deadly tropical storm hits

How California’s Proposition 50 ‘redistricting’ measures could help win back the House at the mid-terms

What to know about the Supreme Court arguments over Trump's tariffs

Five biggest takeaways from Democrats’ blue tsunami election night that should have Trump worried

Election results live: Trump left to lick wounds as Mamdani and Newsom savor huge night for Democrats

Trump admin blows up another boat it claims was carrying narcotics and kills two men without providing any evidence

$500m in assets seized from mysterious crypto scam billionaire

Switzerland wants ‘fifth language’ to join UNESCO cultural heritage list

Putin to shell out nearly £1,000,000,000 on prosthetic limbs for wounded soldiers

Japan sends in troops to combat wave of deadly bear attacks

British yoga teacher arrested ‘for hosting £10 tantric sex classes behind restaurant’

How would Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s dream economy actually work?

The most horrifying religion case to hit the Supreme Court in years is also one of the hardest

Ford doesn’t regret ending Starlink contract, even with Ontario missing broadband target

COMMENTARY: The 2025 Budget bets big on productivity but only time will tell if it works

When Trump’s aid cuts robbed them of HIV drugs, these people died. Now the UK is poised to slash funding further

Who is Rama Duwaji? What Zohran Mamdani’s wife has said about Gaza and ICE as he’s elected NYC mayor

Flight tracker shows moment of ‘catastrophic’ UPS plane crash

Car ploughs into crowd on French holiday island with driver ‘shouting Allahu Akbar’

Government shutdown now longest ever as Trump demands Republicans ‘get back to passing legislation’

Udogie receiving support from Tottenham after alleged gun incident

Did Curtis Sliwa cost Andrew Cuomo the mayoral election?

Moment plane erupts in fireball at Kentucky airport, killing at least seven people and sparking huge blaze

Trump issues four-word response after NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani declares ‘mandate for change’

Moment UPS plane crashes near Kentucky airport caught on CCTV

Ball of fire erupts after UPS plane crashes during takeoff

‘Trump’s worst nightmare’: New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political positions, from ICE to Israel

Winnipeg Jets blanked 3-0 in Los Angeles as Lowry returns to lineup

Mamdani sends four-word message to Trump in victory speech

In pictures: Young Syrian artists transform war ruin into mural of remembrance

Newcastle have lost what made them so formidable

Fears for F-35s as Britain lags behind in race to stockpile rare earth metals

Jamie-Lee O’Donnell: Moving to Spain has sorted me out mentally

I had a lover when my husband had dementia – it helped me survive the horror

The problem we need to fix if we want Gen Z to have more children

I’m a fervent feminist, but it’s time we praised decent men too

The Italian region with craft breweries, historic towns and hiking trails

Covid jabs gave under-18s heart problems – but were less risky than catching virus

Mexican cartels are sending criminals to Ukraine to train them in drone warfare

This is how long it takes to get the state pension after retirement

As world leaders enter climate talks, people in poverty have the most at stake

Sandro Mamukelashvili settles in with Raptors

Morocco jails man for trafficking countrymen to Myanmar scam compound

Massive fireball erupts as UPS plane crashes at Kentucky airport, leaving 7 dead

Israel identifies remains of hostage handed over by Hamas in Gaza

Californian voters back new congressional map to boost Democrats in response to Texas ‘gerrymandering’

US sanctions bankers it says launder cybercrime money to pay for North Korea’s nuclear weapons

Zohran Mamdani's rise: From Queens lawmaker to New York City mayor

Reddit and Kick among major platforms added to Australia’s world-first social media ban for children

Trump ducks blame after big election night losses for Republicans from coast to coast: ‘Wasn’t on the ballot’

How to Stop the Genocide in Sudan

Why Zohran Mamdani’s victory will resonate beyond New York City

How would Zohran Mamdani’s dream economy actually work?