In an ieresting move, Elon Musk has once again promised to make cars fly. Appearing on the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the famous billionaire made another bold claim and said he hopes to showcase a prototype of a flying car before the end of the year. If that sounds familiar, you should know that Musk has been talking about flying cars since at least 2014, and as with many of his big ideas, from Mars colonies to hyperloop capsules, the timeline for their realization always oscillates somewhere between “soon” and “eveually.”
The topic came up when Rogan asked Elon Musk about the long-delayed Tesla Roadster. Roadster is the second generation sports car that was first produced between 2008 and 2012. The car was originally supposed to hit the market in 2020, but it’s still stuck in the next-year cycle that Musk was hiing at. When asked by Rogan when the world might finally see the new Roadster, Musk began hiing at something much bigger. He paused for a mome before concluding, saying, “We’re getting close to the prototype show. What I can guaraee is that this product demo will be unforgettable, unforgettable.”
However, Rogan seemed confused and asked what exactly makes it unforgettable. Musk grinned and replied, “For better or for worse, it will be unforgettable.” It wasn’t uil later in the conversation that Musk finally dropped the hi everyone was waiting for: “Well, you know, my friend Peter Thiel once said that there will be flying cars in the future, but we don’t have flying cars.”
The possibility of producing a flying roadster
When Rogan asked if the vehicle would have retractable wings, Musk dodged the question, joking that he wouldn’t be able to reveal the car before the unveiling, but promised that it had a chance to be the most memorable product launch ever. He added that he hopes to unveil this flying car before the end of the year, although he himself could not resist emphasizing the word “I hope”. If we wa to cite history, this claim carries a heavy burden. Musk has a habit of touting prototypes years before they’re even close to production.
The tech billionaire once promised to reinve public transportation with his high-speed Hyperloop, a train inside a vacuum tube that could transport passengers between cities at speeds of 1,100 kilometers per hour. But what was the result? A short tunnel in Las Vegas where human-corolled Tesla cars zip through traffic at moderate speeds. So, a prototype flying roadster might be built, but that doesn’t mean a commercial flying car is on the way. Even Musk’s Cybercab concept, a two-seater self-driving vehicle unveiled last year, has yet to hit the market. Meanwhile, his robot taxis in the report still rely on human driving to maiain safety.
A car that Musk calls crazy technology
During the ierview, Musk hied that whatever the new roadster is, it might stretch the definition of a car. He said, “You know, we have to make sure it works. It’s like crazy technology we have in this car. Crazy technology!” When Rogan asked if the product was differe from what was previously announced, Musk confirmed, saying, “This car has crazy technology. Like, is it a car at all? I’m not sure, but it’s going to look like one. I’d say it’s crazier than something James Bond made. If you take all the James Bond cars and put them together, it’s even crazier.”
During the ierview, Musk hied that whatever the new roadster is, it might stretch the definition of a car. He said, “You know, we have to make sure it works. It’s like crazy technology we have in this car. Crazy technology!” When Rogan asked if the product was differe from what was previously announced, Musk confirmed, saying, “This car has crazy technology. Like, is it a car at all? I’m not sure, but it’s going to look like one. I’d say it’s crazier than something James Bond made. If you take all the James Bond cars and put them together, it’s even crazier.”
These commes have led some to speculate that Tesla’s mysterious new project may be a VTOL (vertical flight) vehicle, rather than a regular car. Often described as flying cars, these planes do not actually travel on roads, but take off and land vertically; More like helicopters. Of course, Rogan said that information was limited, while Musk offered to show him the prototype in person. Whether this actually happens or not is a matter of speculation.
Flying cars have existed in some form since the 1950s, but none have ever become a reality, mainly because flying is much more complicated and corolled than driving. Unless the Musk Roadster flies itself, it will require a licensed pilot to fly. So, Musk might show off a product with wings or a motor before the end of 2025. However, whether it’s a revolutionary leap or a distraction from Tesla’s declining sales and political coroversy, like Musk’s other claims, is in the air.
Source: IndiaToday
