Elon Musk made another headline-grabbing statement during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s popular program. While answering questions about the long-awaited second-generation Tesla Roadster, the Tesla CEO surprisingly brought up “flying cars.” Musk stated that he hopes to unveil a flying vehicle prototype “before the end of the year.”
Delayed Roadster forgotten: Elon Musk’s agenda: “Flying car”
During the program, Rogan asked Musk about the latest status of the Roadster. Tesla first unveiled the sports car in 2017, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2020. However, production has been delayed numerous times. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently admitted that he struggled to recoup his $50,000 deposit from 2018. Musk avoided providing any detailed information about the Roadster’s current status.
Instead of detailing the Roadster, Musk stated that they were close to an “unforgettable” product demo. He reminded him of his friend Peter Thiel’s words: “There’s supposed to be flying cars in the future, but we still don’t have any.” Musk added, “If Peter wants a flying car, we should be able to buy one.”
Musk declined to share all the details about the vehicle they’re developing in the program. However, he claimed that the vehicle Tesla is working on includes “crazy, crazy technology.” Musk replied, “I’m not sure if it’s a car, but it looks like one.” He declined to answer Rogan’s questions about whether the vehicle would have “expandable wings” or VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) capability.
Elon Musk has been talking about developing flying cars since 2014. However, the CEO is known for his overly optimistic and ambitious timelines, not only for Tesla but also for his other companies like SpaceX. For example, the aforementioned Roadster model has still not entered production. Similarly, the first launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy took place five years later than Musk predicted.
Given this, even if Tesla unveils a prototype by the end of the year, the vehicle could still require significant changes and improvements before it’s ready for mass production. What are your thoughts on Elon Musk’s ambitious new promise?
