Elon Musk and Tesla unveil world's first flying car with thrilling demonstration
Elon Musk and Tesla unveil world's first flying car with thrilling demonstration
Hannah Broughton, Maria Villarroel Fri, October 16, 2026 at 3:34 PM UTC
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Tesla launches 'flying' Roadster sports EV as Elon Musk hails 'the future' (Image: Tesla)The car was unveiled in Texas, as Musk told viewers it could 'basically fly like a rocket'
Tesla's Elon Musk has unveiled the "world's first flying car" this week, with an action-packed demonstration on Thursday night (October 15).
The Tesla Roadster could be seen in video clips driving up an upside-down ramp before flipping in the air and falling back to the ground. While Musk assured people that the car was controlled remotely "to make sure we don't kill anyone," he added that it would "crush every track record that has ever existed."
According to Musk, the Roadster will be available by 2028. He added, "It can basically fly like a rocket. It could do rolls. It could do crazy gymnastics. Whatever you want, really."
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The South African billionaire told the audience at the event in McGregor, Texas, "Flying cars are real. It's got altitude controls, thrusters, and main thrusters in the rear." However, he added that the car was "not necessarily a safety-optimized car, but it takes the fun meter to 11 out of ten."
The Texas event did not feature a driver, as Musk said Tesla wanted "to make sure we don't kill anyone." He added: "Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It'll probably work, but if it doesn't work, we're at a safe distance."
Elon Musk's flying car (Image: @elonmusk)
The Texas event did not feature a driver, as Musk said Tesla wanted "to make sure we don't kill anyone." He added: "Success is not guaranteed. I mean that. It'll probably work, but if it doesn't work, we're at a safe distance."
Last year, while appearing on the Joe Rogan show, Musk announced that fellow billionaire and former PayPal colleague Peter Thiel wanted a flying car.
"My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don't have flying cars," he said. "I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one." This, despite Musk expressing some skepticism in 2014 about the future of flying vehicles.
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A grab taken on October 16, 2026 from a live feed released by Tesla shows the Roadster (Image: Tesla/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla says that the Roadster can also accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in just 0.81 seconds, while hitting a top speed of 230mph. According to engineers at the car manufacturer, the Roadster uses a suction fan system under the car that generates up to 2G of downforce, making it stick to the road, according to Car Sales.
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During Thursday's event, the car used jets to leap over a line of cars parked side by side on the ground. It accelerated to 60 mph as it passed over the cars in midair. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether drivers will be able to fly rather than hop over cars while driving at different speeds for longer periods.
Following the demonstration, the world's first trillionaire told enthusiastic Tesla fans, "We need an audience to prove that it's not AI or SI. So you guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes, because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe."
Tesla launches 'flying' Roadster sports EV as Elon Musk hails 'the future' (Image: Tesla)
At the moment, customers can pay a refundable $50,000 deposit on a "performance" model via the "Reserve Your Roadster" webpage. They can also reserve a model which has a "thrust" component and "acceleration thrusters: for $250,000.
So far, however, the vehicle's full price is not available, and the car itself may not even be legal to use on the roads. "I'm not sure it's necessarily legal in all jurisdictions," said Musk.
Tesla is not the only company that has made advancements in flying vehicles in recent years. Flying cars, or eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing), are aircraft that use electric motors to hover, take off, and land vertically like a helicopter, while transitioning to or flying like a fixed-wing plane or compact vehicle.
Though several companies have pursued the idea in recent years, there are still numerous engineering roadblocks that may prevent flying cars from hitting the streets anytime soon.
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"Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that," Roger Connor, curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, said following the Tesla event. "Inevitably, something that is a hybrid between the two is going to be a poor performing aircraft and a poor performing vehicle, and also quite expensive."
Other experts have cast doubt on the possibility of Musk's car actually engaging in long-term flight, rather than a quick "hop" over other cars. For instance, Alef CEO Jim Dukhovny said that even if the Roadster can get off the ground, it does not necessarily mean it can truly "fly."
"It absolutely is 100% feasible," he said. "That being said, the hardest part on all eVTOLs, and for us, it's a transition from (rising) vertical to (moving) forward. It needs to be extremely careful, making sure you do not lose lift, and making sure it's very stable."
"We're not talking about sustained flight," he said. "We are literally talking about hopping."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
