Elon Musk Is Building Flying Cars. And Here's The Irony Of It

Elon Musk took to Twitter on Friday to say that the upcoming Tesla Roadster will be able to fly, albeit very briefly. His tweet only confirms what the Tesla chief has been hinting at for years - the possibility of flying cars becoming a reality very soon. In 2019, he had shared a GIF of a levitating car and said, "The new Roadster will actually do something like this." It was followed by a tweet where Mr Musk explained that Tesla would use SpaceX technology and add new thrusters to the Roadster, giving it the ability to fly. 

This time, Mr Musk responded to a video of the fiery red Roadster prototype and wrote: "This will actually be able to fly very briefly."

The irony of it, Mr Musk added, is that he "always laughed at flying cars" and was now making one himself.

This will actually be able to fly very briefly. I always laughed at flying cars & now making one. Fate ???? irony haha.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2021

In a separate tweet, Elon Musk implicitly confirmed that the top acceleration of the upcoming Roadster's rocket thruster option will be 0-60mph (or 96.5km/hr) in 1.1 seconds. 

When a Twitter user asked him if it was true that the new Roadster would be able to do 
0-60 mph acceleration in a mind-boggling 1.1 seconds, Elon Musk responded by saying that it was true for the the SpaceX rocket thruster option package.

"Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. It will be safe, but very intense," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted. "Probably not wise for those with a medical condition - same as a hardcore roller coaster," he added. 

Yes, with the SpaceX rocket thruster option package. It will be safe, but very intense. Probably not wise for those with a medical condition – same as a hardcore roller coaster.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2021

According to Electrek, a prototype of the next-generation Tesla Roadster is currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Originally unveiled in 2017, it is expected to enter the market in 2022.