Elon Musk claims the Tesla Roadster will be able to fly

ELON MUSK has made headlines yet again, after claiming the new Tesla Roadster will be able to fly.

Responding to a user on Twitter, the Tesla founder claimed the upcoming pure-electric sports car would be available with an optional array of thrusters, which would allow the Roadster to take to the skies, à la the DeLorean time machine from the Back To The Future films.

The new Roadster will actually do something like this https://t.co/fIsTAYa4x8

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2019

According to Musk, the thrusters will be derived from the same technology used in the SpaceX reusable rocket programme. Tesla Roadster buyers who want to hover in their pure-electric performance vehicle will need to compromise the car’s practicality, however. In order to have enough gas to keep the car in the air, the two rear seats have to make way for a “composite over-wrapped pressure vessel”.

I’m not. Will use SpaceX cold gas thruster system with ultra high pressure air in a composite over-wrapped pressure vessel in place of the 2 rear seats.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2019

Regardless of whether it’s fitted with rocket-derived tech, the Tesla Roadster is thought to be a phenomenally quick performance vehicle. Tesla claims the car can accelerate to 60mph from a standstill in 1.9 seconds, and reach a top speed in excess of 250mph.

First announced in November 2017, the new Tesla Roadster is currently scheduled to go on sale sometime in 2020. Orders for the electric sports car are being accepted. Full UK prices haven’t been confirmed yet, but British buyers can reserve their own Roadster with a £38,000 deposit (or a whopping £189,000 if they go for the limited-edition “Founder Series” version).

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