Elon Musk wants to turn Tesla Roadster into a hover car.
Elon Musk wants to turn Tesla Roadster into a hover car
Elon Musk was on Joe Rogan's podcast for the third time, and you know what that means: wacky, unfiltered ideas directly from the mind of the world's richest man.
Some were fairly pedestrian; for example, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO described a solar-powered electric van, saying it makes more sense to use solar panels on a van than a car because of the larger surface area on its roof. And as is mandatory, some of the stuff he shared was very typically Muskian; for example, right at the beginning of the podcast Musk said he told SpaceX engineers to make the top of the Starship spacecraft "pointier" because of a quote from Sasha Baron Cohen movie The Dictator.
On the topic of Cybertruck and why it's designed the way it is, Musk said they wanted to build "a tank from the future — you can see that bit, together with a probable explanation of why the Cybetruck's window broke during the infamous steel ball demo, in the clip below.
The most notable discussion on The Joe Rogan Experience, in terms of actual upcoming products, involved Musk's idea about a car — precisely, Tesla's upcoming Roadster supercar — that hovers in the air.
SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's explosive SpaceX rocket test reportedly violated its FAA license
The important part of that for Musk (and we agree) is how to make the car hover without killing people.
"Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground (...) If you plummet, it'll blow out the suspension, but you're not gonna die," he told Rogan. "(It could be) maybe six feet high...you're not gonna die here." Musk said the car could actually move while hovering, and it could go pretty fast, while also repeating his idea about adding rocket engines to the Roadster.
As for when the Roadster (the non-hovering version, we assume) could become available, Musk confirmed to Rogan that the Roadster should reach customers in 2022.
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I love the idea of flying cars...I’m less enthusiastic about the idea of people behind the wheel of them. Have you seen the way people drive on the ground? Cars will be going through the roofs of houses everyday. It’ll be a bloodbath lol
ReplyDeleteHas to be the Cybertruck, so...
ReplyDeletehttp://gph.is/1LGHDFF
What would you do for brakes ;D
ReplyDeleteNo idea, but he’s a lot smarter than me so I’m sure it’s crossed his mind.
Deleteyeah, I mean everyone knows things like helicopters and planes can't stop moving, so clearly the same will be true with hover vehicles
DeleteHe really gets on my nerves. He's far from a visionary and has simply rehashed old ideas like the "hyperloop", a concept that has been around since the 1850s. He's sort of a hack.
ReplyDeleteYep. A very, very rich hack.
DeleteWell he invented the a.t.m banking program that the entire world uses..so you sound dumb
DeleteLol. No, um actually he did not. But it's funny you think that, Jesse.
Deletelet me know once you have billion of usd like him ;D
Deletei wish i could hack half as well..just sayin
Deletehe's making things happen. What have you done for society?
DeleteI would think the sound levels of 3-tons of compressed air pressure being released in just a few seconds may be a problem. I’m guessing a not for use on public roads disclaimer would apply.
ReplyDeleteI have a wacky idea!!! How about making a version that is actually affordable to the majority of drivers out there that currently can't afford anything but used? You want to save the environment and get people off of fossil fuels? Then you need CHEAP cars because most people can't afford anything over a few grand. It will take 50 years for used EV vehicles to reach low enough prices on the used market for most people to finally buy.
ReplyDeleteThe average cost of a new car was $40k last year. The model 3 and model y start at less than $40 (36 and 39 I think). If the green act is passed, Tesla and GM would qualify for the ev credit again which would drop the price to $29 and $32 after the credit.
DeleteA Tesla model 3 at $36 has a lower 5 year cost of ownership than a $25k Toyota Camary because of the lower depreciation and virtually no maintenance costs and lower fuel costs. Edmunds and Motortrend confirmed that.
Well the rocket powered hover mode is stupid but I think Tesla still provides a valuable service to the budget electric vehicle market. Whatever range and performance is offered in a $100k plus Tesla ends up being offered in a $75k car 4-5 years later, a $50k car 5-7 years later, and a $30k car 7-10 years later.
DeleteThe current budget friendly Nissan Leaf has range comparable to the first generation Tesla Model S and it's even starting to get close 0-60 time.
It’s harder to build a million budget cars than dozens of bespoke high end cars. Where other manufacturers tried to make the budget car first and failed, Musk sold the premium low volume cars first. High end car owners are less picky as most have other cars to use if something goes wrong, and overlook quirky features over unique looks and outright speed. Super cars are often full of things that would irritate a daily driver.
DeleteAlso, Telsa is working on a $25k car, but making that work depends on getting the battery price point and production capacity to the next level. Once you can make lots of cheap batteries that last 20+ years, a lot of possibility opens up.
Musk is a visionary, that is why he is the richest man in the world.
ReplyDeleteAw, Elon, my favorite crazy billionaire...
ReplyDeleteI say the only feasible way for having automobiles hover, is to levitate them with magnets. The roads/highways would have to be equipped with magnets as well as the hovering cars. It would be much like the super fast roller coasters of today, which would limit the ease of getting on a road and so forth. But as technology advances, we could see getting on a road and switching lanes, turning onto other streets and so forth, much easier in the future. The lack of friction alone would save on energy consumption, big time!
ReplyDeleteLow friction is great, at least until you need to stop.
DeleteSo much for the paint on every car around it. They'll be sand blasted as soon as the thrusters are activated.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Jetson...here we come!
ReplyDeleteSo, does it become illegal at the point it surpasses the speed limit or the moment the license plate flips down and becomes unreadable?
ReplyDeleteThanks, but no thanks. I watched his latest SpaceX landing last week.
ReplyDeleteFor a test vehicle that wasn’t expected to survive? Watch a falcon 9 launch, they’ve landed those over 70 times. How many times have Boeing or lockeed Martin landed a rocket? Or nasa? None...0.... zilch LOL
DeleteJust use an antigravity generator. Too simple maybe?
ReplyDeleteHow many peyote buttons would make this seem like a good idea? (Asking for a friend.)
ReplyDeleteIf the vehicle dispensed peyote buttons to the driver, the hover feature wouldn't be needed. You may be onto something.
DeleteIt must suck to be one of his engineers. "Mr Musk, sir, we've completed the new Roaster design! ... Wait ... What!?"
ReplyDelete"hover without, you know, killing people," LOL.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if he could do that but I bet he has issues with cross wind and wind under the car. 3 feet above the ground is not much.
I hope he can do it and quickly.
That is good for when you drive off a cliff!
ReplyDeleteI see a 9 figure lawsuit in the making by the first moron that wrecks a augmented thrust Tesla
ReplyDelete