Tesla and SpaceX boss, Elon Musk, has unveiled a new Tesla Roadster sports car that can jump into the air using special air jets.
Musk unveiled the vehicle on Thursday at a SpaceX test facility in Texas, where it performed several stunts, including climbing a steep ramp, flipping in the air and landing with the help of air jets.
The two-seater car also jumped over a line of parked Tesla vehicles during the demonstration.
Musk claimed that the Roadster could reach 60 miles per hour in less than one second with the help of jets fitted at the rear of the vehicle.
No driver was inside the car during the demonstration. Musk said the decision was taken to prevent injuries in case anything went wrong.
“Success is not guaranteed,” he told the audience. “I mean that. It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance.”
The vehicle reportedly uses 10 nozzles and high-pressure air tanks to lift itself off the ground and move at high speed.
Musk said the technology was developed through a partnership between Tesla, which makes electric vehicles, and SpaceX, his space company.
He also said the Roadster would go into production in 2028.
However, the demonstration did not prove that the car could remain in the air for long periods or travel long distances like a conventional aircraft.
Musk told the audience that he wanted to show that the technology was real and not something created with artificial intelligence or special effects
Despite the demonstration, experts have raised questions about the cost, safety and challenges of building a vehicle that can work both on roads and in the air.
A curator for vertical flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Roger Connor, told CNN that designing a vehicle for both purposes would be difficult.
“Aircraft are extremely sensitive to weight, whereas with ground vehicles you want them to have bumpers and crumple zones and all that,” Connor said.
He explained that the features needed to make a car safe on the road could make it too heavy to fly easily.
Connor also warned that a vehicle designed to serve both purposes might be expensive and could struggle to perform well as either a car or an aircraft.
Tesla is not the only company trying to develop a flying car.
California-based startup Alef is working on a vehicle that uses eight propellers to lift off the ground. The vehicle weighs 254 pounds, can carry only one person and has limits on the weight of its passenger.
Alef Chief Executive Officer Jim Dukhovny told CNN before Tesla’s demonstration that getting a vehicle off the ground did not automatically mean it could fly effectively.
He said one major challenge for electric aircraft that take off vertically was moving from an upward lift to forward flight without losing stability.
Connor also questioned whether a road-legal vehicle like the Tesla Roadster could remain in the air over long distances.
“We’re not talking about sustained flight,” he said. “We are literally talking about hopping.”
