Now, Elon Musk claims Tesla Roadster will fly (literally)
What's the story
Elon Musk has a knack of saying some unbelievable stuff on Twitter, especially when it comes to his companies Tesla and SpaceX. But now, in a major development, the man who plans to colonize Mars has said Tesla's fancy sports car Roadster will actually hover over the ground. And, no, this is not any kind of joke, the billionaire confirmed. Here's what he said.
Musk's comments
Tesla working on Roadster's 'SpaceX package'
Tesla Roadster packs incredible capabilities, including the ability to go 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds and cover 600 miles on one charge. But, Musk claims these are basic specs and there will be more capable avatars of the car, like a 'SpaceX package' with small thrusters or rocket engines. He had tweeted this last year, but now, it seems this 'SpaceX package' is real.
Improvement
Seemingly, Roadster will hover with these thrusters
Back in June, Musk had said the thrusters will dramatically improve Roadster's "acceleration, top speed, braking, and cornering". But, in addition to this, he also claimed that the upgrade may even allow the car to "fly". Now, the billionaire has backed the claim by commenting "Roadster will actually do something like this" on a hovering car GIF.
Twitter Post
Here is Musk's tweet
The new Roadster will actually do something like this https://t.co/fIsTAYa4x8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2019
Speed
Plus, you can expect unreal acceleration
Along with hovering abilities, which are practically unbelievable, Musk also tweeted that the car would "basically accelerate at the limit of human endurance." He reiterated this wasn't any kind of joke and confirmed that Tesla will employ SpaceX's "cold gas thruster system with ultra high-pressure air in a composite over-wrapped pressure vessel in place of the 2 rear seats."
Release
When SpaceX package will be released?
Going by Musk's comment and history of doing the unbelievable (like launching the same car in space), we can definitely expect a hovering Roadster in the future. But, as of now, there's no saying when the company might actually bring this version into the market. Notably, Tesla plans to launch the standard $200,000 version of Roadster by 2020.