A Tesla Roadster that can drive on the ceiling and flip in the air has caused a global sensation. At the same time, many questions have arisen about the practical use of such a car. Why Musk actually lifted the car into the air - in this RIA Novosti report.
Footage from the SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, has circled the world. In it, the car climbs a specially curved ramp: first it drives up a vertical wall, then it stops in an upside-down position. Powerful fans operating on the suction-cup principle create downforce. After that, the car detaches from the "ceiling" and, using compressed-air engines, flips in the air, landing softly on four wheels.
SpaceX has used such engines for many years - they adjust the orientation in space of Falcon 9 launch vehicles as they return to Earth.
The second trick proved no less spectacular: the car lifted off the surface, performed a somersault and jumped over several Tesla cars lined up in a row, including a cargo drone.
In the third part of the show, the Roadster accelerated to 100 kilometers per hour in 0.81 seconds. That is not the limit: the claimed figure is 0.59 seconds.
The unusual car is the product of a love affair between two of Elon Musk's main companies.
"This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers, who collaborated closely to create something you haven't seen in any movie, better than any James Bond car," Musk said at the presentation. "I have never seen anything like it. You know, when I proposed this to the team, I thought: have I lost my mind?"
Spectators were specially invited to the test site so they could see for themselves that this was not the work of AI. True, the public was hundreds of meters from the stage - for safety reasons. A mannequin was behind the wheel of the Tesla Roadster. All the car's maneuvers were pre-programmed.
The show caused not only delight among the public but also bewilderment: how applicable are such technological solutions in real life? Even if such cars do not fly over public roads, they pose a threat both to those inside and to those outside.
The air flying out of the cold-gas rocket nozzles (SpaceX technology) at the rear of the Tesla Roadster at supersonic speed is deadly to those around. These nozzles create a total thrust of more than 80 kilonewtons. If a person were behind the car at the moment of launch, they would receive a blast of air with a force of nine tonnes - in destructive power this is comparable to a passenger car instantly hitting a wall at a speed of 50-60 kilometers per hour.
And acceleration to 100 kilometers per hour in half a second causes g-forces that only a trained person can withstand.
However, the automaker quickly clarified that most road users are not at risk from such dangers. The Roadster is being prepared in three configurations. All will get the "suction cups," but only one of the versions - Rocket, a single-seater with ten gas engines located around the perimeter - will be able to perform aerial somersaults and other tricks, as well as accelerate to 100 in 0.56 seconds and reach a speed of 370 kilometers per hour. The "Rocket" will not go on open sale; it will be distributed exclusively by invitation. Most likely, among auto bloggers.
The two-seat Thrust is intended for racing tracks. Cold-gas engines - only at the rear. Acceleration to 97 kilometers per hour - 0.9 seconds. Pre-order price - 250 thousand dollars.
The mass-market Performance will keep only the fans, which, together with active aerodynamics, will press the car to the road - this will improve handling at high speeds. No gas engines are provided. Also a two-seater (although a four-seat Roadster was previously promised). Acceleration to 97 kilometers per hour - 1.6 seconds, range - more than 480 kilometers. Pre-order price - 50 thousand dollars. Production is set to begin in 2028.
It should be noted that other electric cars have already demonstrated higher figures. For example, the McMurtry Sp?irling accelerates to 100 in one and a half seconds - by the way, this supercar can also drive on the ceiling. And its grip on the road is better. And the Chinese Zeekr in certain modifications has a range of 1032 kilometers.
But competitors, it seems, have still never had rocket engines.
Although the Tesla Roadster is called "flying," judging by everything, it is not yet ready for sustained flight. Compressed-air cylinders allow it to rise into the air for a short time and land smoothly. Therefore, it would be more accurate to call the car "jumping."
Cars capable of moving through the air are an almost mandatory attribute of science fiction. "Blade Runner," "The Fifth Element" and many other films have cemented in the public consciousness the idea that the future will arrive when cars learn to fly. And such technology has indeed been attempted many times. But most projects ended at the prototype stage.
According to experts, this idea has significant technical, legislative and economic limitations.
"A wing, thrust, fuel - that means weight and volume. The safer and more autonomous the aircraft, the heavier it is and the smaller the payload. A vicious circle: to fly comfortably, you need more energy, and for that you need to increase weight," says Elvira Ramazanova, a candidate of technical sciences and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of Russia.
Another factor is regulation.
"You have to pass both automotive and aviation certification at the same time. These are two different agencies, different sets of requirements, test cycles," the expert continues.
And even if a car can fly, it has no economic niche: for the city there are the metro, taxis and ordinary cars, for intercity travel - airplanes, for freight - logistics. A flying car does not win in any of these scenarios in terms of price or convenience.
Experts believe the "flying" Roadster will find its buyer, but will remain a niche product.
"The potential client is more likely a collector, a technology enthusiast or a person who is ready to pay for a rare and expensive experience. For the mass market, such a design is not yet suitable: the issues of safety, certification, maintenance and operation are too complex," explains Ilya Rashkin, founder and CEO of automaker EVM (the UMO 5 electric car and the UMO 8 hybrid crossover).
According to auto expert Elena Lisovskaya, the show with the "flying car" was staged to attract attention to the brand.
"Such developments can be compared to concept cars that companies show at exhibitions. No one expects them to go into production in exactly that form. But it generates a multitude of news hooks. The flying Tesla Roadster is primarily a way to demonstrate that the company is developing, mastering new technologies and claiming leadership in certain areas. But there is no practical sense in these solutions," she says.
And she adds: in part, such shows are needed by Tesla to strengthen its position in fierce competition with numerous Chinese electric car manufacturers.
"By the way, they too offer many striking technological solutions: cars capable of moving sideways, floating, projecting images onto the road surface and the like. But a spectacular demonstration does not yet mean success. The Chinese market is oversaturated. Some companies that managed to attract attention with loud new products find themselves on the brink of bankruptcy or leave the market a few years later," the auto expert emphasizes.
What the race of spectacular but not always practical innovations will ultimately lead to is unknown. Potential buyers watch enthusiastically from the sidelines - not everyone is ready to spend money. On social media people joke: let it first prove itself in a taxi.