Audio By Carbonatix
Elon Musk has said for years that he wants to offer a rocket thruster package to increase the already ludicrous speed of the second-generation Tesla Roadster.
But now he says he’s considering using the thrusters to make the Roadster hover, too.
“I want it to hover, and I was trying to figure out how to make this thing hover without, you know, killing people,” Musk told Joe Rogan in a new episode of of the Joe Rogan Experience released Thursday.
“Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground, or something like that. If you plummet it’ll blow out the suspension but you’re not gonna die.”
It’s an extraordinary idea, and one that is sure to create a headache for safety regulators if Musk actually goes through with it when the new Roadster hits the market in 2022.
Musk has a history of pushing boundaries with Tesla’s cars, though he seems more willing lately to make choices that could force regulators to act.
The redesigned Model S sedan and Model X SUV announced last month, for instance, each feature a U-shaped yoke steering wheel that was reportedly a surprise to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Those new vehicles will also automatically shift between park, reverse, neutral, and drive.
Rogan asked Musk whether the steering wheel was legal in the new interview.
“Yeah, I mean they use a yoke in Formula One,” Musk said.
“Yeah, but you’re not on the highway in a Formula One car,” Rogan responded. “I like driving like this, resting my hand on the top of the wheel.”
“Well, Autopilot is getting good enough that you won’t need to drive most of the time,” Musk said. “I find you can rest your hand on your knee... it works great.”
In 2013, Musk bought James Bond’s submarine car from The Spy Who Loved Me and pledged to make it transform.
He still owns the car, but has not responded to repeated requests for comment about whether he’s achieved that goal.
Latest Stories
-
T-bills auction: Demand improves as government exceeds target by about 76%; interest rates soften
28 seconds -
Ziope undertakes initiative to build a technologically inclined community, commissions self-help ICT lab
25 minutes -
ECG announces power outage in parts of Tema, Central Region due to network fault, maintenance
52 minutes -
When the Gospel Becomes a Weapon: The church, blackmail and the abuse of faith
1 hour -
JoyNews’ Jacqueline Ansomah Yeboah selected for UK Media Excellence for Emerging Technology Fellowship
2 hours -
Mental Health Alliance urges government to operationalise Mental Health Fund
2 hours -
Ghana–Holy See agreement heads to Parliament after Cabinet approval
2 hours -
Luv FM Corporate Games 2026: Kumasi Central Prisons, Amanfiman Bank win big amid fun
2 hours -
WAFU B U17: Ghana top Group A after win over Togo
3 hours -
Ho Central Mosque reopens amid unresolved leadership dispute that led to closure
4 hours -
Minority caucus questions GH¢16.4m in Ablakwa’s SA evacuation spending, demands independent audit
4 hours -
Gender Ministry meets Nana Akua Addo’s husband over domestic violence after hospital discharge
5 hours -
UG Vice-Chancellor urges swift operationalisation of National Research Fund
5 hours -
Pope Leo to have surgery after lump found in lung
5 hours -
Joseph Cudjoe writes: Ghana must break free from the dangerous mindset that natural resources are the foundation for wealth
6 hours