Tesla has unveiled a new Roadster, the new version of its original sports car. It’s the fastest production car ever made "period," according to CEO Elon Musk. USA TODAY
Want to take your Tesla for a joyride ... through the air?
In a tease that would be utterly ludicrous if it had come from practically anyone else, Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted Sunday that a "special upgrade" of the company's new Roadster supercar may be capable of briefly flying.
The first units of the Tesla Roadster, which Musk revealed Thursday at an event in California, are supposed to arrive in 2020 at a price of $250,000. He had already promised that the car would be the fastest production car of all time, featuring a top speed of more than 250 miles per hour.
But Musk said Sunday on Twitter that a "special upgrade package" could "enable it to fly short hops."
It's "certainly possible," Musk said. "Just a question of safety. Rocket tech applied to a car opens up revolutionary possibilities."
And Musk knows a thing or two about rockets. He is also CEO of SpaceX, which makes and flies rockets for commercial and government space ventures.
But the pursuit of a flying car would mark a turnabout for Musk, who has previously expressed skepticism about the technology.
"There is a challenge with flying cars in that they'll be quite noisy, the wind force generated will be very high," he said earlier this year at TED Talks.
And from a practical perspective: "If something's flying over your head and there's a whole bunch of flying cars going all over the place, that is not an anxiety-reducing situation," Musk said at the time. "You're thinking, 'Did they service their hubcap, or is it going to come off and guillotine me?'"
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Still, if there's one thing that can be said about Musk, it's that he doesn't want to be late to the party. Other tech and auto companies, including Uber and Toyota, have begun working on flying cars.
The Roadster, an electric vehicle that would be able to travel 620 miles on a single charge, was already set to achieve incredible speeds. Tesla said the base version of the vehicle would go from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.
Believe it or not, the vehicle would be street legal.
Flying it, however? Maybe not. You might need to head to the track for that.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
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