Elon Musk said for years that he wants to offer a rocket propulsion package to increase the already ridiculous speed of the second generation Tesla Roadster. But now he says he is considering using the thrusters to make the Roadster hover too.
“I want it to be hovering, 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 the Joe Rogan Experience released on Thursday. “Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground, or something. If you fall, the suspension will explode, but you will not die. “
It is an extraordinary idea and one that will certainly create a headache for safety regulators if Musk really goes ahead when the new Roadster hits the market in 2022.
Musk has a history of pushing boundaries with Tesla cars, although he seems more willing to make choices these days that may force regulators to act. The redesigned Model S sedan and Model X SUV announced last month, for example, each feature a U-shaped steering wheel that was supposedly a surprise to the National Road Traffic Safety Administration. These new vehicles will also automatically switch between parking, reversing, neutral and driving.
Rogan asked Musk if the wheel was cool in the new interview.
“Yes, I mean, they use a stick in Formula 1,” said Musk.
“Yes, but you are not on the highway in a Formula One car,” Rogan replied. “I like to drive like that, resting my hand on top of the steering wheel.”
“Well, autopilot is getting good enough that you don’t have to drive most of the time,” said Musk. “I think you can rest your hand on your knee … it works very well.”
In 2013, Musk purchased the James Bond submarine car from The spy who loved me and pledged to transform it. He still own the car, but did not respond to repeated requests for to comment on whether he achieved that goal.