Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that he wants to add rocket thrusters to the Roadster four-seater sports car to make it hover.
What happened: Talking to Joe Rogan about the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast broadcast on Spotify Technology SA’s (NYSE: SPOT) service, the manager said: “I want to [the Roadster] to hover, and I was trying to figure out how to make this thing hover without, you know, killing people. “
“Maybe it can hover like a meter above the ground, or something. If you fall, the suspension will explode, but you will not die. “
Musk also touched the joystick, as the steering wheel added to the new Model S and Model X vehicles, which were announced last month.
Rogan asked him if those steering wheels were legal, to which he replied in the affirmative – “I mean, they use a stick in Formula One.”
Musk also gave some details about a possible future Tesla electric van, saying the automaker could install solar panels – thanks to the van’s large, flat surface.
“You could also have, perhaps, a roof where it’s solar, and then, when it’s stationary, [the roof] goes out and provides shade, and maybe triples its area or something. Now, by tripling the area and having a large, flat surface, you might be able to start carrying enough to start walking about 30 miles a day, ”said Musk.
Why it matters: In September last year, Musk created a buzz by smoking marijuana with the podcast host.
The National Road Traffic Safety Administration said last month that it had contacted Tesla about the possible use of the joystick for the Model S, CNet reported.
The agency said that “it is not possible to determine whether the steering wheel meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard”. If the automaker violates the standards, the stick may not be allowed.
A number of companies are working on electric vans, including Arrival, which plans to merge with CIIG Merger Corp (NASDAQ: CIIC) and Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) with support from Rivian.
See too: Biden says all federal fleet will be replaced with electric vehicles – Workhorse, Lordstown Surge
Price action: Tesla shares closed 0.85% at $ 811.66 on Thursday.
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Automobile Italia photo on Flickr
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