Tesla’s flying Roadster with cold rockets is mostly hot air
The US automaker should dial down on the stunts and focus on its fundamentals
[SINGAPORE] On Oct 15, Tesla displayed the long-delayed second-generation of its Roadster sports car. Fitted with rockets – cold gas thrusters (CGTs) – the machine climbed an inverted ramp, did a flip and landed intact.
At the launch, CEO Elon Musk declared: “Flying cars are real. It’s got altitude controls, thrusters and main thrusters in the rear. So it can basically fly like a rocket.”
It’s just the type of stunt aimed at drawing funding, but the Roadster’s commercial viability is far from certain.
