Tesla Roadster flight demonstration sparks memes and regulatory questions

Tesla demonstrated an unoccupied next-generation Roadster leaving the ground at SpaceX’s rocket development test facility in McGregor, Texas, on Thursday. The display prompted online jokes about a flying car, but it also raised questions about whether such a vehicle could legally operate beyond a controlled demonstration.

Business Insider reported that the Roadster drove up a curved ramp, became airborne, used thrusters, flipped and landed. WIRED described the flight as covering a few dozen feet. The vehicle had no occupant; Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said that was “to make sure we don’t kill anyone,” according to WIRED.

How the Roadster demonstration became a meme

The Mirror reported that Tesla vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy said, “Flying cars are real,” after the demonstration. Musk also posted, “Turns out the future does have flying cars,” the Mirror reported. Those descriptions followed a staged flight by a demonstration vehicle, rather than the launch of a car approved to fly on public roads.

What flying the Roadster could require

Musk acknowledged a practical obstacle at the event. “I’m not sure it’s necessarily legal in all jurisdictions,” he said, according to WIRED, which also quoted him calling the vehicle “not necessarily a safety-optimized car.” Those remarks leave the demonstration’s implications for everyday use open.

Scott Miller, an airline pilot and lecturer at San José State University, told WIRED that a machine leaving the ground would bring Federal Aviation Administration jurisdiction and a new set of regulatory issues. WIRED also reported expert concerns about rules for taking off and landing on roads and whether a driver would need an aviation license. The FAA had not immediately responded to WIRED’s request for comment.

The Mirror attributed to Tesla’s website a description of an invite-only Roadster Rocket version with cold-gas thrusters that is not approved for public road use. That restriction matters when assessing what the Texas display means for customers: a vehicle capable of a brief flight at a test facility has not thereby gained permission to fly from a street.

WIRED reported that the Roadster is slated for production in 2028 and does not yet have a price. Miller said that bringing the demonstrated capability into production would be an impressive engineering and manufacturing achievement. For now, the memes concern a demonstration, while the proposed production vehicle and the permissions it might need remain future questions.