Can The Tesla Roadster Fly? Elon Musk Says ‘Maybe’ In ‘Short Hops’

Days after the Tesla Roadster 2.0 made a surprise appearance at the company’s semi-truck launch event Thursday, CEO Elon Musk suggested the fastest-accelerating car on Earth could even fly. He did qualify it with some caveats, though.

The car can already go from 0-60 miles an hour in 1.9 seconds (0-100 miles in 4.2 seconds), the only car in the world to be able to do that in under 2 seconds. What makes it even more impressive is the fact that the Roadster is all-electric. Referring to this acceleration as “the base model performance,” Musk also referred to a “next level” of performance that would be available as a “special option package.”

Will this special option unleash the power that will allow the car to fly short distances? Will the exhaust cylinders spew fire instead of smoke, burning those behind the car? Or will the sheer amount of smoke be blinding to the traffic all around? Or will the safety features Musk refers to take care of these issues that seem almost trifling in the face of an electric flying car? And exactly how short will these short hops be?

None of these questions have answers at present, but what we do know about the Tesla Roadster 2.0, other than its ridiculously fast acceleration, is this: its top speed is over 250 miles an hour, it can go beyond 600 miles on a single full charge, and that the four-seating car with its glass roof looks very good while doing so.

Tesla is launching two versions of Roadster 2.0. The Founders Series refers to the first 1,000 vehicles off the production line, that will cost a whopping $250,000, while the regular Roadsters that will come after will set buyers back by $200,000.

Reservations for the Roadster 2.0 are already open on the Tesla website, but it costs a lot just to do even that. For the Founders Series vehicles, potential buyers need to make an initial down payment of $5,000 using their credit cards, and may deposit the rest of the entire amount — $245,000 — within 10 days through wire transfer. Once Tesla receives the entire payment, your booking would be confirmed.

The regular Roadster also needs a $5,000 initial payment, with another $45,000 to be paid within 45 days. Once the company has received your $50,000, it will confirm your reservation, and you have to pay the balance when you get delivery of the vehicle.

Shares of Tesla closed 0.82 percent higher Friday on Nasdaq, a day after the event during which the company released the semi-truck and its most expensive car yet. On Friday, Walmart also announced it had preordered some of Tesla’s semi-trucks.