Comments, observations and thoughts from two bloggers on applied statistics, higher education and epidemiology. Joseph is an associate professor. Mark is a professional statistician and former math teacher.
Monday, October 19, 2026
Being able to run for at most fifteen seconds at a time may limit the range a bit.
Tesla turns to 50-year-old stunt as it tries to Roadster again arstechnica.com/cars/2026/10...
Let's get the obvious out of the way. To the extent that a car is defined as a vehicle for personal transportation, what we saw demonstrated last week was a flying car-shaped object (possibly with scare quotes around "flying"). The cold-gas thrusters that kept the "car" aloft for a few seconds didn't have anyone in it, partially because the passenger seats had been replaced with compressed air tanks, but mainly because the thrusters were so loud that anyone within by some accounts hundreds yards risked permanent hearing damage.
The basic tech is not new -- NASA has been using it since the sixties -- and there is effectively no chance that it will ever be used in a street-legal production model. This is not a flying car story or even a "flying" "car" story. The subject here in hype and who falls for it.
Joe Passantino writing for status [from the newsletter.] Make sure to read the whole excerpt:
On Thursday night, at a SpaceX test facility near Waco, Texas, Elon Musk unveiled his long-delayed TeslaRoadster to the world in a dazzling show before cameras. The wait was justified as well worth it.
You see, the company's supercar with rocket technology can fly. No, really. It's a flying car, just like we hoped the world might eventually look like in "Back To the Future." And it's going to change everything.
At least, that's what you might believe after reading some of the many media reports about Musk's latest publicity stunt.
"Elon Musk shows 'flying cars’ are real,'" CBS Newsreported. "Elon Musk unveils Tesla's new Roadster, and it can fly," ABC News heralded. "Tesla Has Built a Flying Car. It Will Blow Your Mind," Barron'sproclaimed.
While these are real headlines, Musk's latest creation is not really a flying car. Instead, it's a one-seat electric vehicle with a massive compressed-gas tank consuming the backseat and passenger chair to provide mere seconds of lift in the air. And while Tesla says the Roadster will enter production in 2028, other basic details, including when any of the supposed flying cars will be delivered was not announced. In fact, Tesla says the vehicle, which is not street legal, will be sold only by invitation, so you won't actually be able to buy one.
To top it all off, Tesla might not deliver the cars ever. That’s right, while Tesla is seeking as much as $250,000 to reserve a version of the car that never leaves the ground, the website’s fine print includes a disclaimer that the vehicle might not be delivered at all.
"You understand that Roadster is still under development at the time you entered into this Agreement and so we cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered," Tesla says in a reservation notice.
But who cares? These are mere minor issues with an otherwise totally awesome and real flying car that Tesla is definitely going to make and you can surely soar around in. Musk has a sterling track record of delivering on his promises, and never overstates his claims. So the media has every reason to take him at his word and promote his claims, uncritically—which is what many outlets did, willfully serving as cogs in Musk’s hype machine.
"This is truly amazing. Congratulations!" Skydance boss David Ellison tweeted at Musk after the unveiling.
...
Still, while the media was taken in by the spectacle of a car hurtling through the air, Wall Street saw through it. Tesla’s stock still fell 7% this week and is down nearly 20% year-to-date. And Musk has been keeping close watch on his companies’ shares. SpaceX was denied a fast track into the S&P 500 earlier this year, raising the prospect that Musk might try to merge Tesla and SpaceX together. A sports car outfitted with SpaceX thrusters makes for a pretty convenient advertisement for that marriage, which may be the most charitable way to understand Thursday’s spectacle.
For those keeping score, the mainstream press is still stuck at hyperloop levels of credulity while the markets are growing skeptical.
In a clearly AI-generated video, a Roadster is shown cruising down a bridge that spans a beautiful river valley. Using your car for a scenic roadtrip? That does sound useful. But no, that’s not what they’re getting at here. A part of the bridge instantly collapses ahead, so our quick-witted Roadster driver presses a big red button to activate its cold-gas thrusters and leap over to the other side in an epic slow-mo sequence.
“The Roadster could genuinely be a lifesaver in situations like these,” the Tesla fan wrote.
Let’s cut to the chase: there’s zero chance that something like this would happen, so using it to justify the Roadster’s existence is as feeble an exercise as thinking of comebacks you should’ve said after you lost an argument. Then again, as absurd as it is, we’re struggling of a better reason to have a briefly flying car. If it’s not to save your life, what’s it for?
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