Elon Musk thinks flying cars are a dumb idea

He's explained why he doesn't think we should be filling our city skies with them.

by | Published on 12th Jun 2023

Elon Musk might be the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, but he’s not buying into the idea of flying cars.

Former president Donald Trump was adamant the United States, not China, would lead the revolution in air mobility.

But, Musk isn’t having any of it.

In fact, he’s gone as far as saying that flying cars are a dumb idea, at least for city travel.

READ MORE! Which of these crazy Elon Musk facts are actually true?

“Obviously, I like flying things,” Musk told Bloomberg.

“But it’s difficult to imagine the flying car becoming a scalable solution.”

One of his major concerns is fender-benders up in the air sending down debris that could injure people.

“If somebody doesn’t maintain their flying car, it could drop a hubcap and guillotine you,” Musk said.

“Your anxiety level will not decrease as a result of things that weigh a lot buzzing around your head.”

To be fair, he does have a point.

It’s easy to get carried away with the idea our future will look like The Jetsons, but the reality is these are the things that need to be considered.

Elon Musk also noted the noise problem flying cars would likely create.

Flying cars would need to generate significant downward force to keep them from falling, which would mean plenty of wind and noise.

Once again, another valid point.

Trump seemed less phased by these concerns and more interested in trying to get one over on China.

In a video earlier this year pushing for futuristic cities and flying cars, the former president and possibly future president said America had “lost its boldness,” which he vowed he would get back.

As well as seeing a big opportunity in transportation, Trump said he would launch a contest to charter up to 10 new “freedom cities” each about the size of Washington D.C.

Check out the XPeng X2 – the world’s first flying car!

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Adam Gray is an experienced motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with motor manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for supercarblondie.com. Before joining the Supercar Blondie team, Adam was Motoring Editor for Portfolio North magazine, North East Motoring Editor at Reach plc, and provided motoring content on a freelance basis to several lifestyle and business publications in the North of England. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.

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