Technological entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, co-founder of the companies Oculus and Anduril Industries, along with the author of the YouTube channel JerryRig, have launched a public wager concerning the new generation of the Tesla Roadster. Their debate took place on the platform X, sparked by Elon Musk's announcements and promises regarding the technology in the new Roadster and the start of deliveries of such a 'flying' car.
At the heart of the disagreement is the promise of a 'SpaceX package', which would add rocket thrusters to the electric vehicle. The car would be able to jump and fly with this technology, as illustrated this week during the premiere of the new Roadster. According to Tesla's announcements, the additional thruster package would use air stored under extreme pressure in special tanks, allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than one second and perform maneuvers such as briefly lifting off the ground or landing softly.
Luckey believes in Musk's engineering vision and states that the technology will become operational on a production vehicle by 2028. His company, Anduril, develops advanced defensive and autonomous systems, and he considers the engineering challenges involved to be surmountable, with Musk having the resources to see the project through. Nelson, on the other hand, considers it an unrealistic concept that will never receive approval for road use or enter serial production. He points out that the extreme pressures, safety regulations, homologation for public roads, and the potential danger to pedestrians and other road users present insurmountable obstacles to such a concept.
The wager is for $10,000. Nelson offered: if Musk releases a car with rear thrusters to the public in 2028, he will buy and gift Luckey's Mod Retro Game Boy consoles, valued at $10,000. If Musk does not sell the car in 2028, Luckey will buy and gift Nelson's Paradox wheelchair, valued at $10,000. Luckey quickly accepted the wager, making it official.
The second generation of the Roadster has been awaited since 2017, when the concept was first shown but has since been abandoned. The new premiere has once again raised the question of whether Tesla will deliver a vehicle with capabilities that go beyond standard road standards.
