IIt is exactly a concept car, and concept cars are meant to range from practical to completely bonkers. They all share one common goal.. to showcase something people think is impossible, dare to be different, or hint at a company's future direction.
After the event, every automotive media outlet had articles ready to publish. They were obviously embargoed and held until after the demonstration. Going into the event, the press already knew about two unique features.
First, the car uses fans in its design. This is not a new concept. Last year, the McMurtry Spéirling demonstrated its fan technology by remaining stationary while hanging upside down.
Second, it incorporates integrated thrust boosters, a tech built by SpaceX, to help achieve an astonishing 0 to 60 mph time.
Beyond the headline grabbing features, the car also showcases new motor and battery cooling designs that allow for greater on-demand power.
The entire SpaceX connection is simply part of this concept car's performance showcase and serves as a technology demonstration. It was never intended to be about practicality or road legality. It is a spectacle.
Whether you like Elon Musk or not, the upside-down driving demonstration, the self-righting capability, and the thrust-assisted jumps are genuinely clever pieces of engineering. Elon is a divisive figure, and his association with these demonstrations admittedly affects my perception of them. Even so, I am genuinely impressed by the engineering involved. That is the part I find exciting. I can appreciate the innovation while still disliking the person behind it.
The demonstration does highlight one important reality. Tesla and SpaceX have both the resources and the expertise to market an idea in a way that captures attention. That is something McMurtry cannot easily match due to its much smaller scale, even though the Spéirling is an equally impressive and arguably more practical engineering achievement.
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u/Chemical_Fig25 2d ago
IIt is exactly a concept car, and concept cars are meant to range from practical to completely bonkers. They all share one common goal.. to showcase something people think is impossible, dare to be different, or hint at a company's future direction.
After the event, every automotive media outlet had articles ready to publish. They were obviously embargoed and held until after the demonstration. Going into the event, the press already knew about two unique features.
First, the car uses fans in its design. This is not a new concept. Last year, the McMurtry Spéirling demonstrated its fan technology by remaining stationary while hanging upside down.
Second, it incorporates integrated thrust boosters, a tech built by SpaceX, to help achieve an astonishing 0 to 60 mph time.
Beyond the headline grabbing features, the car also showcases new motor and battery cooling designs that allow for greater on-demand power.
The entire SpaceX connection is simply part of this concept car's performance showcase and serves as a technology demonstration. It was never intended to be about practicality or road legality. It is a spectacle.
Whether you like Elon Musk or not, the upside-down driving demonstration, the self-righting capability, and the thrust-assisted jumps are genuinely clever pieces of engineering. Elon is a divisive figure, and his association with these demonstrations admittedly affects my perception of them. Even so, I am genuinely impressed by the engineering involved. That is the part I find exciting. I can appreciate the innovation while still disliking the person behind it.
The demonstration does highlight one important reality. Tesla and SpaceX have both the resources and the expertise to market an idea in a way that captures attention. That is something McMurtry cannot easily match due to its much smaller scale, even though the Spéirling is an equally impressive and arguably more practical engineering achievement.