HoppingCar.com · Catch the flying car (it hops)

Unofficial spec sheet

Technically a flying car*

On October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in Texas, a driverless white Roadster rode a ramp upside down on suction, flipped off it, and hopped over a row of parked Teslas on jets of compressed air. Here is what we know, and what we suspect.

Propulsion

10 nozzles

Cold-gas thrusters fed by high-pressure air tanks. Four out back, six more on the top trim.

Useful thrust

~5 seconds

“Probably more like 5 seconds, actually,” per a Turing Award winner’s math. This game gives it exactly 5.0.

Downforce

4,693 kg

Enough suction to hang upside down from a ramp, per the livestream’s own gauges.

Max altitude

66.4 ft

Reached while hanging upside down at the top of said ramp. We’ll allow it.

0–60 mph

<1 second

Claimed. The 60–0 is handled by gravity.

Occupants

1 mannequin

A dummy in a spacesuit rode along. The car drove itself, for safety reasons.

Tank pressure

700 bar

About 10,000 psi of artisanal wind, per the napkin.

Deliveries

2028

First unveiled in 2017. It hops on its own schedule.

*Allegedly. Compiled from the livestream, news reports, napkin math and vibes.

A field guide

Flying vs. hopping

An easy mistake to make. Here is how to tell them apart at a glance.

Leaves the ground: Yes; Yes
Stays up there: For hours; Briefly, then regrets it
Famous examples: Eagles, airliners, Superman; Kangaroos, frogs, this car
Powered by: Lift; Compressed air and confidence
Regulated by: Aviation authorities; Gravity
Sounds like: Whoooosh; Pfffffft

“We are literally talking about hopping.”

Roger Connor, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, to CNN

How we got here

A brief history of the hop

2017
A new Roadster is unveiled. Production is promised for 2020.
Oct 15, 2026
At a SpaceX test site in Texas, a driverless white Roadster with a spacesuited mannequin aboard climbs a C-shaped ramp on suction, hangs upside down at the top, flips off, and hops over a row of parked Teslas. Production is now promised for 2028.
That night
Elon Musk posts: “Turns out the future does have flying cars.” A Smithsonian aviation curator tells CNN that it is not sustained flight. It is hopping.
Oct 17
Yann LeCun, Turing Award laureate, does the math on X: compressed air buys “less than 10s of useful thrust… Probably more like 5 seconds, actually.” Verdict: “Cute demo, but totally impractical.”
Oct 18
Musk replies: “I fart in your general direction 💨”. LeCun replies: “A 700 bar, 600 liter, 3 second, noisy fart 😆”. Science and showbiz, at an impasse.
Right now
You, a mouse and a car with five seconds of thrust. Somebody is getting caught.

Frequently hopped questions

FHQ

Can you actually catch it?

Yes. Like the real thing, it only has about five seconds of thrust. Chase it until the tank runs dry, then grab it while it refills. Every catch makes the next one twitchier.

Are those real fart sounds?

No. Every one is synthesized live in your browser by a tiny audio engine: a wobbly pulse train, a little breath noise and a filter doing a lot of heavy lifting. No recordings, and no two alike.

I can’t hear anything.

Click or tap anywhere first (browsers insist), make sure the speaker button isn’t muted, and check your phone’s silent switch.

Is this affiliated with Tesla, SpaceX or anyone with a pressure vessel?

No. It is a parody, made by someone with a weakness for funny domain names.

Do you track me?

No cookies, no analytics, no trackers. Your fart count lives only in your own browser.