After years of promising a flying sports car equipped with a "SpaceX package," Tesla has finally taken a real step in that direction: the company has patented an active aerodynamic system with fans. This solution creates a vacuum under the car, effectively "sticking" it to the road, increasing downforce and improving handling.
According to Tesla, the system will be adaptive: the car will adjust the position of the skirts and the operation of the fans based on road conditions, speed, GPS data, and other factors. All of this is expected to make the car more stable on the track and accelerate and brake more efficiently. But there's no flight: the patent doesn't include any hint of the "rocket" boosters or "cooling air" that Musk is so fond of talking about.
Most likely, we're facing the same "SpaceX package"—just not with spectacular flights, but with very real technology. British driver McMurtry Spierling has already implemented a similar system, and his "fan" electric car broke the record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. So Tesla isn't the first, but perhaps it will make this technology more versatile and suitable for everyday use.
