Tesla Shows a Roadster That Flies, and Leaves the Rulebook Question Open

Tesla has unveiled a version of its Roadster that is meant to leave the ground, and Elon Musk framed it as a genuine automobile intended for public streets rather than a concept destined for a showroom floor. The hedge came in the same breath: Musk conceded he could not say whether the machine would be permitted everywhere it might be sold. For anyone who has sat through a certification or waiver process, that admission is the part worth reading twice, because a vehicle that is both road car and aircraft answers to two sets of regulators, not one. Tesla has not yet said which jurisdictions it expects to clear first.

With reporting from Flying.