Is Tesla Going To Blow Everyone Away On October 7?

Tesla is spinning something up for October 7. The automaker has posted a teaser video to social media that depicts a turbofan-style wheel spinning for a few seconds before the date 10/7 appears on the screen.

It’s not clear if it is an aerodynamic wheel cover, a fan or an actual propeller of some sort, but it presents an interesting possibility.

Elon Musk has promised that the production version of the long-gestating Tesla Roadster will be revealed sometime this year. The original prototype made its debut in 2017.

He also said that it will be able to “fly” short distances with an optional SpaceX thruster pack, which will also be used to improve its acceleration and possibly its handling.

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While that doesn’t sound like a feature that will require drone-like rotors, Tesla recently received a patent for a system called “Adaptive Vehicle Aerodynamics for Downforce” that uses fans to evacuate air from beneath the car to create a low-pressure area that helps suck it to the ground.

This type of technology has been used on racing cars in the past and a similar system is featured on the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 supercar.

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Chrysler has also filed for a patent on a system it calls “Plenum Skirting for Powered Downforce” that uses deployable side skirts to passively create a low-pressure area as speed increases in the same the way ground effects on racing cars work.

Along with the Roadster, Tesla is also on the verge of releasing a new low-priced model based on the Model Y, although prototypes that have been spotted on public roads did not appear to have wheels or hubcaps designed like the one in the teaser video.

Of course, knowing Tesla, which is also working on humanoid robots, you never know what’s in store.