Elon Musk says he’s “close” to developing a “vertical takeoff and landing electric jet” as a practical alternative to conventional aircraft. During a Q&A session with students at Texas A&M last week the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX was asked what his “next great idea” might be and he brought up the design that he first mused about last year. “Well I have been thinking about the vertical takeoff and landing electric jet a bit more,” he told the students. “I mean, I think I have something that might close. I’m quite tempted to do something about it.”
He first talked about the concept last October in a podcast interview with Marketplace about the future of electric power. “I do like the idea of an electric-aircraft company. I think one could do a pretty cool supersonic, vertical takeoff and landing electric jet,” he said. “That would be really fun … I have a design in mind for that.” He also hinted he’s ready to move from concept to reality. “I think, ultimately, seeing is believing. Seeing physical hardware moving and doing useful things, that’s what convinces people.”
