Elon Musk has responded to a video of a Tesla Model S propelling itself through a flood — saying the car “floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time”.
The billionaire and Tesla CEO also also said he was actually planning to create a sports-style submarine car.
His comments came after a video emerged of a Model S appearing to float as it propelled itself through water in a flooded tunnel in Kazakhstan, while other vehicles came to a standstill.
Last year an Easter Egg was found hidden in the Model S’s touchscreen which joked about how the car could be turned into a submersible like the Lotus Esprit in James Bond’s The Spy Who Loved Me.
In his tweets, Musk said the company “definitely” didn’t recommend trying to actually use the Model S as a boat.
But he admitted it was capable of floating in water for short periods, and added how he planned to do a “sports sub car” as a side project.
We *def* don’t recommended this, but Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time. Thrust via wheel rotation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2016
If curious abt TSWLM car, am still planning to do a sports sub car that can drive on roads. Just a side project. Limited market potential :)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 19, 2016