Elon Musk to Target VTOL Market?

One of the most successful progressive entrepreneurs of our generation, Elon Musk, the brains behind the all-electric Tesla, SpaceX and the Hyperloop high-speed ground transportation concept, has announced his interest in an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Speaking at the Texas A&M University during the Hyperloop Pod Awards, Musk answered questions from students for more than 30 minutes. When asked what his next great idea would be Musk said he’s been thinking about a vertical takeoff and landing electric jet.

Musk has alluded to the VTOL jet design in previous interviews. But now it appears that it has a chance of moving forward. “I think I have something that might be close,” he said. “I’m quite tempted to do something about it.” Musk said electric propulsion makes sense for jets as electric motors have greater power to weight ratio at higher altitudes compared with combustion engines.

While a short mention in a Q and A session may not be notable for some high level executives, when Musk says he’s close on a concept it is quite likely to go somewhere. His Tesla car design and Space X rocket and spacecraft concepts may once have appeared to be science fiction, but they have proven to become highly successful.