--- title: "Tesla Patents Bizarre Sucking Device" description: "A new filing with the US Patent Office suggests Tesla is working on a \"fan car\" system to suck a vehicle to the road." date: "2025-08-07" modified: "2025-08-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-patents-sucking-device-roadster" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "racing" - "roadster" - "tesla" --- # Tesla Patents Bizarre Sucking Device ![A new filing with the US Patent Office suggests Tesla is working on a "fan car" system to suck a vehicle to the road.]() *\Image: Tesla / Futurism\* Late last month, Tesla's executives [spun up the rumor mill]() amidst plummeting sales and financial hardship that the Elon Musk-led company was "gearing up for a super cool demo" of the company's long-awaited next-generation Roadster. Two weeks earlier, the billionaire CEO [had teased]() a "most epic demo ever by end of year," without elaborating any further. While we can only speculate what they're planning to show off, one reasonable guess is that it could be related to Musk's years-long promise of a "SpaceX package." He's made outsize promises in the past, saying that the package could somehow [allow the rumored Roadster to "hover]()" and accelerate at ludicrous speeds, thanks to cold gas thrusters mounted in the rear portion of the vehicle. But a new filing with the US Patent Office, as [spotted by *Electrek*](), suggests the company is actually heading in the opposite direction. To generate as much downforce as possible — a necessity when you're pushing the limits of acceleration but still want to go faster — SpaceX is investigating adding powerful fans that blow air out from under the car, effectively (but not literally, for any physicists reading) sucking it to the ground. As *Electrek* points out, the patent filing closely resembles existing "[fan cars]()" that already do something similar, allowing high-performance cars to more effectively hug the ground, squeezing every last drop of performance from the drivetrain. It's a neat concept, but not one that Tesla's inventing; in fact, similar tech has been around for decades. Case in point, the 1977 Brabham F1 team added side skirts and large fans to the bottom of its racecar to generate more downforce at any speed, giving it unique handling characteristics, as [*Goodwood Road & Racing* reminisced]() earlier this year. In April, a hypercar called the McMurtry Spéirling [became the first car to literally drive upside down]() thanks to a proprietary "Downforce-on-Demand fan system." The additional downforce is a proven way to maximize performance on the track. McMurtry Automotive has been working on fan cars for years, allowing it to [beat several track records](), including [Top Gear's test track](). According to Tesla's patent application, side skirts could be controlled automatically by an onboard computer system depending on context. The skirts play an extremely important role as they allow the fans to create zones of low pressure. How well such a system would actually work in the real world, given the often uneven, pothole- and manhole cover-lined of the actual streets we tend to drive on, remains to be seen. As *Electrek* suggests, Tesla could geographically limit the feature to known racecar tracks and other known roadways. To be clear, it's hazy whether this is the "SpaceX package" Musk has been teasing for seven years now. The patent doesn't include any cold gas thrusters in any form. The application also makes zero mention of the company's long-awaited Roadster. Considering it's designed to suck the car to the ground, the patent is essentially the polar opposite of Musk's promise that the Roadster will be able to hover above the ground. But that may not be such a bad thing. Limiting the car's traction by physically lifting it off the ground would greatly hamper its ability to accelerate anyway, nevermind introducing untold new safety concerns. Credit where credit is due: given the fact that "fan cars" have been around for decades, a proven concept that could greatly enhance performance, it certainly makes a whole lot more sense than a gravity-defying contraption. But in a bigger sense, whether a "fan car" Roadster will be Tesla's saving grace in light of its [collapsing core business]() is dubious at best. Some of the carmaker's offerings can already accelerate to 60 mph in roughly two seconds, which is plenty for a consumer vehicle that's meant to be driven on public roads. Sure, it may add some much-needed excitement to a brand that's been [greatly damaged]() by its mercurial CEO's actions and hampered by a rapidly aging lineup. We're also talking about a patent application, not a real-world demo. Given Musk's long track record of [making empty promises](), that's far from a given. **More on the Roadster:** *[Tesla's Teasing Some Kind of Incredible Reveal, But We're Skeptical]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()