Tesla Patents “Electric Fan Car” Weeks Before Roadster Reveal

The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Tesla an “Electric Fan Car” patent less than three weeks before the Tesla Roadster 2.0 reveal.

The USPTO filing illustrates four electric ducted fans positioned side by side in the rear diffuser and states that the system is designed to “increase downforce and reduce drag.”

“The achievable speed around corners, and stability during braking, of a road vehicle can often be limited by a measure of downforce, or vertical downward force, available on the vehicle. Downforce can help improve grip around corners and stability during braking. Therefore, a vehicle can achieve increased speed through corners and better stability during deceleration with an improved means of creating downforce,” the filing continued.

The filing also describes the new system as driver-activated or, in some configurations, automatically controlled.

Last month, a report said the redesigned Roadster would have limited “flying” capabilities.

EV blog Electrek pointed out, “Somebody at Tesla was clearly working on a track-focused Model S in 2023. That car is dead, and the idea has nowhere to go but the Roadster. Between this, last year’s skirt