Tesla Patents Electric Fan Car With Four Ducted Fans Ahead of Roadster Reveal
The patent, filed in January 2024, depicts the system on a discontinued Model S and arrives two weeks before a scheduled Roadster demo.
Tesla has been granted a new patent for an “Electric Fan Car” featuring four electric ducted fans integrated into the rear diffuser, a development that surfaces just two weeks before the company’s latest scheduled demonstration of the next-generation Roadster.
What Happened
The USPTO granted patent US 12,746,987 B1, which was originally filed in January 2024 and traces back to a provisional application from January 17, 2023. The filings list eight inventors, all but one of whom are based in the Los Angeles area, where Tesla’s design studio is located in Hawthorne. The patent drawings explicitly depict a Model S, identifiable by its fastback roofline, taillights, and door handles, despite Tesla having ended Model S production in April.
The system utilizes an inlet on the underbody between the rear wheels to feed a duct that sweeps air up to a wide outlet in the rear diffuser. Four axial fans sit side-by-side in this outlet, separated by three vertical strakes. When activated, these fans evacuate air from under the floor to create a “suction region,” effectively generating downforce. Tesla’s filing notes that this design allows for downforce independent of vehicle velocity, aiming to improve braking stability and cornering speed. A secondary version of the design includes two smaller side inlets to prevent the fans from pulling air from behind the car, which Tesla states would otherwise waste power.
Why It Matters
While electric fan cars are not a new concept—with precedents in 1970s Formula 1 and modern examples like the McMurtry Spéirling—Tesla’s approach distinguishes itself by packaging the fans into a standard-looking diffuser without the need for skirts to seal the car to the ground. This patent marks Tesla’s second fan-related filing in just over a year, following an August 2025 patent for underbody fans and deployable skirts. Combined with a recently reported patent for a hidden active rear wing capable of 700 kg of downforce, these developments suggest Tesla is assembling a comprehensive track aero toolkit.
Given that the Model S is no longer in production and the Fremont line is transitioning to Optimus robot manufacturing, the Roadster remains the only performance vehicle in Tesla’s pipeline capable of utilizing these technologies. However, the McMurtry Spéirling, which generates 2,000 kg of downforce at a standstill, was already in production before Tesla filed its provisional application, indicating that Tesla’s patented design is entering a space where competitors have already established functional prototypes and sales.
The Bottom Line
Tesla has patented a skirt-less fan system for active downforce, but the technology remains theoretical as patents do not guarantee production. The Roadster, originally unveiled in 2017 and now slated for a 2027 or 2028 release, has a demo scheduled for October 15, but it is unclear whether this new fan system will be featured or if the event will focus on other aspects of the vehicle.
