Elon Musk sells out of flamethrowers worth $13.6m

Elon Musk wields the 'worlds safest flamethrower' developed by his boring company. Source - Instagram/Elon Musk

Inventor and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says he's sold out of flamethrowers.

The Boring Company began selling the flamethrowers at the weekend for US$500 ($680) a pop and has sold 20,000 in total, worth US$10 million ($13.6m).

"Guaranteed to liven up any party!" the company's website mischievously proclaimed. "World's safest flamethrower!"

Today Musk tweeted that the flamethrowers were sold out and would be shipped "with a complimentary boring fire extinguisher".

Obviously, a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2018

The Boring Company's website says its goal is to dig tunnels faster and cheaper, which would make Hyperloop technology viable and enable rapid transit across densely populated regions.

Hyperloop is an ultra high-speed underground public transportation system in which passengers are transported on autonomous electric pods traveling at 600+ miles per hour in a pressurised cabin, the company says.

Musk noted last year that the company would begin hawking flamethrowers once it had sold 50,000 hats.

Nearly two months later, what seemed like a playful joke turned oddly real, with Musk noting that a flamethrower would come in handy during a zombie apocalypse.

"Don't do this," Musk wrote on an Instagram video of him pretending to turn a flamethrower on a camera person. "Also, I want to be clear that a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don't buy one. Unless you like fun."

Musk noted last year that the company would begin hawking flamethrowers once it had sold 50,000 hats. Picture / Getty Images

Musk claims his flamethrowers - which appear to expel a glowing, meter-long stream of sizzling terror - are good for roasting nuts.

But a California assemblyman said he plans to introduce legislation to block the distribution of the devices before they end up in customers' hands.

In an email to the Washington Post, Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said he thought the flamethrower idea was a joke when he first heard about it.

Santiago - whose home parish was recently damaged by fire - was surprised anyone would hawk a flamethrower in a state in which devastating fires have recently displaced thousands, causing more than US$1 billion in damage.

Santiago's statement said he was in awe of "Musk's genius", but believes that the inventor's gifts and successes mean he has unique responsibilities.

"The State of California and the County and City of Los Angeles have entrusted Mr Musk to help alleviate a real public policy problem here by executing a tunnel under the City to help alleviate traffic," the statement said. "This deviation feels like a complete slap in the face."

The lawmaker said he can't imagine the problems a flamethrower would cause firefighters and police officers.

"This subject matter, in the wake of the state's deadliest wildfires in history, is incredibly insensitive, dangerous, and most definitely not funny," the statement continued.

"Absolutely no public good could come from the sale of this tool. Additionally, if this an elaborate prank, then I have some serious concerns about Mr Musk and his company collecting sensitive financial information from the number of people who have pre-ordered this product."