Tesla says it will finally stream its Next Generation Roadster event this Thursday, October 15 at 7:55 p.m. Central Time, two weeks later than it was supposed to happen.
It is the last date in a long list of them. Tesla first showed off the Roadster in November 2017 and promised to produce it in 2020. Nearly nine years later, it hasn’t delivered a single one.
The event was originally scheduled for October 1 in Texas. On September 28, Tesla canceled it, saying it had been “closely monitoring the weather with local meteorologists” and that the show “can only be held outdoors.” The new date was set for October 15 and Tesla confirmed the live broadcast time on X last night.
An outdoor event tells you what kind of show this is. Tesla is not planning to launch a car in a showroom. He’s planning a trick.
All the Roadster delays, so far
That’s how we got here. The first production schedule:
- November 2017: Prototype revealed at the Semi event. Pre-orders $50,000, Founders Series $250,000, production promised for 2020.
- July 2020: Postponed to 2021.
- January 2021: Postponed to 2022.
- September 2021: Delayed to 2023.
- May 2023: Musk said production would “hopefully” begin in 2024, adding that “this is not a commitment.”
- February 2024: Musk said design goals had been “radically increased,” with a demonstration in late 2024 and production in 2025.
- November 2025: Production moved to 2027 or 2028.
And then the revelation itself began to slip. A demonstration planned for late 2025 became April 1, 2026, a date that Musk said gave it “deniability.” In March, we reached the end of April. In the first quarter earnings call, it was “maybe in a month or so.” Then in late May or June, then in August or later, while SpaceX worked on the cold gas booster system. In mid-August, Musk teased a driverless “flying” demonstration that month. That became October 1st, which then became October 15th.
There are at least six production slip-ups and seven presentation dates. And this time, Tesla blamed the weather.
A booster demonstration with a car attached.
Everything Tesla and Musk have teased points in one direction: SpaceX’s cold gas thrusters. Musk has managed to get from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second with them, and the demonstration has been reduced from “flying” to a brief hover. The demo car is reportedly remotely operated and is not street legal.
The teasers also point to a complete redesign featuring Tesla’s angular “Cyber” styling, which we argued last month the Roadster never needed.
A recent fan car patent application to create a vacuum beneath the vehicle could also indicate Tesla attempting to demonstrate the feature with reverse driving, which wouldn’t be the first time an automaker has tried it.
Electrek’s opinion
You’d think that, as someone with a reserve of two-part award-winning Roadsters, I’d be excited about this, but I’m having a hard time getting excited about Thursday.
What people reserved in 2017 was a car: a four-seat, 620-mile, 0-60 in 1.9-second electric roadster for $200,000. This was already absurd for the time and today it would still be a great car. No one put up $50,000 or $250,000 for a remote-controlled prototype that jumps off the ground with compressed gas for a few seconds in a Texas field.
But that’s what this event seems to be built around. A cold gas booster gets a few bursts per tank, does nothing for you on a normal ride, and adds weight and cost. It will be a big clip for X and will do nothing for people waiting in a car.
What I’d like to see on Thursday is boring: a production car, a real price, a real start to production, and a straight answer on what will happen to 2017 reservations. Tesla has shown the Roadster many times. He has never sent it.
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