Update: In a post on X.com, Tesla announced that it was moving the launch date for it Roadster 2.0 from October 1 to October 15, citing severe weather concerns. We will continue to monitor the situation and report on the latest updates on the possibly rocket-propelled Roadster.
In a blurry red, visually cryptic post on X.com, Tesla announced the launch date for its long-promised second generation Roadster. Although the image and text in the post itself don’t confirm that the announcement is indeed about Roadster, Tesla posted a link to go with it, to the Roadster page on Tesla.com, which makes it indisputable: come October 1 [now October 15], we’re getting a big update on the second-generation Tesla Roadster and it may have rockets mounted on top. Or... big searchlights. Or possibly snow blower nozzles. Who knows? The image is really blurry.
If you recall, back on November 16, 2017, Tesla unveiled the second-generation Roadster at the Tesla Semi event. CEO Elon Musk said at the time that production of the vehicle would begin in 2020 and that Roadster 2.0 would hit 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, hit a top speed of 250+ mph, seat four people, and have a 200-kWh battery good for 620 miles of range. All for a base price of $200,000 or $250,000 if you want a special “Founders Series.”
Tesla originally promised Roadster 2.0 production for 2020, then the dates began to slide, from 2021... to 2022... to 2023... to you get the picture. These postponements were made mostly during Tesla shareholder updates, and were often accompanied by updates from Musk and additional performance promises.
In 2018, Musk announced a “SpaceX option package” of approximately 10 small rocket thrusters, arranged around the roadster. He reiterated this SpaceX rocket thruster package in 2020 and then in 2024 claimed that Tesla and SpaceX had radically increased the Roadster’s design goals, describing it as a collaboration between the two companies. Per Musk, the new Roadster would be able to accelerate from 0–60 mph in less than one second, calling that “the least interesting part,” and suggested it might “fly a little.” He promised a production-design reveal by the end of 2024 and vehicle shipments in 2025.
That obviously didn’t happen, and here we are in mid-September with an official update from Tesla delivered not via a shareholder call, but in a post on X.com (also owned by Musk), and the Roadster page on Tesla’s website.
Although we’re skeptical of the performance claims and legality of roadster-mounted rockets, we’re excited after nearly 10 years of promises, we’re going to see the next generation of the vehicle that started the Tesla revolution.
So far, the quickest cars we’ve ever tested from 0–60 mph aren't Teslas, but a Lucid and a pair of Porsches. A Lucid Air Sapphire sedan hit 60 in 1.9 seconds, the same time as two Porsche Taycan Turbo GTs. The quickest Tesla isn't far behind; a 2021 Model S Plaid managed a 0–60 run of 2.1 seconds on unprepped asphalt.
Who would have thought that we’d get Roadster 2.0 before we get GTA 6!?
See you on October 1.
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