Tesla to unveil long-delayed Roadster on 1 October, Musk says
Tesla first unveiled the next-generation Roadster in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020, but the programme has faced repeated delays.
Tesla's new Roadster is unveiled during a presentation in Hawthorne, California, US,16 November, 2017. REUTERS
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said yesterday (12 September) the electric-vehicle maker would unveil its long-delayed Roadster on 1 October, nearly a decade after first revealing a next-generation version of its original sports car.
Here are some of the details:
- Tesla's account on social media platform X - also owned by Musk - posted "Go for launch" alongside a graphic displaying the date. Musk later replied to the post, saying, "New Tesla Roadster Unveil 01.10"
- The Information reported in August that Tesla planned to unveil a redesigned Roadster as early as that month.
- The unveiling event could include a demonstration of a limited-edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX, the report said.
- The Information report added that the demonstration is expected to take place at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas.
- Tesla first unveiled the next-generation Roadster in 2017 and said deliveries would begin in 2020, but the programme has faced repeated delays.
- This comes after Tesla last week began offering rides in its two-seater Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals, in limited areas of Austin, Texas. Musk has described the vehicle as central to transforming Tesla into a dominant force in driverless vehicles.
- The Roadster programme has reportedly evolved from a conventional high-performance EV into an all-new carbon-fibre hypercar after Tesla abandoned an alternative approach based on Model S Plaid components.
