Tesla has postponed the unveiling of its next-generation Roadster for the second time in a month, pushing the event from Oct 1 to Oct 15 due to forecast thunderstorms in Waco, Texas, according to Chinese outlet D1EV, which cited a statement from the company on social media.
The delay is the latest in a long string of setbacks for a model first revealed in November 2017. Tesla originally promised a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph (402 km/h) and a range of 620 miles (998 km), with deliveries planned for 2020. The car has since missed at least eight launch windows, and no firm delivery date has been set.
The Oct 15 event is expected to showcase the Roadster's "flying" capabilities, which require an outdoor venue. Tesla said only that "this event can only be held outdoors," but media reports suggest the demonstration will integrate SpaceX's cold-gas thruster system. The Federal Aviation Administration has established a temporary flight restriction zone over SpaceX's rocket test site near Waco, lending weight to the flight-demonstration theory.
Thrusters could cut 0-60 time to 1.1 seconds
Elon Musk has said the Roadster will carry around 10 small SpaceX cold-gas thrusters that eject high-pressure air to generate instantaneous thrust, potentially reducing the 0-60 mph sprint to 1.1 seconds. If achieved, that would set a new production-car acceleration record. However, the practical application of thrusters in a road car raises safety-regulation and road-compliance questions, and it remains unclear whether the feature will survive into production.
Tesla has reopened reservations for the new Roadster, requiring a $5,000 deposit followed by a $45,000 transfer within 10 days, for a total of $50,000 (about 355,000 yuan). Musk said during an earnings call in the first quarter of 2026 that production would follow 12 to 18 months after the unveiling, meaning even if the Oct 15 event goes ahead, the earliest deliveries would come in the second half of 2027.
Nine years of delays, but the project lives on
From its 2017 debut to 2026 without a single delivery, the Roadster has become Tesla's most-delayed model. Yet the company has never cancelled the project. Its role, analysts note, is more as a technology showcase for the brand than a volume seller. The repeated postponements have not dimmed interest, but they have made the Roadster a running joke in the industry and a test of patience for reservation holders.
According to D1EV, the latest delay is purely weather-related, with thunderstorms forecast for the Waco area on Oct 1 making an outdoor flight demonstration impossible. The event's focus on flight, rather than conventional performance metrics, underscores how Tesla continues to push the boundaries of what a production car can do, even as it struggles to bring the model to market.
