Technology and Science · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Tesla Sets October 1 Roadster Launch in Waco, Texas After Nearly a Decade
Tesla announces October 1, 2026 reveal for second-generation Roadster with 'Go for launch' teaser. The update ends a roughly nine-year delay since the Roadster prototype first appeared.
Whether the teaser implies an actual hovering demonstration.
8 of 10 outlets skipped it: waco, Texas RSVP deadline, age restriction and non-transferable entry.
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Reuters
“The event could include a demonstration of a limited-edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters”Read the original ↗
Electrek states the Roadster is going to hover, while Reuters frames any cold-gas thruster demo as possible.
Oct 1 Roadster Tease
Tesla posted a countdown on its website pointing to an October 1 launch of the Roadster, nearly a decade after the electric-vehicle maker first revealed a next-generation version of its original sports car.
“Tesla (TSLA.O) on Saturday posted a countdown on its website pointing to an October 1 launch of the Roadster”
Reuters said Tesla posted "Go for launch" on social media platform X alongside a graphic displaying the date "10.01".R
AutoNext.co reported Tesla’s 1 October event is in Waco, Texas, at 02:30 European time, with the reveal scheduled for 1 October at 17:30 Pacific time.
AutoNext.co added that invitations went to early reservation holders for an event in Waco, Texas, about 90 minutes north of Tesla's Austin headquarters and a short drive from SpaceX's McGregor engine test site.
AutoNext.co said guests must reply by midnight on 16 September, be over 21, and cannot pass the invitation on.
Thrusters and Delays
Multiple outlets linked the teaser graphic to cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX, with Reuters saying the event could include a demonstration of a limited-edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters developed in collaboration with SpaceX.
TechCrunch similarly said the graphic also seems to hint at the promised cold gas thrusters, developed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s other big company, SpaceX.
AutoNext.co described the teaser as showing a red Roadster under vertical launch-pad lighting with the words "Go for launch" and the figure 10.01 stamped across it.
AutoNext.co said the teaser carries none of the production timeline context, while it noted Musk’s own 12-to-18-month formula puts production in late 2027 or 2028.
AutoNext.co also said the original 2017 promise was production in 2020, and that Tesla has given five Roadster dates in 2026 alone, including 1 April, late April, "a month or so", August, and now October.
What Comes Next
Reuters reported that the event could take place at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, and framed the Roadster launch as arriving as Tesla began offering rides in its two-seater Cybercab in limited areas of Austin, Texas.R
“the event could include a demonstration of a limited-edition version equipped with cold-gas thrusters”
AutoNext.co said the Roadster page has stayed open through every delay and that Europe still takes €43,000 for a Roadster reservation, paid as €4,000 on the spot and €39,000 within ten days.
AutoNext.co added that the page still promises record-setting acceleration, range and performance, with numbers behind it dating from 2017: 1.9 seconds to 60 mph (97 km/h), a top speed above 400 km/h, and 1,000 km of range from a 200 kWh battery.
TechCrunch reported that Musk previously acknowledged that even after the big reveal, the Roadster won’t actually go into production for another 12 or 18 months.
AutoNext.co said the earliest customer car would be a 2027 delivery to someone who paid a deposit in November 2017 roughly a decade later, while noting the acceleration figure on the reservation page was beaten by a Croatian car 14 months ago.