Tesla teased the October 1 event date for its next-generation Roadster, posting an image on Day A countdown on Tesla’s Roadster order page now points to the same date, which falls on Thursday. The company has not said where the event will take place or whether it will be streamed at this time. Stay with us @Teslarati for real-time updates.
Go to launch pic.twitter.com/Khu03eiZ04
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 12, 2026
Tesla has since sent formal invitations to reservation holders confirming that the event will take place in Waco, Texas, about 90 minutes north of the Austin headquarters, based on a digital ticket shared on X by Sawyer Merritt. Tesla did not name the exact location, although Waco is near SpaceX’s rocket test site in McGregor, Texas, previously reported as the planned location for a demonstration of the Roadster thruster. The invitation sets submissions at 8:30 PM Eastern on October 1, requires response by midnight on September 16, and limits entry to guests 21 and older. Invitations are not transferable.
The preview follows nine years of a project defined by unimaginable specifications along with slipped dates. Musk first showed off the second-generation Roadster in November 2017 as a surprise reveal at the end of the Tesla Semi event, promising a 0-60 mph time of under two seconds, a top speed in excess of 150 mph, 620 miles of range with a 200 kWh battery, and production starting in 2020. At last November’s shareholder meeting, Musk set a demo date of April 1 and joked about whether the pick would give him “deniability” if it slipped. again, which it did, moving first to the end of April, then to “a month or so,” then to August.
SpaceX Tesla Roadster Package’s 1.1-second 0-100 km/h launch displayed in concept video
Whatever Tesla shows off on Oct. 1 is expected to center on the SpaceX-developed thruster package that Musk has been describing since 2018. Internally codenamed A71, a nod to the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the system uses cold-gas thrusters powered by a composite-covered pressure vessel, the same tank design that SpaceX uses on the Falcon 9. Musk said a thruster-equipped Roadster could reach 60 mph in about 1.1 seconds at around 2.75. g of launch force, well beyond the 1.9 second figure quoted for the standard car. That version will reportedly not be street legal and has reportedly been discussed as a limited run sold through a track-only program.
The standard Roadster is still expected to have the original base price of $200,000 and Founders Series level of $250,000, both set when Tesla opened $50,000 and $250,000 reservations in 2017. Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy confirmed that production will take place at the Gigafactory in Texas, with Musk targeting 2027 or 2028, 12 to 18 months later whatever the company proves next. month.
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