Tesla Roadster reveal set for October 1 after nine years of delays

Key takeaways

• Tesla Roadster reveal scheduled for October 1 in Texas
• Rumoured SpaceX cold-gas thruster package still unconfirmed by Tesla
• No Australian pricing, timing or availability announced

Nearly nine years after the concept first appeared, the Tesla Roadster finally has a reveal date.

Tesla has posted a countdown on the model's page alongside a teaser reading "Go for launch" and the date 10.01, with invitations sent to reservation holders pointing to an event in Waco, Texas.

Source: Tesla

The original prototype was shown in November 2017. Production was promised for 2020, then slipped repeatedly, leaving deposit holders waiting with no firm information for years.

The SpaceX package is the real question

Elon Musk has talked since 2018 about an optional SpaceX package using around 10 small cold-gas thrusters positioned around the car. These do not burn fuel. They release highly pressurised gas through nozzles to produce short bursts of thrust, similar to how spacecraft handle fine manoeuvring.

The teaser image itself hints at exactly that. It shows what appear to be four nozzles firing at the rear of the car, and brightening the shot reveals the words "where we're going" embossed below them. That is a direct nod to Back to the Future and the line about not needing roads, which is about as unsubtle as teasers get.

Reuters reports Tesla is preparing a limited-edition version fitted with the thruster system, developed with SpaceX, and that any demonstration may happen at the company's McGregor test facility rather than on a public road.

Tesla has not confirmed the final configuration, whether such a car could ever be registered for road use, or whether the vehicle shown on October 1 will be production ready.

Tesla Roadster specifications as originally claimed

Those numbers were published long before this event and could change. Pricing is murkier again. The US$200,000 base and US$250,000 Founders Series figures date from 2017, and Tesla's current US Roadster page lists no price at all.

There is no Australian pricing, launch timing or confirmation of local availability. Australian buyers should treat converted US figures as meaningless until Tesla Australia says otherwise.

October 1 should settle how close the Roadster is to production, whether the thruster package is real, and what it will actually cost. Australian buyers will need to wait longer again for any local confirmation.