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Tesla's flying Roadster lasts seconds and takes hours to refill
Musk's mid-October demo drew new reservations, but the car still has no delivery date and no final price.
A demo that lasted seconds
The flying lasted only seconds, and the system behind it takes six to seven hours to refill. [1] That is the demo Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave in mid-October, when the new second-gen Roadster flew through the air. [1]
The Roadster used compressed air to thrust itself. [1] Musk said at the All-In Summit this month that the demo would be a banger, with excitement guaranteed but success not guaranteed. [2]
Musk called it arguably the coolest demo of any product ever on Tesla's hourlong earnings call this month. [1] The Roadster got only two mentions on that call. [1]
What the reservations cost
The base Roadster, which excludes acceleration thrusters and the flight system, costs $50,000 to reserve. [1] The second-tier Thrust variant, which includes the thrusters, requires a $250,000 deposit. [1]
The flying car, called Rocket, is listed as invite-only, and Musk has acknowledged it will not be street legal. [1] The stunt car is expected to be remote-operated and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on its own. [2]
If you reserve a base car, the page asks for $5,000 by credit card, described as fully refundable, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer due within 10 days. [2] A reservation is not final until the wire transfer clears. [2]
Nine years of waiting
Tesla first took Roadster deposits in November 2017, when it showed a prototype at the Semi event. [2] The 2017 terms were a $50,000 standard reservation and a $250,000 Founders Series reservation that required the full amount up front, with production promised for 2020. [2]
The 2017 car was promised a 620-mile range, a sub-1.9-second 0-60 mph time, and a 250+ mph top speed for a $200,000 base price. [2] It has been delayed at least eight times and has not delivered a single unit. [2]
Reservation holders, including Marques Brownlee, struggled to get their deposits back, and Tesla initially kept $5,000 of them. [2] Musk and Tesla now say the vehicle will enter production in 2028, with delivery dates unclear. [1]
On Polymarket, a contract on the Roadster reaching customers by the end of 2026 trades under 5%, though the market is thinly traded. [2]
The buyers who are still in
Alex Lawrence, owner of used-EV dealership EVAuto, already had one Roadster reservation and placed another after watching the demonstration live online. [1] EVAuto's business, not Lawrence personally, technically paid for the reservations. [1]
Utah-based tech founder Travis Cook upgraded his nearly 10-year-old base-variant reservation to the Thrust variant. [1] Cook says he has no regrets about his reservation but may be frustrated if the price rises toward half a million dollars. [1]
Where the car fits at Tesla
Musk has touted the new Roadster as the company's last human-driven car. [1] He has also said Tesla is no longer really in the business of making cars and is focused on robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomy. [1]
The latest teasers point to a redesign with Tesla's angular Cyber styling and a full-width light bar borrowed from the robotaxi line and Cybertruck. [2]
What this means if you want one
Tesla's reservation terms state that purchase prices are only an estimate, and those estimates do not yet exist. [1] Cook's comment about a price near half a million dollars shows where one reservation holder's limit may sit. [1]
Your $5,000 card payment is described as fully refundable, and the reservation is not final until the $45,000 wire clears. [2] Past holders struggled to get deposits back, so the refund terms are worth watching. [2]
Sources
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