--- title: "Tesla's flying Roadster lasts seconds and takes hours to refill" description: "Musk's mid-October demo drew new reservations, but the car still has no delivery date and no final price." url: https://tech.skoop.news/the-men-spending-50-000-just-to-reserve-a-tesla-roadster-16aef6/ published: 2026-10-28T11:42:23.368071-04:00 modified: 2026-10-28T11:42:23.368110-04:00 section: "Tech & Apps" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Roadster", "Tesla CEO Elon Musk", "Alex Lawrence", "All-In Summit", "Founders Series", "Marques Brownlee", "Travis Cook", "EVAuto", "Thrust", "Cyber"] hashtags: ["#TeslaCEOElonMusk", "#AlexLawrence", "#AllInSummit", "#Tech", "#ai"] image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Smartphone_Use.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled --- # 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. Published 2026-10-28 · Updated 2026-10-28 · Tech & Apps, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - The flying lasted only seconds, and the system behind it takes six to seven hours to refill. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) - The base Roadster, which excludes acceleration thrusters and the flight system, costs $50,000 to reserve. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) - Tesla first took Roadster deposits in November 2017, when it showed a prototype at the Semi event. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) ## A demo that lasted seconds The flying lasted only seconds, and the system behind it takes six to seven hours to refill. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) That is the demo Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave in mid-October, when the new second-gen Roadster flew through the air. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) The Roadster used compressed air to thrust itself. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) Musk said at the All-In Summit this month that the demo would be a banger, with excitement guaranteed but success not guaranteed. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) Musk called it arguably the coolest demo of any product ever on Tesla's hourlong earnings call this month. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) The Roadster got only two mentions on that call. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) ## What the reservations cost The base Roadster, which excludes acceleration thrusters and the flight system, costs $50,000 to reserve. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) The second-tier Thrust variant, which includes the thrusters, requires a $250,000 deposit. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) The flying car, called Rocket, is listed as invite-only, and Musk has acknowledged it will not be street legal. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) The stunt car is expected to be remote-operated and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on its own. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) 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]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) A reservation is not final until the wire transfer clears. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) ## Nine years of waiting Tesla first took Roadster deposits in November 2017, when it showed a prototype at the Semi event. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) 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]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) 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]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) It has been delayed at least eight times and has not delivered a single unit. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) Reservation holders, including Marques Brownlee, struggled to get their deposits back, and Tesla initially kept $5,000 of them. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) Musk and Tesla now say the vehicle will enter production in 2028, with delivery dates unclear. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) On Polymarket, a contract on the Roadster reaching customers by the end of 2026 trades under 5%, though the market is thinly traded. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) ## 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]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) EVAuto's business, not Lawrence personally, technically paid for the reservations. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) Utah-based tech founder Travis Cook upgraded his nearly 10-year-old base-variant reservation to the Thrust variant. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) Cook says he has no regrets about his reservation but may be frustrated if the price rises toward half a million dollars. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) ## Where the car fits at Tesla Musk has touted the new Roadster as the company's last human-driven car. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) 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]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) 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]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) ## 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]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) Cook's comment about a price near half a million dollars shows where one reservation holder's limit may sit. [[1]](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) Your $5,000 card payment is described as fully refundable, and the reservation is not final until the $45,000 wire clears. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) Past holders struggled to get deposits back, so the refund terms are worth watching. [[2]](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) ## Sources 1. [The Men Spending $50,000 Just to Reserve a Tesla Roadster](https://www.wired.com/story/the-men-dropping-50000-and-up-on-teslas-new-roadster/) — Wired 2. [Tesla reopens $50,000 Roadster reservations ahead of October 1 unveil](https://electrek.co/2026/09/20/tesla-reopens-50000-roadster-reservations-october-1-unveil/) — Electrek Image: Photo (illustrative): Océanos y dados / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smartphone_Use.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/