Better late than never? The new Tesla Roadster had better be.
Nearly nine years after it was first revealed as a prototype in November 2017, the second-generation Roadster is set to be revealed in production form on Oct. 1. Early this year, Elon Musk said it was aiming to hold the event on April 1, but that it might miss it. It did, by six months.
Tesla made the announcement on its website and followed up with invites sent to reservation holders, some of whom put $250,000 to hold a spot in line, confirming only that the event will take place somewhere in Waco, Texas. Musk’s SpaceX owns a rocket testing facility in nearby McGregor, which is the likely location.
The single teaser image accompanying the news appears to show the rear of a vehicle with its taillight illuminated, a large aerodynamic device below it and what appear to be four thruster plumes above them. However, there’s no telling which way is up.
The design in the teaser looks nothing like anything related to the original prototype. In February, Tesla filed for a trademark on a stylized Roadster logo that depicts a much sharper design than the curvaceous prototype’s.
Elon Musk has previously said the vehicle will be offered with a SpaceX cold gas thruster option that can be used to help it accelerate to 60 mph in less than one second and also hover above the ground for short distances. The Information reported in August that the flying demonstration will be handled remotely with no one in the vehicle, as Tesla was unable to get things ready for a more ambitious exhibition that included the vehicle driving upside down before hovering.
While no details on the thruster system have gone public, Tesla holds a patent on an “Adaptive Vehicle Aerodynamics for Downforce” system that uses four fans to create a near-vacuum under a vehicle to keep it stuck to the road with ground effects. The British McMurtry Spéirling features a similar system that is strong enough to keep it stuck to a surface while inverted.
The teaser image could be depicting the Roadster upside down, with what appear to be the thrusters really being the four fans and the aero device a rear wing or spoiler, or something entirely different.
Whatever the case may be, the event promises to be Tesla’s wildest since the Cybertruck was first unveiled in 2019.
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