Several signs are pointing to Tesla finally showing off its long-awaited next-generation Roadster before the end of August, and the demonstration may be unlike anything the company has attempted before.
According to a new report from The Information on Friday, citing three people familiar with the plans, Tesla is preparing to demonstrate the Roadster at SpaceX’s rocket testing facility in McGregor, Texas, potentially as early as this month.
The report follows earlier information in June that Tesla had pushed the Roadster demonstration to August. More recently, Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen said the Roadster was coming “in a few weeks,” before telling Jay Leno last week that it was coming “Very soon. Very soon.”
Those comments now appear to line up with the reported August timeline.
Roadster Demo Could Take Flight
The main attraction will reportedly be a limited-edition Roadster equipped with SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters. Tesla is expected to demonstrate the vehicle lifting off the ground, although the stunt will apparently happen without anyone behind the wheel.
According to the report, the Roadster will be remotely operated because of the force and extreme noise produced by the thrusters. Spectators could also be positioned several hundred yards away during the demonstration.
Tesla reportedly considered an even more ambitious demonstration involving a magnetized ramp that would have seen the Roadster drive upside down before righting itself and hovering. Those plans have reportedly since been scaled back.
Two Very Different Roadsters
Importantly, the extreme version Tesla plans to demonstrate isn’t expected to be the Roadster most customers could eventually buy.
Tesla is reportedly developing a street-legal standard Roadster alongside the SpaceX-equipped version. The latter may not be road legal and could instead become an extremely limited track-focused model costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, potentially even reaching into the millions.
Tesla originally unveiled the second-generation Roadster in 2017 and began accepting deposits shortly afterward, including $250,000 for Founders Series reservations.
Nearly nine years and numerous delays later, Tesla has still not announced an official date for the upcoming demonstration. However, the latest report, combined with von Holzhausen’s increasingly frequent hints, suggests August remains the target.
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