Tesla revealed its redesigned second-generation Roadster at an October 15 event near Waco, Texas, demonstrating a car that drove up a vertical ramp, flipped in midair and briefly flew over the rest of Tesla’s lineup. The company reopened reservations, with deposits of $50,000 for the base trim and $250,000 for the mid trim, and said production is planned for 2028. No price was announced.
The demonstration and all performance figures come from Tesla and event coverage by The Verge, TechCrunch and CNBC. None of it is an independent test.
Key takeaways
- Reservations are open again: $50,000 for the Performance trim, $250,000 for Thrust, with the top Rocket trim invite-only.
- Tesla says production starts in 2028. The Roadster was first shown in 2017 with earlier delivery targets that all slipped.
- The top Rocket trim is explicitly not approved for public road use on Tesla’s own site.
- All acceleration and flight claims are manufacturer demonstrations, not verified tests.
What Tesla actually showed
At a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas, the Roadster used a fan-based suction system, supplied by SpaceX and mounted underneath the car, to cling to a steep ramp, then used cold-gas thrusters to flip and land. The Verge reports the car carries two high-pressure air tanks with a combined 600 liters and roughly 250 kilograms of air, feeding 10 nozzles, and that the tanks can recharge without chemical propellant. Tesla’s timer showed a 0-60 mph run in 0.81 seconds during the event.
The three trims are three different products
Tesla’s official Roadster page now lists three configurations:
- Performance (Status: By reservation; Seats: 2; What Tesla says it does: “Road ready”: active aerodynamics and a multi-mode suction system for downforce on and off the track)
- Thrust (Status: Limited release; Seats: 2; What Tesla says it does: “Race ready”: adds rear cold-gas thrusters, 0-60 mph in under 1 second)
- Rocket (Status: Invite only; Seats: 1; What Tesla says it does: “Air ready”: perimeter thrusters allow forward, upward, lateral and rotational movement – Tesla says “yes, it can fly,” and notes it is not approved for public road use)
The Verge’s report on the tiers adds claimed figures: Performance at 0-60 under 1.6 seconds with a 300-plus-mile range target, Thrust under 0.9 seconds, and Rocket under 0.59 seconds with a top speed over 230 mph. Treat each as a target from the manufacturer, with production roughly two years out on Tesla’s own estimate.
The road-use line matters most for a buyer. A reservation for the flying flagship, if you could get one, buys a vehicle Tesla itself says is not approved for public roads. Check which trim your deposit attaches to and what the reservation agreement says about refunds and transfers before paying.
The deposit math has a nine-year history
Tesla first took $50,000 Roadster reservations in 2017, and $250,000 for a limited Founders Series, per CNBC and TechCrunch. Delivery targets in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 all passed without cars, and a planned April 2026 reveal event was delayed again before the October 15 demonstration. Some early reservation holders requested refunds; others told CNBC they still hold their reservations and attended the reveal.
A deposit that size is real money parked with the manufacturer. As a simple illustration, not investment advice: $50,000 compounding at a flat 4 percent annually for nine years grows to about $71,166, so a 2017 deposit carries roughly $21,000 of foregone growth, and a $250,000 Founders deposit about $106,000. Anyone reserving now should weigh that cost against the reservation terms, not against the demonstration video.
What is still unknown
Price, for one: Tesla named no price for any trim at the event. Production timing rests on a company that has moved this date repeatedly. And the regulatory path for a road car with rocket thrusters is unresolved – the company acknowledged to event coverage that the flying configuration would not be road legal. Tesla is also scheduled to report quarterly results next week, which may add detail on the program’s cost and timeline.
No reservation, deposit or purchase was made for this article.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the new Tesla Roadster deposit?
Tesla’s site showed reservations at $50,000 for the Performance trim and $250,000 for Thrust, per TechCrunch’s October 15 report. The Rocket trim is invite-only. No purchase price has been announced.
When does the new Roadster go into production?
Tesla says 2028. The car was first revealed in 2017, and every earlier delivery target has slipped, so treat the date as a company projection.
Can the flying Roadster be driven on public roads?
The Rocket trim that performs flight maneuvers is marked “not approved for public road use” on Tesla’s own site. The road-legal trims are the Performance and Thrust configurations.
Did the 0-60 mph time really happen?
Tesla’s event timer showed 0.81 seconds, as reported by The Verge. No independent organization has verified the figure.
Method: Tesla’s official Roadster page plus October 15-16 coverage from The Verge, TechCrunch and CNBC, all fully fetched October 16. All performance claims are manufacturer statements or event demonstrations. Deposit growth figures are arithmetic illustrations at a stated flat rate, not investment advice. Photos are illustrative vehicles, not images of the new Roadster.
