Tesla has reopened reservations for its next-generation Roadster, asking customers to put down $50,000 before the production version of the electric sports car has even been officially revealed.
The reservation system went live in September, less than two weeks before Tesla’s planned October 1 event near Waco, Texas. At the event, the company is expected to reveal the Roadster’s final design, pricing, specifications and production targets.
Customers who want to reserve the vehicle must first make a $5,000 payment by credit card. They then have 10 days to send another $45,000 by wire transfer before the reservation is considered complete. Tesla describes the initial $5,000 payment as fully refundable, while the full $50,000 deposit is tied to securing a place in line for the vehicle.
The move is notable because Tesla has used a similar reservation system before. When the second-generation Roadster was first introduced in November 2017, customers were also asked for a $50,000 deposit. Tesla additionally offered a $250,000 Founders Series version that required the full amount upfront.
At the time, Tesla said production would begin in 2020. That deadline came and went, followed by years of delays. Nearly nine years after the original unveiling, Tesla has yet to deliver a production version of the second-generation Roadster to customers. Reports have counted at least eight delays during that period.
The long wait has also affected some of the car's earliest reservation holders. YouTuber Marques Brownlee has previously spoken about difficulties surrounding his Roadster deposit, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly discussed trying to cancel his reservation. Altman wrote that “7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait,” while Elon Musk later disputed aspects of Altman’s account and said he had received a refund.
This time, however, Tesla appears to be preparing to show a substantially different Roadster from the vehicle first presented in 2017. Recent teasers point toward a sharper and more angular design, with styling that appears to borrow heavily from Tesla’s newer Cyber-inspired design language. A full-width illuminated light bar is also visible in the latest teaser imagery.
The original Roadster was introduced with extremely ambitious performance claims. Tesla initially advertised a starting price of $200,000, a claimed range of around 620 miles, a top speed above 250 mph and acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in less than 1.9 seconds.
Those figures helped establish the Roadster as Tesla’s planned halo car, but the company has since spent years changing its approach to the vehicle. The upcoming reveal is therefore expected to provide a clearer picture of what Tesla is actually planning to build, rather than relying on the specifications announced almost a decade ago.
Elon Musk has also added another unusual element to the Roadster story by repeatedly teasing a version equipped with SpaceX-designed cold-gas thrusters. The technology is intended to demonstrate extreme acceleration and potentially allow a demonstration vehicle to briefly hover above the ground.
The dramatic demonstration is not expected to represent a normal street-legal Roadster. Reports indicate that the vehicle used for the stunt could be remotely operated and may not be approved for public-road use. The version featuring the additional SpaceX hardware could also be positioned as a much more expensive specialty vehicle.
Musk has emphasized that Tesla wants people physically present at the October event to witness the demonstration for themselves. Speaking about the planned showcase, he said the company needs an audience “to vouch for the fact that this is not AI.”
That emphasis on a live demonstration reflects just how ambitious Tesla’s presentation is expected to be. The company is not simply preparing to show another electric sports car. It is attempting to present the Roadster as a showcase for technologies that go beyond conventional automotive performance.
There is also a major difference between revealing the vehicle and actually putting it into customers’ garages. Tesla has now confirmed the October 1 unveiling, but the company has not yet demonstrated that mass production is ready to begin immediately after the event. The company’s history with the Roadster means the production timeline will be closely watched.
The upcoming event could therefore answer several questions that have remained unresolved since 2017. Tesla is expected to clarify how much the new Roadster will cost, what specifications the production model will carry, how the vehicle has changed from the original concept and when customers can realistically expect deliveries.
For buyers considering the new reservation, the timing creates an unusual situation. They are being asked to commit $50,000 before seeing the production vehicle in its final form, while several of the most important details about the car remain unconfirmed.
The October 1 event will ultimately determine whether Tesla can turn years of promises surrounding the Roadster into a clearly defined production program. Until then, the car remains one of the company’s most closely watched unfinished projects, with its latest reservation push putting renewed attention on a vehicle first promised to customers almost a decade ago.
