Gadgets
Tesla Sets Oct. 1 Roadster Reveal in Waco
Reservation holders were invited to an Oct. 1 demonstration in Waco after Tesla put a countdown on the Roadster page, nearly nine years after the second-generation prototype debut.
WACO, Texas · Maya Chen, Gadgets · Sep 13 2026
WACO, Texas - Tesla has locked October 1 for a next-generation Roadster demonstration here, sending reservation holders digital invitations for an 8:30 p.m. Eastern reveal after teasing the date with a “Go for launch” post that put a countdown on the company’s Roadster page.
The gathering is set for Waco, about 90 minutes north of Tesla’s Austin headquarters and near SpaceX’s McGregor rocket test site, according to invitation details shared publicly by Tesla watchers and confirmed in reporting by Teslarati and Not a Tesla App. RSVPs are due by midnight Sept. 16. Entry is non-transferable and limited to guests 21 and older. Tesla has not said whether the event will be livestreamed.
The date arrives nearly nine years after Tesla first showed the second-generation Roadster prototype in November 2017, promising a sub-two-second 0-to-60 mph time, more than 250 mph top speed, about 620 miles of range and production as early as 2020. Those timelines slipped repeatedly. At last November’s shareholder meeting, Elon Musk pointed to production in 2027 or 2028 and floated earlier demo dates that also moved - from April through the summer - before landing on Oct. 1.
What Tesla has signaled for the show is the long-teased SpaceX-linked thruster package. Musk has described cold-gas thrusters that could cut acceleration further and briefly lift the car; reporting this summer said any hover demo would likely be remote-operated with spectators kept far back because of noise. The thruster-equipped version has been discussed as a limited, track-oriented offering rather than a street-legal mass product. Gigafactory Texas remains the planned production site for the standard car, Tesla executives have said.
Base pricing still echoes the 2017 reservation structure - $200,000 for the standard Roadster and $250,000 for the Founders Series, with five-figure deposits still on the books for early buyers. Whether Oct. 1 delivers production specs, a thruster stunt, or both is the open question. The calendar, at least, is no longer a moving target.
