AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla has pushed its long-awaited Roadster public demonstration to August or later, according to a report from The Information citing four people with direct knowledge of the program. The move marks the latest in a series of delays for a vehicle that was first unveiled as a prototype in November 2017.
The showcase — expected to take place at Gigafactory Texas — is designed to put a spotlight on the most audacious engineering collaboration in automotive history: a cold-gas thruster system co-developed with SpaceX that promises to take the Roadster's performance into territory no road car has visited before.
The SpaceX Thruster System Takes Center Stage
The system, known internally as "A71," sits at the heart of why this demo matters. At its core, the package replaces the Roadster's rear seats with approximately 10 cold-air rocket thrusters that fire to amplify acceleration, cornering, and braking. Musk has claimed the SpaceX-equipped Roadster will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.1 seconds and will be capable of briefly lifting off the ground.
Tesla and SpaceX engineers conducted an internal demonstration of the A71 system for Musk in late April, two of The Information's sources said — explaining why the originally planned spring events kept slipping. The technical complexity of integrating aerospace-grade thruster hardware into a production road vehicle is significant, and the team is taking the additional time to get it right.
Two Variants Planned
Tesla plans to offer two versions of the next-generation Roadster. A limited-edition SpaceX package variant will include the full cold-gas thruster system, while a second model described as a "scaled down" version will be available without it. Both are expected to be assembled at Gigafactory Texas.
Pricing and exact production allocations for each variant have not been disclosed, but early reservation holders who paid $50,000 — and Founders Series buyers who committed $250,000 — are watching closely.
