Tesla's New Roadster Launches This Month, Showcasing Limited-Edition "Flying" Capability

According to three people familiar with the matter, Tesla plans to hold a launch event for its new Roadster as early as August 2024. The event will take place at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas, and will focus on showcasing the limited-edition Roadster—co-developed by Tesla and SpaceX—and its flight capabilities. This version is equipped with cold-gas thrusters, and the original demonstration was intended to include high-speed runs up a magnetic ramp, inverted driving, and mid-air hovering. However, some of these elements have since been delayed, canceled, or simplified. During the demonstration, the vehicle will be remotely operated with no one inside, and spectators will be required to stay several hundred meters away to avoid injury from the intense noise and vibrations caused by the release of high-pressure gas. The limited-edition Roadster will not be street-legal and is expected to cost anywhere from several hundred thousand to several million dollars. The price of the standard Roadster has not yet been announced; the original model sold for nearly $100,000. Internally, Tesla has discussed allowing die-hard fans to purchase the demonstration vehicles, potentially following a model similar to Ferrari’s XX program—restricted exclusively to track use and supervised by professionals. Tesla has still not released a delivery timeline for customers who have already placed reservations. Since unveiling the prototype in 2017 and missing its initial 2020 delivery target, the Roadster project has been delayed at least eight times.