Tesla is again asking for a deposit on the Roadster, even though the first people in line have been waiting for nine years
Tesla has reopened reservations for the next-generation Roadster. Joining the queue requires putting down $50,000, or around €42,000. The small catch is that Tesla began taking money for the same car back in 2017 and promised production by 2020. No customer cars have been built to date.
The new push begins ahead of a presentation in Texas on 1 October, where Tesla is expected to finally show an updated version of the Roadster and reveal new technical specifications, pricing and a production plan.
€42,000 for a place in the queue
The reservation scheme is quite specific, in typical Tesla fashion. First, buyers must pay $5,000 by credit card, followed by another $45,000 via bank transfer within 10 days. In total, that amounts to $50,000, or approximately €42,000 at the current exchange rate.
Tesla describes the amount as fully refundable. The reservation becomes final only once the $45,000 transfer has been received.
This is not the purchase price of the car, however. At present, the customer is essentially buying a place in the queue, as Tesla has not yet disclosed the final price of the new Roadster.
The 2017 Roadster still looms large
The second generation of the Roadster first appeared on stage in November 2017. Tesla then promised a base-model price of $200,000 and the start of production in 2020.
The initial technical promises were extraordinary for the time: 0-97 km/h in 1.9 seconds, a top speed of more than 400 km/h and a range of around 1,000 km.
The most amusing part is that Tesla's European Roadster website still displays those figures. Nine years is an entire geological age in the world of electric cars, so they should now be viewed as historical targets rather than confirmed specifications for a 2026 production car.
Tesla has repeatedly delayed the Roadster over the years. In the meantime, electric hypercars such as the Rimac Nevera have reached the market, turning sub-two-second acceleration from a PowerPoint promise into a feature of a real car.
Musk now promises even more
Elon Musk has since raised the Roadster's ambitions even further. He has spoken of cold-gas thrusters based on SpaceX technology and even hinted at the possibility that the car could briefly lift off the ground.
What will actually be shown on 1 October, and how much of it will make it into a road-legal production car, remains unknown.
That is precisely why reopening reservations is a rather bold move in light of the Roadster's history so far. Tesla is asking customers for $50,000 before disclosing the car's final price, the technical specifications of the production version or the start date of production.
The Roadster's greatest achievement at present is therefore not its 400 km/h top speed or rocket technology. It is its ability to still be available for pre-order nine years later.
