Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised “Excitement guaranteed” for next month’s Roadster event after Tesla set October 1 as the date for the long-delayed electric sports car’s next major reveal. The event will take place nearly nine years after Tesla first presented the second-generation Roadster as a prototype.
Tesla confirms October 1 date
Tesla announced the date through a post on X that carried the words “Go for launch” beside a dark image of the Roadster under bright vertical lights. The graphic included the date “10.01,” and Tesla’s website later added a countdown to October 1.
Musk then replied to the Tesla post with “New Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01.” He later responded to a post about the event with the words “Excitement guaranteed,” and “It’s out of this world.”
Event set for Waco, Texas
Invitations sent to Roadster reservation holders place the event in Waco, Texas, about 90 minutes north of Tesla’s headquarters in Austin. The exact venue has not been made public.
The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Pacific time and 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on October 1. In Europe, the event will take place early on October 2.
Guests must respond by midnight Pacific time on September 16. The invitations cannot be transferred, and entry is limited to people aged 21 and older. Attendees must present identification at the venue, according to details shared from the event invitation.
The location has drawn attention since Waco is close to SpaceX’s McGregor test site. Reports have linked that facility to a possible demonstration of the Roadster’s proposed cold-gas thruster system.
SpaceX package could feature
Tesla has discussed an optional SpaceX package for the Roadster for several years. The package would use cold-gas thrusters to add force during acceleration and could allow the car to lift briefly from the ground during a controlled demonstration.
Musk has claimed that a thruster-equipped version could reach 60 mph in about 1.1 seconds. He has cited a launch force of roughly 2.75 g, which would be far greater than the 1.9-second 0-to-60-mph claim made for the standard Roadster.
Tesla has not confirmed that the October event will include a hover demonstration. However, the company’s “Go for launch” message and the event’s location have led to renewed attention on that possibility, but the final program remains unconfirmed.
Musk has previously described the technology in unusually broad terms. During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, he said the Roadster could contain technology “crazier than all the James Bond cars combined.” He added that the event could become one of the most memorable product presentations ever.
Musk has said production could begin in 2027 or 2028, with manufacturing planned at Tesla’s Texas facility. Tesla first presented the second-generation Roadster in November 2017 during an event for the Tesla Semi. At the time, the company listed a starting price of $200,000, a $250,000 Founders Series version, a claimed range of 620 miles, a 0-to-60-mph time of 1.9 seconds and a top speed above 250 mph.
Tesla originally planned to start production in 2020. That schedule later moved through several other targets, including 2022, 2023, 2024 and a broader 2025-2026 window.
At Tesla’s shareholder meeting in November 2025, Musk said production would come 12 to 18 months after the planned demonstration. He placed production in the 2027-2028 period and said the new car would be “very different from what was shown previously.”
Another date after several delays
Tesla and Musk have announced several Roadster timeframes since the original prototype appeared. In late 2025, Musk named April 1, 2026, for a demonstration and joked that the date gave him “deniability because I can say I was just kidding.”
The April plan did not happen. Musk later referred to late April, then said the car could appear “in a month or so,” before moved the event to August.
The October 1 date is different from earlier targets since Tesla has now released a public teaser, updated its website countdown and sent invitations to reservation holders.
What the event could deliver
Tesla’s Roadster was created as a halo vehicle for the brand rather than a high-volume model. The original Roadster helped establish Tesla as a maker of high-performance electric cars, and the new version is intended to sit above Tesla’s existing performance models.
The October presentation could give Tesla a chance to provide new details about the car’s design, battery system, performance targets and production plans. A live test could attract the most attention, but Tesla has offered no firm statement that the car will fly or that every advertised figure will be met during the event.
That distinction is important after years of changing dates. Musk has called the Roadster demonstration “the most exciting — whether it works or not — demo of any product ever,” yet the company still has to complete testing and validation before production begins.
October 1 is the firmest date Tesla has placed behind the next-generation Roadster since the prototype appeared in 2017.
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