Are you interested in the progress of the Tesla Roadster project?

On the occasion of the quarterly results presentation of Tesla, Elon Musk dropped a tidbit of information about a long-discussed topic: the Roadster.

Is the Tesla Roadster, in Elon Musk’s mind, this second pointless project that turned out to be the Cybertruck? A source of massive expenditures just to show off? One might think so, given how the Californian manufacturer has its foot on the brake when it comes to allocating technical, human, and financial resources to it.

The Tesla Roadster has become a long-running joke. First presented in 2017, already 7 years ago, this pleasure-oriented vehicle tries to make intermittent comebacks. The latest comment from Elon Musk referenced the integration of rockets at the rear to accelerate even faster… and all the fools rushed to spread the misinformation. The same goes for the promise of accelerating to 100 km/h in less than a second. When you consider the energy and tire grip required to transfer that power to the ground with road tires, it’s unrealistic.

Another Mockery?

In any case, the idea of seeing the Roadster launched in 2025, as hinted earlier in 2024, has once again taken a hit. During the presentation on Wednesday, October 23, of the Q3 2024 results, the topic came back on the table and here’s how Elon Musk updated his thoughts:

“I want to thank the long-standing deposit holders (a $50,000 deposit as a reservation. Ed.) for the Tesla Roadster. If it hasn’t been released yet, it’s because the Roadster is not just the cherry on the cake; it’s the cherry on the cherry on the cake. Our broader mission is to accelerate progress towards a sustainable energy future, to try to do things that maximize the likelihood that the future is good for humanity and for the Earth. This necessarily means that things that are a bit like a dessert – we would all love to work on the new generation of Tesla Roadster, it’s very fun, and we are working on it – must come after things that have a more serious impact on the good of the world. So we thank all long-suffering deposit holders for the Tesla Roadster, and we are finally making progress on this front. We are about to finalize the design of this car, which will be truly spectacular. You know, one of my friends, Peter Thiel – sometimes people think that Peter Thiel and I are rivals, but we are very good friends – but you know, Peter lamented that the future doesn’t have flying cars. We will see.”

The takeaway is that the Tesla Roadster will now be able to fly, with rockets and could be launched from an aircraft carrier? Mind you, with Tesla’s Autopilot, that might come in handy. On the commercial site, other information is displayed: 1000 km of range, over 400 km/h top speed, etc. At least, it’s good for a laugh. Thank you, Elon.