Tesla unveils thruster-powered Roadster, no production date — SkimNews
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- Tesla unveiled an updated next-gen Roadster with cold-gas thrusters and a "cyberfied" design language inspired by the SR-71 and F-35, but the livestream offered no price or firm production date.
- Three configurations were detailed after the stream: Performance (0-60 mph under 1.6 seconds), Thrust (under 0.9 seconds, adds cold-gas thrusters), and Rocket (under 0.59 seconds, perimeter thrusters, single seat, over 230 mph top speed) — with Thrust and Rocket being limited or invite-only and the Rocket trim not approved for public road use.
- Tesla claims the thrusters generate four to five times the force the tires can handle, while a fan-based "multi-mode suction system" can reportedly hold the car upside down; Track Mode uses active wings driven by Optimus actuators.
- Specs were slashed from 2017 promises: range dropped from 620 miles to "over 300 miles," seating fell from a 2+2 four-seat layout to two seats maximum, while 0-60 acceleration actually improved (from a promised 1.9 seconds to 1.6 or better).
- Reservations reopened at the same $50,000 deposit Tesla collected in 2017 — $5,000 due today and $45,000 within 10 days — while Musk's only timeline quote was "2028, actually."
- The unveiling follows a years-long string of Musk-promised dates: production was originally targeted for 2020, with this year's schedule slipping from April to late April to post-Q1 earnings to August to October 1.
Why it matters: Tesla collected $50,000 deposits from customers in 2017 on specs that have now been cut roughly in half — range from 620 to 300+ miles, seating from four to two — while the headline-making thruster and suction features are limited to invite-only trims that aren't road-legal. After nine years of delays and repeated promises, customers still have no firm production date beyond Musk's offhand "2028, actually."
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