Tesla Roadster Reveal Rained Out Again — Rescheduled to October 15

Tesla has postponed the long-awaited second Roadster unveiling, originally set for this Thursday near Waco, Texas, after meteorologists forecast severe thunderstorms and a 90% chance of rain. Because the event can only be held outdoors, Tesla called it a "difficult decision" and moved the reveal to October 15.

The delay is the latest chapter in one of the auto industry's most drawn-out product sagas. Elon Musk first showed off a Roadster prototype back in 2017, promising production would begin in 2020. The specs were jaw-dropping: 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed of roughly 250 mph, and over 600 miles of range. Tesla collected deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 from reservation holders — but has missed every production deadline since, leading Musk himself to acknowledge the company's "long-suffering" depositors on a 2024 earnings call.

The original Roadster, built on a modified Lotus Elise chassis, was Tesla's very first vehicle. It went out of production in 2012, making the successor a project now more than a decade in the making. Part of the holdup stems from Tesla's strategic pivot away from conventional car development toward autonomous driving and AI — meaning the Roadster repeatedly fell to the back of the queue.

Adding to the spectacle, Musk has floated a potential SpaceX collaboration that could equip the new Roadster with cold-gas thrusters capable of briefly lifting the car off the ground — what he loosely described as "rocket-y stuff." Whether that technology makes an appearance at the October 15 event remains to be seen, but after seven-plus years of waiting, deposit holders will be watching closely.