Cold gas thrusters
SpaceX-developed nozzles, visible as four circular ports on the 10.01 teaser. Not chemical rockets — high-pressure cold gas, loud enough that reports say spectators will stand hundreds of metres back.
RoadsterUnveilWaco, Texas10.01Go
T-minus · Mission clock
Roadster
Go for launch
Signal · X
From the accounts that dated it.
Tesla posted the teaser. Elon confirmed the unveil. Everything below is a real post.
- 12 Sep 2026Tesla @TeslaGo for launchTeaser of a red Roadster under launch-pad lighting, date stamped 10.01.On X
- 12 Sep 2026Elon Musk @elonmuskNew Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01Quote-post of Tesla’s teaser. The confirm.On X
- 15 Jun 2024Elon Musk @elonmuskThe new Tesla Roadster can flySpaceX cold-gas thruster package, said in public for years.On X
- 17 Sep 2025Elon Musk @elonmuskThe new Roadster is something special beyond a carOn X
- 17 Mar 2026Elon Musk @elonmuskNew Roadster unveil hopefully next month. It will be a banger next-level.Slipped past April. 10.01 is the dated hold.On X
- 29 Jan 2026Elon Musk @elonmuskNew Roadster will be incredibleOn X
2017 prototype claims
Published at Hawthorne. To be confirmed 10.01.
Tesla has not restated numbers for the redesigned car. These are the figures from 16 November 2017 — still on tesla.com/roadster until they change.
- 0–60 mph
- 1.9 s
- 0–100 mph
- 4.2 s
- ¼ mile
- 8.8 s
- Top speed
- 250+ mph
- Range
- 620 mi
- Torque
- 10,000 Nm
- Seating
- 2+2
- Base price
- $200,000
Base claim. SpaceX package targeted under 1.0 s.
Published at the 2017 Semi event.
Tesla listed 8.8 s on the Roadster page.
Over 400 km/h.
200 kWh pack, ~1,000 km.
Wheel torque, tri-motor AWD.
First four-seat car Tesla called a supercar.
Founders Series $250,000, 1,000 units.
The wait
Nine years from Hawthorne to Waco.
16 Nov 20178.8 years10.01
01 · 17 Mar 2008
Original Roadster production
Tesla’s first car. Lotus-based, ~2,450 built. Elon kept VIN 1 until it left Earth.
02 · 16 Nov 2017
Next-gen prototype, Hawthorne
Surprise walk-on at the Semi unveil. 1.9 s, 250+ mph, 620 miles, $200k — production promised for 2020.
03 · 6 Feb 2018
Starman
Falcon Heavy’s first flight lofted Elon’s personal Roadster onto a heliocentric orbit. Dummy payload. Still out there.
04 · 2020–2025
The wait
Pushed through Model 3 ramp, chips, 4680s, then AI. Musk later guided production to 2027 or 2028, 12–18 months after a reveal.
05 · 15 Jun 2024
“The new Tesla Roadster can fly”
Cold-gas thrusters, SpaceX package. Claimed 0–60 in under a second, and enough impulse to hop.
06 · 12 Sep 2026
Go for launch
Tesla posts the 10.01 teaser. A countdown appears on tesla.com/roadster. Invitations go to reservation holders: Waco, 8:30 PM ET.
07 · 1 Oct 2026
Unveil
Waco, Texas. Expect a redesigned car — the 2017 shape was reported abandoned — and a remote thruster demo.
SpaceX package
Four columns of light. Cold gas. A car that is supposed to hop.
Tesla’s 10.01 teaser is lit like a Falcon on the pad. The four roof ports match years of Musk talking about a SpaceX thruster kit. Reservation invitations name Waco — about 90 minutes north of Giga Texas, near SpaceX McGregor.
Under a second
Musk has said the package should put 0–60 mph below one second, using downward thrust to keep the tires planted. Base 2017 claim was 1.9 s without it.
A hop, not a flight
He has also said it can leave the ground briefly. October 1 reports describe a remotely operated demo with nobody inside.
Two cars, maybe
The Information described a limited “flying” edition and a street-legal Roadster. Production still 12–18 months after tonight — 2027 or 2028.
6 February 2018 · Falcon Heavy
The other Roadster is already in space.
Elon launched his original car because failure was likely and he didn’t want to risk anything valuable. Starman is still on a heliocentric orbit between Earth and Mars. The new one is meant to stay on the road — until the thrusters fire.