Some reservation holders have been sitting on $45,000–$50,000 deposits since 2018. The car became something of a running joke in EV circles. Sam Altman tried to get his money back, and the refund email bounced off a dead Tesla address. Then, on September 12, 2026, Tesla posted “Go for launch” on X alongside the date “10.01.” Musk confirmed in a reply: “New Tesla Roadster Unveil 10.01.” The Tesla Roadster finally has a reveal date. Whether it’s real enough to actually drive remains, as always, a separate question.
The Car You’ll See Isn’t the One You Ordered
Tesla reportedly scrapped the 2017 design entirely — expect something new, with specs to match.
The prototype that dropped jaws at a Semi reveal back in November 2017? Gone, according to The Information, via TechCrunch. Tesla has abandoned that design and developed a new, unrevealed one. The original promised sub-2-second 0–60, a top speed above 250 mph, and a SpaceX cold gas thruster package Musk described as enabling extreme acceleration boosts — performance claims that were attached to a design that no longer exists.
October 1 resets the table — or piles a fresh set of promises on top of the old ones.
A few things worth keeping straight:
- First announced: November 2017, nearly a decade ago
- Reservation deposit: approximately $45,000–$50,000
- 2017 prototype: reportedly abandoned; new design debuts October 1
- Post-reveal production timeline: at least 12–18 months, per Musk
- Teaser aesthetic: rocket-pad lighting, widely read as a reference to the SpaceX thruster package
Go for Launch – or at Least Go for a Look
The Musk–Altman spat turned the waiting list into a very public, very expensive grievance.
In late 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted what he called a “tale in three acts” on X: his 2018 reservation, a refund request that bounced off a dead Tesla address, and over seven years of radio silence. “7.5 years has felt like a long time to wait,” Altman wrote.
Musk fired back that Altman had conveniently left out “act 4, where this issue was fixed and you received a refund within 24 hours. But that is in your nature” — folding in a jab about OpenAI’s nonprofit-to-profit shift for good measure. Musk’s claim that the refund came quickly is reported by Mashable and Business Insider; the broader grievance, though, stands regardless. When a halo car doubles as a deposit-holding vehicle for more than seven years, even a billionaire will post receipts.
The teaser’s launch-pad imagery isn’t accidental. TechCrunch and Teslarati both note it references the promised cold gas thruster system — SpaceX-derived hardware Musk has described as capable of delivering extreme acceleration boosts. Even if a thruster demo materializes on October 1, production remains at least 12–18 months away. This is a show, not a handover. If you’re tracking other models worth waiting for, there’s no shortage of competition on the horizon.
The Roadster has long functioned as Tesla’s most compelling marketing vehicle without moving an inch. October 1 gives reservation holders something to watch — just not something to drive. What Musk reveals that night will either silence nearly a decade of skepticism or quietly give it another year to grow.
