Customer frustration resurfaces
Interest in the Roadster reemerged this week when Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI and a former Musk associate, said on social platform X that he attempted to cancel a reservation he placed in 2018 and retrieve his deposit. Altman posted a screenshot indicating his e-mail request to Tesla was returned as undeliverable, writing that the 7.5-year wait had become excessive even for a technology enthusiast accustomed to delays.
Altman’s comment came amid a legal dispute with Musk, who helped establish OpenAI in 2015 and now directs competing artificial-intelligence startup xAI. Industry observers note that Altman’s public complaint may have prompted Musk to spotlight the Roadster schedule. Patrick George, editor-in-chief of electric-vehicle publication InsideEVs, told CNBC the model “has been MIA for years” and suggested the renewed discussion could be a response to Altman’s post.
Other early adopters have expressed similar frustrations. Technology reviewer Marques Brownlee detailed the steps he took to cancel his own Roadster reservation in a recent episode of the Waveform Podcast, calling the process cumbersome.
Positioning at the top end of the market
Tesla intends the second-generation Roadster to serve as a low-volume halo car demonstrating the company’s engineering capabilities. The vehicle would compete with high-performance battery models such as BYD’s YangWang U9 Xtreme, which Chinese media recently labeled the world’s fastest production electric car. While Tesla’s existing lineup dominates U.S. electric-vehicle sales, a flagship sports car could reinforce the brand’s performance image as rivals expand their offerings.
Pricing for the Roadster is still unofficial. Reservation holders previously paid deposits of up to $50,000, with an even larger sum required for a limited “Founders Series.” Tesla’s online configurator no longer lists preorder information, and the company has not disclosed how many deposits remain active.
Imagem: Internet
Shareholder vote on record compensation package
The fresh timeline arrives as Tesla shareholders prepare to vote next week on a compensation plan that could grant Musk stock awards worth nearly $1 trillion, contingent on market capitalization and operational milestones. If approved, the package would raise Musk’s ownership stake to roughly 25%, according to the company’s proxy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Supporters argue the incentive aligns Musk’s interests with long-term growth, while critics question its scale amid recent delivery slowdowns.
Musk’s comments to Rogan did not address whether Roadster development is tied to any of the performance goals within that pay package. Tesla engineers are concurrently working on other high-profile projects, including the Cybertruck pickup, a refreshed Model 3 sedan, and expanded driver-assistance software.
Timeline remains uncertain
Tesla has not confirmed a production start date or manufacturing location for the Roadster. Earlier plans called for assembly at the company’s Fremont, California, facility, but subsequent statements pointed to a potential shift to the Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. Supply-chain constraints, battery-cell allocations, and development resources dedicated to the Cybertruck have all been cited by analysts as reasons for the repeated postponements.
Whether the company can translate a late-2024 demonstration into near-term deliveries remains unclear. Tesla’s history with product launches includes significant intervals between unveil and production, notably for the Model X SUV and the Cybertruck. Investors and reservation holders therefore continue to monitor official guidance for clearer timelines.
Until then, the Roadster remains a high-profile promise, emblematic of Tesla’s ambition to push electric-vehicle performance benchmarks and one that the company now says it plans to showcase in tangible form within the next several months.
Crédito da imagem: Issei Kato | Reuters
