Tesla Is Asking For Roadster Donati…Reservations Again

Image: Tesla

It’s been five years. We’ve had elections, military conflicts, and an entire pandemic, but still no Tesla Roadster. Elon Musk sort of shocked everyone when he announced Tesla was working on another Roadster in 2017. Even more shocking were the performance claims: 620 miles of range and a 1.9 second zero to sixty time. We picked apart that claim, of course, as that would make the Roadster one of the fastest cars ever.

It wasn’t cheap, either. Tesla said base versions would start at $200,000 with a $50,000 reservation. If you wanted the Founders Edition, that was a quarter-million bucks. A few years went by. Nothing happened. The car was delayed in early 2020, with Musk saying that it wasn’t a priority given the Cybertruck (which is kind of ironic if you think about it), even though he literally asked people to place a deposit on it. Later that year, reservation holders were freaked out when the Roadster was removed from Tesla’s site briefly.

Musk claimed it was an accident, though it seems as if it was only an accident because someone pointed it out. The company’s been largely silent about the Roadster since then. Until now.

Tesla has quietly started asking for what are basically donations for the Roadster again. And they aren’t cheap.

Screenshot: Tesla

To place a Roadster reservation now requires $5,000 that’s due immediately. Nope, you’re not done yet. You have to open your wallet again within 10 days of the deposit to drop another $45,000 for your reservation to be final.

People online are torn. Some see these reservations as a corporate GoFundMe:

Others, like crypto bros and Tesla stans, see nothing wrong with this.

What?

But there is something very wrong with it. It’s been years, and there’s still no word on whether or not this thing is even coming. Who’s to say that anyone would actually see a dime of their money back if the Roadster falls through? Tesla already doesn’t seem to be in the business of refunding people. Asking for money for another up-in-the-air car that’s supposedly coming on top of the rumored $80 billion in reservations for the Cybertruck is sketchy as hell. But if getting your hands on one of these cars means that much to you, go ahead. You’ll see your vehicle. Eventually. Maybe.