Tesla Exec Confirms Roadster Update Talks, Collaboration With SpaceX For Top Specs

Tesla Inc TSLA senior executive Lars Moravy said in an interview published on Sunday that the company is indeed working with Elon Musk‘s rocket manufacturing company SpaceX for its upcoming Roadster vehicle.

What Happened: Moravy, in an interview with Ryan McCaffrey recorded on Feb.13 and published on Sunday, said that the company is indeed working with SpaceX for the upcoming Roadster and that the company convened a meeting about the Roadster merely two days before the interview.

“Oh it is definitely real,” Moravy said in response to the rising doubts among enthusiasts about the upcoming Roadster.

“We’re working with SpaceX on that now…. Cold gas thrusters are super cool and they add a certain level of, you know, breaking the laws of motor physics,” Moravy said.

Tesla intends to start production of the new Roadster in 2025. The sports car will be a tribute to Tesla’s first EV – the limited-production original Roadster produced by the company between 2008 and 2012.

Why It Matters: The new generation Roadster prototype was showcased at the end of the event dedicated to unveiling the Tesla Semi on November 16, 2017. Tesla then said the vehicle would be available starting in 2020 and priced around $200,000.

However, the production timeline for the vehicle has been pushed several times since.

In February 2024, Musk said that the upcoming Tesla Roadster can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than 1 second, lower than the company's initial estimate of 1.9 seconds. The vehicle relies on a collaboration between Musk's two companies- Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX- to provide the incredible performance, he added.

Tesla’s Model S Plaid, its fastest vehicle in production, can accelerate to 60 mph only in about 2 seconds.

Musk has previously warned that the upcoming Roadster will not move Tesla's financials in a big way.

“Financially, it’s sort of a small potato situation. It’s not going to move the needle in a major way financially. It’s not even the icing on the cake but the cherry on the icing on the cake,” Musk said about the Roadster in an interview with Ford CEO Jim Farley in May 2023.

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