Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚗 Tesla has open-sourced all design and engineering of the original Roadster, including Owner’s Manuals, Circuits, and Connectors.
- 📅 The announcement comes in late 2023, leading to speculation about the potential proximity of the next-gen Roadster’s production.
- 💡 The original Roadster, created in 2008, served as a fundraising effort for Tesla during challenging times.
- ⏰ The next-gen Roadster, initially slated for delivery in 2020, has faced delays, with the current target for production by the end of 2024.
- 🌐 Elon Musk’s history of setting tentative dates, as seen with the Full Self-Driving suite, adds uncertainty to the Roadster’s timeline.
- 🚀 The Cybertruck, set for delivery in eight days, and the $25,000 Tesla vehicle take priority over the Roadster due to fiscal and adoption considerations.
Tesla has open-sourced all of the design and engineering of the original Roadster, CEO Elon Musk announced today, and plenty of people are wondering if the timing of the release has anything to do with the next-gen Roadster that is now several years behind schedule.
Tesla has opened everything from Owner’s Manuals to Circuits and Connectors for the original Roadster, which was the automaker’s first project fifteen years ago in 2008.
The vehicle was essentially a fundraising campaign for Tesla as it fought to keep its doors open and transform the passenger vehicle industry. It almost bankrupted the company, but now, everything that was developed for Tesla’s initial EV project is available for anyone to take a look at.
The timing of the announcement comes toward the end of 2023, and many people are wondering if it could perhaps be a hint that Tesla’s next-gen Roadster is close to being produced.
The Roadster was supposed to be delivered for the first time in 2020, but delays and other vehicle projects have pushed the supposed production and delivery date for the 1.9-second 0-60 MPH supercar from Tesla back.
“We are certainly testing the patience of our reservation holders,” Musk said earlier this year. However, he also remarked that the final design and engineering of the Roadster will be completed by the end of 2023, meaning the vehicle should reach production by the end of 2024.
This is a very tentative date, though, as this is not the first time Musk has said the Roadster will be ready by a certain date. He has also said the same thing about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite for several years, but owners are still waiting for that to be solved.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Cybertruck, which is set to begin deliveries in just eight days, is expected to be a challenging project for Tesla. Musk tempered expectations for the Cybertruck during the Q3 Earnings Call in October and said it could take 18 months for Tesla to ramp production.
Additionally, the $25,000 vehicle is also in development, and we have to imagine that it would be prioritized over the Roadster for several reasons. One would be overall fiscal reasons, and the other would be the $25k vehicle will contribute to overall EV adoption significantly more than the Roadster will.
