Elon Musk says the second-generation Tesla Roadster will at long last arrive in 2023, a full six years after first being unveiled.
The EV brand’s CEO responded to a Twitter user who inquired into the status of what will be Tesla’s highest-performing yet ever following the market debut of the 1,100-horsepower Model S Plaid.
2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship.
Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 1, 2021
“2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn’t matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship. Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023,” Musk explained.
CNBC reports that the Roadster was initially announced alongside the Tesla Semi big rig in 2017, neither of which have entered production.
At the time, the electrified convertible was billed with eye-watering specs including a 250-mph top speed, 620-mile range, and a tri-motor configuration enabling a sub-two-second 60-mph time.
Then earlier this year, Musk ambitiously teased an unfathomably fast sprint to 60 mph in 1.1 seconds courtesy of a “SpaceX rocket thruster option package” on Twitter.
Musk has a penchant for using the short-form social media service to drum up headlines about his EVs, even if his statements they land him a lawsuit with the SEC. But recently, he uncharacteristically backed away from controversy after being namedropped by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Abbott was speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box about his state’s “social policies,” one of which is a recently passed abortion law that’s been criticized for being overly restrictive.
In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness. That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 2, 2021
“You need to understand that there’s a lot of businesses and a lot of Americans who like the social positions that the state of Texas is taking,” Abbott said.
“This is not slowing down businesses coming to the state of Texas at all. In fact it is accelerating the process of businesses coming to Texas.”
He added that Musk “had to get out of California because in part of the social policies in California, and Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas.”
Musk didn’t take a definitive stance, but instead wrote, “In general, I believe government should rarely impose its will upon the people, and, when doing so, should aspire to maximize their cumulative happiness,” in response to a clip of the segment.
“That said, I would prefer to stay out of politics,” Musk added.