Published on 16 October 2026 at about 11:30 am AEDT, shortly before the launch began. It covers what Tesla had confirmed and what had been reported at that point. It does not report what was shown on stage; we will update this page once the presentation is over.
Tesla is launching its second-generation Roadster on the evening of Thursday 15 October in central Texas, nearly nine years after the car was first shown. For Australian viewers the event falls on Friday 16 October, just before lunch on the east coast.
The launch at a glance
- When (Texas)
- Thursday 15 October, 7:55 pm Central
- When (Sydney, Melbourne)
- Friday 16 October, 11:55 am AEDT
- Where
- Near Waco, Texas; reported venue SpaceX's McGregor test site
- How to watch
- Tesla livestream; follow tesla.com/roadster and Tesla on X
- Price
- Not announced
- Australian availability
- Not announced
Why it moved to 15 October
The launch was first set for 1 October. On 28 September Tesla said on X that the new date was 15 October, citing "severe conditions predicted" for central Texas and adding that "this event can only be held outdoors". Electrek reported the change (opens in a new tab) and noted that the forecast cleared within days, which made a two-week delay look long for a storm.
The date has moved many times. Production was originally promised for 2020. In November 2025, Elon Musk moved it to 2027 or 2028, as Electrek recorded (opens in a new tab).
Where it is happening
Tesla has described the event as taking place in Texas and outdoors. Reporting places it at SpaceX's rocket test site at McGregor, about 30 km from Waco. That venue has been widely reported but we have not seen Tesla name it officially, so treat it as the likely location rather than a confirmed one.
The outdoor setting matters because of what is expected to be demonstrated.
What is expected, and what is confirmed
Very little has been confirmed by Tesla. Most of what follows comes from reporting before the event.
| Feature | Status before the event |
|---|---|
| Launch date and time | Confirmed by Tesla |
| Outdoor event in Texas | Confirmed by Tesla |
| Livestream | Confirmed by Tesla |
| SpaceX McGregor venue | Reported |
| Hover demonstration using cold-gas thrusters | Reported |
| Remote-operated car with nobody on board | Reported |
| Production price | Not announced |
| Final specifications | Not announced |
| Australian price or delivery date | Not announced |
According to Electrek's preview (opens in a new tab), the demonstration is expected to use SpaceX cold-gas thrusters and has reportedly been scaled back from flight to a short hover. The demonstration car is reported to be remote-operated and not street-legal, with spectators kept several hundred metres away. In August, Musk teased a "flying" demonstration with no driver.
A hover, if it happens, would show that the thruster system works in one controlled demonstration. It would not tell buyers what the production car is, what it costs, or whether such a system could be approved for use on Australian roads.
The numbers that already exist
The only official figures date from the 2017 reveal: 0–60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph, 620 miles of range from a 200 kWh battery, and a starting price of US$200,000 with a US$250,000 Founders Series. Musk later said the car would be "very different" from the 2017 prototype. Until Tesla publishes a production specification, treat those numbers as historical claims rather than the specification of the car being launched.
Watching from Australia
These times convert the reported 7:55 pm Central stream opening.
| Feature | Stream opens, Friday 16 October |
|---|---|
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | 11:55 am AEDT |
| Adelaide | 11:25 am ACDT |
| Brisbane | 10:55 am AEST |
| Darwin | 10:25 am ACST |
| Perth | 8:55 am AWST |
Start at the official Roadster page (opens in a new tab) and Tesla's X account, which is where the time was confirmed. Allow a few minutes either side; live events often start late.
What Australian buyers should look for
The useful announcements are the ones that turn a demonstration into a product you can order here: a production specification with its test conditions, a price, a production date, and whether right-hand-drive cars will come to Australia. We set out the questions worth putting to Tesla in our buyer's briefing on the Roadster launch (opens in a new tab).
Related reading
- Tesla Roadster launch and what Australian buyers need to know
Tesla’s Roadster reveal is approaching. We examine the original claims, US reservations, thruster promises and the questions facing Australian buyers.
FAQs
When is the Tesla Roadster launch in Australian time?
The stream opens at 7:55 pm Central time on Thursday 15 October, which is 11:55 am AEDT on Friday 16 October in Sydney and Melbourne, and 8:55 am AWST in Perth.
Where is the Tesla Roadster launch being held?
Tesla has said the event is outdoors in Texas. Reporting places it at SpaceX's McGregor rocket test site near Waco, but Tesla had not named the venue officially when this page was written.
Will the Roadster fly at the launch?
That has been reported, not confirmed. Reporting describes a short hover using SpaceX cold-gas thrusters, in a remote-operated car with nobody on board, rather than sustained flight.
How much will the new Tesla Roadster cost in Australia?
No price had been announced before the event, in Australia or elsewhere. The US$200,000 figure dates from the 2017 reveal and should not be read as a current price.
Sources
- Tesla — Roadster page (opens in a new tab)
- Electrek — Tesla delays Roadster demo to October 15, blames weather (28 September 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Electrek — Tesla sets Roadster event for Thursday after nearly 9 years of delays (13 October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Tesla — rescheduling announcement on X (opens in a new tab)
Header photograph: the earlier Roadster prototype in September 2020, not the car being launched. Photo by Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab).