Musk Provides Update on Tesla Roadster and Announces New Specs; Deliveries in 2025

Roadster Closer to Reality

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In a series of posts on X, Elon Musk stirred up some late-night excitement, offering tantalizing details about the new Tesla Roadster. Musk reached back to posts from 2018 to update his 374 million followers on X with the latest progress, suggesting that Tesla is on the brink of unveiling a vehicle that promises to redefine the boundaries of the automotive industry again.

Tonight, we radically increased the design goals for the new Tesla Roadster. There will never be another car like this, if you could even call it a car. -Elon Musk

A Leap Toward the Future

Musk kicked off the series of posts by returning to old Twitter posts from June 2018 when he announced that the Roadster would come with a SpaceX option package featuring around ten small rocket thrusters, hints at capabilities far beyond traditional sports cars. These thrusters are expected to dramatically enhance acceleration, top speed, braking, and cornering, with Musk going as far as teasing the possibility of flight.

Beyond Boundaries & Timelines

In 2018, Musk reflected on his automotive journey, from choosing a McLaren F1 over a house in Palo Alto. He updated that tweet by posting you will love the new Roadster more than your house. There’s no telling what happened behind closed doors, but with Cybertruck now out the door, several bright, creative engineers have moved to the next challenge, and given Musk’s posts, there has been a significant breakthrough.

I think it has a shot at being the most mind-blowing product demo of all time

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2024

Musk confidently states that there will never be another car like this, challenging the very definition of what a car can be. Completing the production design and announcing an unveiling by the end of the year set a clear timeline for its anticipated debut, matching what was predicated at a recent earnings call.

Collaboration and Innovation

The collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX symbolizes a fusion of automotive and aerospace technologies, promising a product demo that could be the most mind-blowing of all time. Musk's assertion that the Roadster could achieve a 0-60 mph time of less than one second—remarkably stated as the "least interesting part" sets unprecedented expectations for performance.

A Brief History and What We Know

Initially earmarked for a 2021 release, the Roadster's journey to production has been met with delays. Despite this, Musk has remained steadfast that this promised vehicle will not only shatter performance records but also redefine what electric cars are capable of.

Tesla's ambition for the Roadster is clear: to create the fastest production car in the world. With a target 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of under 1.9 seconds and a top speed exceeding 250 mph, the Roadster is poised to outperform even the most advanced sports cars, including Tesla's own Model S Plaid. Slave Popovski created a cool simulation animation of a drag race between the Standard Tesla Roadster and the SpaceX thruster version. He states that thrusters are only on for 1.1 seconds, and he uses motion physics to simulate online figures.

Standard Tesla Roadster vs the SpaceX thruster versionpic.twitter.com/D4wF1SeNQL

— Dima Zeniuk (@DimaZeniuk) February 28, 2024

The Roadster's engineering marvel extends to its range and battery efficiency. Equipped with a 200 kWh battery pack, it aims to set a new standard with a range of up to 620 miles on a single charge.

Previously, we’ve heard numbers for a base model starting at around $200,000; the Roadster is positioned as a premium offering in the EV market. The limited-edition Founder's Series and the SpaceX Package will cater to enthusiasts and collectors, highlighting the Roadster's exclusivity.

As Tesla prepares for the most mind-blowing product demo of all time, Elon Musk's vision for the new Tesla Roadster is not just about creating another electric vehicle but pushing the limits of what's possible. With its groundbreaking design, unparalleled performance, and the hint of aerospace-inspired technology, the Roadster is shaping up to be a milestone in automotive history. With its groundbreaking design, unparalleled performance, and the hint of aerospace-inspired technology, the Roadster is shaping to be a milestone in automotive history.

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Tesla Cybertruck Santa Mode: All the Unique Features

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Tesla’s Santa Mode is one of the earliest Tesla Easter Eggs, and with the 2024 Holiday Update, the Cybertruck gets its own customized version of Santa Mode. While Santa Mode already has its own set of unique assets and animations, Tesla’s team went all out with the special Cybertruck version.

Cybersled

When you enable Santa Mode on the Cybertruck, you won’t get the classic-looking Tesla sleigh with Santa behind the reigns.

Instead, Santa’s been replaced by Santa Optimus, who’s doing all the chores from now on. Optimus is steering the Cybersled, and his trusty steeds, this time, are Cyber Reindeer with their own slick-looking goggles. The Cybersled has also been upgraded with some fancy levitating technology.

Turn Signals

While the reindeer’s harnesses will light up when you turn on your turn signal, Tesla also added a unique feature to the Cybertruck version. When you turn on your blinker, Optimus will actually stick out his arm and look in that direction. It’s a nice little touch that makes the whole thing come to life. You can check it out in the video below:

In the Cybertruck Holiday update Optimus will turn its head and point left or right with its hands when you initiate a turn signal. Cool little details @Tesla pic.twitter.com/ntxMFXjBtK

— Brandon (@brandontsla) December 26, 2024

Cybertruck’s Santa Mode otherwise has all the features of regular Santa Mode on other vehicles, including snowy roads and falling snow. The assets for people and other vehicles are also the same, with them being replaced by elves and reindeer, respectively.

Santa Mode Lighting

The Cybertruck, just like the 2024+ Model 3, features ambient lighting on the interior. When you activate Santa Mode, your Cybertruck’s ambient lighting will cycle between Red, Green, and White, fitting the Christmas theme quite well.

How to Activate It

Santa Mode can be activated year-round and isn’t limited to the holiday season. You can activate it via the Toybox menu or using a voice command.

Voice Commands

The first voice command is “Ho Ho Ho”. Just simply say that - and the Run Rudolph Run song will chime on for a single cycle, and you can go spread some Cyber Christmas Cheer.

The second voice command is “Ho Ho Ho, not funny.” That one is a variation of Santa Mode, and Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer will be played instead.

ToyBox

The third way to activate Santa Mode is to head over to the ToyBox app in your Tesla. You can then tap on the Santa Mode panel and turn it on by enabling ‘Jingle All the Way.’ That’s the equivalent of running the “Ho Ho Ho” voice command, so you’ll hear Run Rudolph Run cycle through once upon touching the button. Unfortunately, it’s rather loud, and you can’t control the volume, so you’ll need to wait for it to finish playing or turn off Santa Mode completely.

Spread Cheer

You can also spread some cheer with your Cybertruck. You’ll need to be in Park before enabling this option. It will play the Santa Mode music you’ve selected through the vehicle’s external speaker known as the Pedestrian Warning Speaker (PWS). You’ll need to toggle on Spread Cheer before enabling Santa Mode, as the song stops after its first cycle. Due to updated NHTSA regulations, Spread Cheer no longer works while driving.

If you’d like to see all the features of Santa Mode on other Teslas, be sure to check out our regular Santa Mode guide.

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Tesla Is Working With City of Austin to Launch Self Driving Vehicle Fleet

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Tesla has been working hard behind the scenes to get its Robotaxi network off the ground. We previously reported that they were in talks with the City of Palo Alto in California. This, combined with potential federal changes from the incoming U.S. Administration means that Tesla is really pushing to make its Robotaxi network a reality in 2025.

Bloomberg now reports that Tesla is in discussions with another city to explore the launch of an autonomous vehicle fleet. This development follows the major announcements made during Tesla’s We, Robot autonomy event in October.

Tesla has been testing the network in San Francisco's Bay Area with its employees and safety drivers, which means that internally, some of the necessary infrastructure is already in place to begin further deployments.

Austin, Texas

Bloomberg reports that Tesla is now in the early stages of the proposal with the city of Austin - the same city that already hosts Giga Texas. Tesla has apparently been in touch with the city’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force since early spring to work on hashing out the proposal.

Austin already has Waymo and Zoox testing their robotaxi services in the city, so Tesla’s Cybercabs or other Tesla vehicles will be an interesting addition to the offerings already available.

The Proposal

The proposal will likely look at safety regulations, initial offerings by Tesla, liability status, and pilot testing the Robotaxi network throughout Austin before it is publicly rolled out. Another topic of discussion was ensuring that the city’s first responders - Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police - would be trained to interact with the vehicles. Tesla held an event in Austin with first responders on December 5th to do the initial set of training and help establish guidelines for the rollout.

We’re excited to see which of the two cities we know about - Austin or Palo Alto - will take the crown for the first public Robotaxi network.

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