Tesla has resumed taking reservations for the next-generation Roadster.

On Sept. 20 local time, EV outlet Electrek reported that Tesla opened its Roadster reservation page ahead of a launch event on Oct. 1 near Waco, Texas, and is taking a $50,000 deposit.

The reservations are drawing attention because they began about two weeks before the vehicle is unveiled. Prospective buyers must first pay $5,000 by credit card, and Tesla said the amount is "fully refundable". They must then wire the remaining $45,000 within 10 days, and the reservation is finalised once the transfer is confirmed.

This is not the first time Tesla has taken a $50,000 Roadster reservation deposit. Tesla took $50,000 as a standard deposit when it unveiled the Roadster prototype at a Semi event in November 2017. It also offered reservations for a 'Founders Series' requiring full prepayment of $250,000. At the time, Tesla promised production in 2020.

But production did not happen. The Roadster unveiled in 2017 has since been delayed at least eight times, and no vehicles have been delivered to customers so far. Existing reservation holders have been waiting for about nine years. Last year, it emerged that some reservation holders faced difficulties in the cancellation and deposit refund process. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (샘 알트먼) also said he tried to cancel his reservation but could not reach Tesla.

With Tesla again taking $50,000 to accept reservations, it is repeating a situation similar to 2017 in which it takes deposits from prospective buyers before the vehicle is actually unveiled and produced. This time, however, it is taking reservation deposits even before the production model is unveiled.

Tesla plans to disclose the Roadster’s price, specifications and production targets at the Oct. 1 event. Elon Musk has in recent months teased a demonstration using cold-gas thrusters designed by SpaceX. Musk claimed the device could make the car "fly" or at least lift it off the ground. Observers have said the demonstration vehicle is expected to be remotely operated, would not be road-legal, and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Musk said at this month’s All-In Summit about the Oct. 1 event: "I can’t guarantee success, but I can guarantee excitement." He also said he needs an audience on site, saying he needs "people who will testify that this is not AI."

Specifications Tesla presented for the Roadster in 2017 include a range of 620 miles on a single charge, acceleration from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in under 1.9 seconds, and a top speed of more than 250 miles per hour. Its base price was presented at $200,000 at the time. A recently released teaser showed Tesla’s angular 'cyber' design and a front light bar reminiscent of the robotaxi line and the Cybertruck.

Uncertainty in the market over the Roadster’s actual launch schedule remains. On Polymarket, contracts have formed that put the probability of Roadster deliveries to customers by the end of 2026 at less than 5 percent. Trading volume in that contract is low. A separate contract related to delivery in 2027 is trading at about 61 percent.

The Oct. 1 event is expected to show how specifically Tesla will present actual production targets and schedules, as well as the Roadster’s price and specifications.