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TSLA

Roadster takes deposits for the second time as a large batch of Cybercabs reaches Houston

Sources (4)

The second-generation Roadster is taking paid deposits from the public for the second time, 9 years after the first ($50,000, fully refundable). Reservations opened two weeks before the 1 Oct unveiling in Waco, Texas.

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On the same day, a large batch of Cybercabs and Model Y Robotaxis (including Starlink-equipped units) arrived in Houston, as the expansion spreads from Austin to Texas's second-largest city. Both are incremental marketing and supply-side signals, not revenue or deliveries.

Key evidence

  • The Roadster reservation page is live: $5,000 by credit card on the day, plus $45,000 by wire transfer within 10 days. The order is only final once the wire arrives, and the full amount is refundable.
  • Formal unveiling on 1 Oct in Waco, Texas, with deposits opening about two weeks earlier (Electrek, NotaTeslaApp and EVSHIFT checked the reservation page first-hand on 20-21 Sep)
  • It is the second time since the 2017 concept that Tesla has taken money for a car it has not yet built. The prototype debuted in Nov 2017 with deliveries originally due in 2020, and the date has slipped at least 7 times.
  • According to Musk, production deliveries will not start until 2027. The 1 Oct event is an unveiling and demo, not deliveries.
  • A large batch of Cybercabs and Model Y Robotaxis arrived in Houston, with Starlink-equipped units mixed in (Tesla Oracle, 20-21 Sep)
  • Houston already runs a geofenced Robotaxi service. This is the first time the city has seen so many actual Cybercabs gathered in one place.
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  • The Starlink-equipped units mean SpaceX's satellite connectivity layer is going into production fleet vehicles (echoing the 11 Aug announcement that Cybercab would integrate Starlink)
  • This follows the first signs of a training deployment in Philadelphia on 19 Sep. Today adds a large physical build-up in Houston, as the expansion spreads from Austin to Texas's second-largest city and to several points on the East Coast.

Catalysts to watch

  • Roadster unveiling event in Waco, Texas on 1 Oct
  • Cybercab in Houston moving from a geofenced service to genuinely driverless passenger rides
  • Starlink-equipped Cybercabs deployed in production operations

Risks

  • Roadster deposits are fully refundable, so Tesla locks in no cash and buyers face no cost for walking away. This is more marketing buzz than a firm demand commitment.
  • The Roadster is a very niche halo model that contributes almost nothing to deliveries or gross margin. Hovering on cold-gas thrusters is a marketing gimmick.
  • The Cybercab evidence comes mainly from sighting posts, not official confirmation of a deployment. Arriving is not the same as starting genuinely driverless rides.
  • Houston's existing Robotaxi service is still geofenced. Cybercabs being in place does not mean operations at scale.
  • Cybercab has had repeated problems with highway driving and routing (a 10-minute trip in Austin took 70 minutes)

Sources 4

  1. Electrek, 20-21 Sep: Roadster reservation page
  2. NotaTeslaApp, 20-21 Sep
  3. EVSHIFT, 20-21 Sep
  4. Tesla Oracle, 20-21 Sep: Cybercab build-up in Houston

A brief is a lead for our research, not a verified conclusion or advice.