On Thursday evening I sat in a Japanese restaurant in Aspen, Colorado and could not help but pull out my phone and watch the Elon Show unfold. I was supposed to be at dinner while on PTO for a long weekend with my wife, kids, and friends, but I struggle with work life boundaries. The side eye from my wife was real, but friends at the table all knew exactly what I was checking in on and you should’ve seen their faces when I blurted out, “Holy shit, it just flew.” I was in shock.
Yes, the show put on by Musk & Company was impressive. Astounding even. I saw Rivian employees tipping their hat publicly on Instagram. But as superlative numbers for the new Tesla Roadster, like 0-60 mph in 0.81 seconds, a top speed of over 200 mph, and words like thrusters, were thrown around a switch inside me flipped. Where’s the $25,000 electric car, what happened to Tesla’s supposed mission, and in any way how does this help society beyond parlor tricks?
Remember Elon’s “Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan” that was published publicly and not so secretly on August 2, 2026? It’s still publicly, “just between us,” online for viewing. The company’s mission was, and I quote, “However, some readers may not be aware of the fact that our long term plan is to build a wide range of models, including affordably priced family cars. This is because the overarching purpose of Tesla Motors (and the reason I am funding the company) is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution.”
Even then Musk posed the question about the first Roadster, “Are we really in need of another high performance sports car? Will it actually make a difference to global carbon emissions?” And he answered, “Well, the answers are no and not much.” But Musk noted that it was necessary to start with an expensive car to democratize the technology and bring down costs so an affordable family sedan at half the price of the $89,000 Roadster could live.
That part all happened, and the Model 3, and then subsequently the Model Y, came along. The duo went on to become the world’s best-selling electric cars and changed mainstream adoption of EVs forever.
But the $35,000 Model 3 failed to materialize for more than a few seconds in any meaningful way.
Then came the real mission: On September 22, 2020 during Tesla’s Battery Day Musk said the automaker would bring a $25,000 EV to market in three years. It didn’t.
Four years later during an earnings call on October 23, 2024 Musk said the company would not develop a $25,000 EV. “Having a regular, $25K model is pointless. It’d be silly,” Musk said.
The second-generation Roadster was originally revealed nine years ago as a One More Thing surprise moment during the original Semi debut. At the time, Musk promised over 600 miles of range, a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a targa top with a 2+2 seating configuration, and took deposits of up to $250,000. It looked nothing like the Roadster that debuted on Thursday. It never materialized.
The new Roadster performed unreal theatrics on Thursday including but not limited to, a kick flip, jumping over (or flying?) the entire aging Tesla lineup, driving up a wall and then hanging upside down thanks to fans that sucked it to the surface, and then dropped to the ground and flipped before landing on its wheels. Since that show took place it has come to light that the tank in the cars today can theoretically sustain “flight” or thrust for seconds and then takes up to 6 hours to refill. Though, the team is working to shave that down to 30 minutes. That means today the car can perform one 0-60 mph run with the promised times and then requires six hours to refill the air tanks before performing the feat again.
Musk also noted that the new Roadster, which may or may not arrive in 2028, or ever, despite Musk saying he means it and it’s definitely happening this time, will be the last true driver’s car and human-driven Tesla. The company killed the Model S and Model X so it can build robots in that factory.
To be clear, incredible show on Thursday aside, the idea of the Roadster and what it can do is cool. It looks cool. The suspension is rad looking. Any supercar, gas or electric, with a fan suction system is neat. A real car with rocket boosters and thrusters is the stuff of childhood dreams. The idea this thing is pushing the boundaries is fun.
But the new Roadster will not add to Tesla’s bottom line. It will not increase EV adoption or move the needle in the marketplace. It didn’t even move the needle on the company’s stock price the following day.
Where’s the “affordably priced family cars” and product helping “expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy” or even create a “sustainable solution” for future transportation? Where’s the $25,000 EV?
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