3 fine print disclaimers about Musk, Tesla’s flying Roadster you should probably know

A flying car with open questions

Tesla fans can reserve the Roadster for as much as $250,000. The vehicle is advertised with cold-gas thrusters and a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of under a second. At the unveiling, Elon Musk said it would be a car people could own and called it viable, depending on the buyer’s street. The stunts shown at the event were performed without a driver for safety reasons. Musk also described the Roadster as “not necessarily a safety-optimized car.” The article does not establish where the vehicle can be driven.

Price is still uncertain

Tesla’s reservation agreement says fees for the Performance and Thrust variants are estimates. The company says it is still determining the vehicle’s options, features and hardware. The final purchase price is expected to be confirmed closer to production. Reservation payments are fully refundable and will be applied toward the car’s eventual cost.

Delivery is not guaranteed

The agreement says there is no guarantee the Roadster will ever be delivered. A reservation, even at a price of up to $250,000, therefore does not ensure a car will be supplied at that amount.

Tesla lists Performance, Thrust and Rocket variants. The limited-edition Thrust model is described as “race ready,” which may indicate track use, but the article does not confirm that it is restricted to tracks.

A past Roadster delay

The uncertainty may recall reservations for a next-generation Roadster announced in 2017. Some customers paid $50,000 to reserve that model. That earlier version was described as a more conventional supercar, with a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 1.9 seconds. It remained in development for years and never entered production.