Tesla's VP of Engineering Confirms Roadster Will Be Built at Giga Texas — SpaceX Thrusters Still in the Plan
5 min read read
For the first time, a Tesla executive has publicly confirmed where the next-generation Roadster will be manufactured. Lars Moravy, Tesla's Vice President of Engineering, said on the Ride The Lightning podcast on May 24, 2026 that the car will be built at Gigafactory Texas in Austin — the same facility producing the Cybertruck and ramping up Cybercab production. "We can say it's going to be built in Texas," Moravy told hosts Ryan and Kim Shaw. "We've made first plans on that, and you'll see a lot of things start to unfold in the next months."
The statement is significant for several reasons. Tesla has disclosed almost nothing about Roadster production logistics since the car was first teased in 2017. The Giga Texas confirmation makes manufacturing sense: the facility has Giga Press casting capability, active 4680 battery cell production, and a new Cybercab assembly line — all technologies the Roadster is expected to share. It also happens to be roughly 150 miles from SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, which matters given the SpaceX thruster package that remains part of the Roadster's spec sheet.
The SpaceX Thruster Package: Still On
One of the Roadster's most audacious claims — that it would include SpaceX cold gas thrusters to achieve a 0-60 mph time approaching 1.0 second — is still in play, according to Moravy. The thruster system involves 10 cold gas thrusters distributed around the vehicle for multiple performance functions:
- Forward thrust augmentation — supplementing electric motor acceleration off the line
- Reverse thrust braking — compressed gas deceleration for shorter stopping distances
- Lateral thrust cornering — mid-corner grip adjustment beyond what tires alone provide
- Potential hover capability — brief levitation during hard acceleration (not confirmed for production)
Engineering and regulatory hurdles around the thruster package remain unresolved, and Moravy did not provide a timeline for when those challenges might be cleared. The hover functionality in particular faces open questions around NHTSA certification and liability frameworks that have no existing precedent in road vehicle regulations.
Roadster Timeline: Where Things Stand
| Date | What Musk/Tesla Said | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | Reveal on April 1, 2026 | No reveal |
| March 2026 | Unveil by end of April | No reveal |
| April 22, 2026 (Q1 earnings) | “Maybe in a month or so” | Still pending as of June |
| May 24, 2026 | Giga Texas confirmed by Moravy | First production location disclosure |
| 2027 | Production start (per Musk, Q1 2026) | Target |
The Roadster has accumulated at least eight timeline shifts since its 2017 unveiling, making any specific date forecast unreliable. What changed with Moravy's podcast appearance is the level of manufacturing detail — the first public confirmation that Tesla has done factory planning for the vehicle, not just prototype engineering.
Why Giga Texas Makes Sense
The Roadster's production requirements align closely with what Giga Texas already does. The car will almost certainly use Tesla's 4680 battery cells, which are developed and manufactured at the Austin campus. The Giga Press infrastructure enables the large structural castings needed for the Roadster's lightweight chassis. And producing the Roadster alongside the Cybercab — another performance-oriented two-seater — creates manufacturing line efficiencies.
"We can say it's going to be built in Texas. We've made first plans on that, and you'll see a lot of things start to unfold in the next months." — Lars Moravy, Tesla VP of Engineering, May 24, 2026
The proximity to Starbase is practically relevant for the thruster program. Engineering collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX on a propulsion system requires iterative hardware testing — work that is logistically easier when the two facilities are a short drive apart rather than on opposite coasts.
The Bottom Line for Roadster Watchers
The Roadster remains the most delayed product in Tesla's history, but Moravy's confirmation that factory planning has begun at Giga Texas is a concrete step that previous timeline announcements weren't. The thruster package — 10 cold gas thrusters, sub-second acceleration, SpaceX engineering involvement — is still the headline spec, and it hasn't been walked back. Whether the reveal happens in June, July, or later in 2026, the production groundwork is now visibly underway in Austin.
Photo: Tesla futuristic vehicle concept / Pexels