Tesla’s Roadster 2 Is Late—and Entering a Different EV World
Tesla's long-delayed Roadster 2 is finally launching into a market that has shifted away from aggressive EV adoption. With changing political incentives and increased competition, Tesla is repositioning itself as a robotics and autonomy company rather than just a car manufacturer.
Why it matters
The shift in Tesla's product strategy and the broader EV market reflects the impact of political and economic changes on the transition to sustainable transportation.
Times have changed. Musk is the leading donor to a political party that last year nixed buying incentives for electric vehicles and last month adjusted fuel-economy standards to make it easier for automakers to skip making EVs altogether. Musk has said he’s not even in the business of making cars anymore, instructing investors to think of Tesla as a robotics and autonomy company. On Thursday night, Tesla will host what it has billed as its last unveiling event for a human-driven vehicle. Six years after it was supposed to roll into driveways, the Roadster 2 is finally here. Tesla is slated to start deliveries next year.
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