Tesla's new trademarks signal progress on Roadster project

Tesla has taken an unusual formal step regarding the second-generation Roadster by filing two new trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This marks the first significant update to the project in years following its high-profile debut back in 2017.

Both applications were found in the USPTO database. The first is a graphic mark featuring three sharp lines that form the silhouette of a two-door electric supercar. This element could be used in marketing materials or serve as the basis for a new model logo. The second application covers the word Roadster in all caps, rendered in a slanted, distinctly futuristic typeface.

Since the concept was unveiled in November 2017, Tesla has revealed almost no details about the production version of the Roadster. Initially, the company touted a 200 kWh battery, a range exceeding 1,000 km, a 0–60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, and a top speed over 250 mph. Given advances in battery tech and energy efficiency, many of those specs now appear unrealistic in their original form.

Last fall, Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen stated that the company planned to showcase the Roadster by the end of 2025 and begin production within two years. However, those deadlines have already been missed, and a public unveiling still hasn’t happened.

Overall, the picture is straightforward: these new trademarks may signal cautious forward movement, but for now, the Roadster remains one of the most protracted and uncertain announcements in modern automotive history.