Visit the Model S microsite here

Read the Model S FAQ here

Tesla Store hours

Los Angeles

Tuesday through Saturday 10AM-6PM, Sunday 12PM-5PM - closed Mondays

Menlo Park

Monday through Saturday 10AM-6PM - closed Sundays

For location maps and phone numbers please visit our contact us page.

Zero to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph. But this is not the whole story. Because it has no clutch pedal and a very wide, flat torque curve, the acceleration of the Tesla Roadster is much more available to enjoy: just step on the accelerator and go.

Actual range depends on driving style and conditions. During testing of prototypes cars, Tesla Motors has seen between 170 miles per charge for very spirited driving to 267 miles per charge for city driving that makes use of the Roadster's regenerative braking. Our most recent EPA driving cycle tests, conducted February 2008, at an EPA-certified facility, resulted in the following numbers:

• 231 mi EPA city
• 224 mi EPA highway
• 227 mi EPA combined (city/highway)

Keep in mind that Tesla Motors is in the midst of final development and testing for the Tesla Roadster. While we are confident in our most recent numbers, the final results will be dependent on the car's specifications at series production. We will update our EPA range numbers once we have fully tested a production Roadster, expected in early 2008.

The Tesla Roadster uses a single-speed fixed gear transmission with electrically-actuated parking lock mechanism and mechanical lubrication pump.

Yes, you can connect your iPod to the Tesla Roadster's stereo using a mini jack available at most consumer electronics stores.

Yes, a soft top comes standard, and a color-matched carbon fiber hard top is available as an option.

Tesla Motors co-founder Martin Eberhard had always been interested in fast, fun cars, but wanted something that was very energy efficient. After finding nothing like that for sale, he was convinced there was an opportunity. Martin along with co-founder Marc Tarpenning started Tesla Motors to develop fast, fun, efficient electric cars that people would love to drive.

You can read more in our About Us section.

The car has no visible door handles because the latches are released electrically by a discrete touchpad located in the shoulder intake duct. The door only opens when "allowed" by the VMS (Vehicle Management System), the car's main computer.

Yes. The car will meet all the necessary Department of Transportation requirements for insurance and registration.

The trunk has been designed to accommodate a carry-on wheeled bag or a bag of golf clubs. The trunk also features a “false floor” with sufficient room to stow the included factory soft top when not in use.

Need the numbers? The trunk is roughly oval with the following maximum approximate dimensions: Width 1428mm (56.2"), length 391mm (15.4") and depth 252mm (9.92), extending to 353mm (13.9") in the center.

Yes, Bluetooth is available as a factory installed option.

Wallpaper images are available here.

Find a selection of buttons here.

There are many: reduced dependence on foreign oil, zero emissions, and a cost of less than two cents per mile driven (using off-peak charging rates with a time-of-use meter. To calculate your exact cost-per-mile, contact your local electricity provider). Many areas also offer carpool lane access and/or special parking privileges for electric cars. Check with your local DMV for details.

You can read more about these benefits, and others, in our Why Electric? section.

Yes. EVs are the most efficient cars on the road. This means they cost less per mile to drive, use less fuel per mile, and produce less pollution per mile.

No. Most electric power generation in the United States does not use oil. Coal, hydro, nuclear, solar, and natural gas are typical sources for generating electricity. Power generation plants, even coal burning ones, are inherently more efficient and less polluting than vehicles due to economies of scale and the ability to more efficiently remove pollutants from a smaller number of much larger fixed locations.

Also, an electric car is far more efficient than a gasoline car, so the amount of pollution generated by producing the electricity to drive an EV a given distance is much less than the pollution from the gasoline to drive an internal combustion car the same distance. Whereas a combustion engine car – even those powered by hydrogen, ethanol, and biodiesel – can make use of around 20 percent of the energy that it consumes, a battery electric car like the Tesla Roadster is able to put more than 80 percent of the energy it consumes to use in moving the car down the road.

You can read more in our Energy Efficiency section.

There are numerous incentives for driving an electric car, and they vary from state to state. Incentives include single-occupancy driving in carpool lanes, free parking, and tax breaks. See our Incentives page for more information.

The Tesla Roadster shines in the very areas that previous electric cars fell short – design, performance, and efficiency. It is beautiful to look at, as fast or faster than most combustion engine cars, and has vastly improved driving range than previous EVs. In addition, previous generation electric cars were tethered to their charging stations. One could only drive so far before having to return to a charging station for a re-charge. The Tesla Roadster carries a charging unit on-board, and provides the flexibility of pulling electricity from a number of power sources with the optional Mobile Connector.

Electric vehicles (EVs) do not have an internal combustion engine. The batteries are recharged from the electric power grid, for example your home electric system. Hybrid vehicles have both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In most systems the internal combustion engine is used to recharge the batteries as well as power the car directly when necessary, but the only way you get energy into the car is to put gas into the gas tank. Therefore hybrids, while more efficient than standard cars, still use petroleum products and at the current time none on the market can use energy from the power grid or "plug in."

Yes. The Tesla Roadster can be recharged using solar energy. If you would like to use solar energy at your home, we would be happy to refer you to a qualified installer, including SolarCity.

Like all electrical devices - toasters and washing machines included - the Tesla Roadster generates and uses electromagnetic fields. The Tesla Roadster makes use of filtering and shielding technologies to ensure that it meets all legal requirements and minimizes these fields. There are no known risks from exposure to these fields.

It’s interesting to note that low-frequency electromagnetic radiation from power lines was a big scare about 15 years ago, but numerous, rigorous studies have shown that there is no correlation between power line EMF and ailments attributed to them.

Tesla Motors will service your car at our Tesla Stores. Our first stores have already opened in West Los Angeles and Menlo Park, California. Please see our contact page for addresses and phone numbers. Additional service facilities will open as follows:

• New York – Summer 2009
• Chicago – Summer 2009
• Seattle – Summer 2009
• Miami – Fall 2009
• Washington DC - Fall 2009
• London - Summer 2009
• Munich - Summer 2009
  

 

We don't recommend it. Because of the car's unique electric drive-train, the best service comes from specially trained Tesla Motors service personnel.  The exception to this is detailing, alignment, brakes, tire repair or replacement, windshield repair or minor body repair.

The Roadster requires service by Tesla-certified technicians every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. While most cars require service every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, the Tesla Roadster has no engine oil or filters to change, no smog equipment to check, no air filters to replace, and no power steering fluids to refill.

 

Every Roadster owner is covered by Tesla Roadside Assistance during the warranty period.  If you experience any trouble, simply call the toll-free number for assistance.

 

That depends on how far the battery has been discharged and what source is being used to charge the batteries. A full charge using the High Power Connector can be achieved in as little as 3.5 hours.

Ideally you plug the car in in when you get home, and unplug it when you drive away in the morning. The High Power Connector has been designed for use as the primary source for recharging the Roadster battery at home. 

Unlike EVs of the past, the Tesla Roadster has a built-in battery and versatile charging system designed to work with many electric power sources. The car ships with a particularly easy-to-use High Power Connector that is installed in your garage by a qualified electrician. There is also an optional Mobile Connector that allows you to charge from any available 110v or 220v electrical outlet. 

The same way the High Power Connector works, with the added benefits of in-trunk portability and the flexibility to accommodate more outlet configurations and/or AC currents. It consists of two parts: an intelligent cable, and a selection of adapters for different outlet sizes and voltages.

This depends on the billing method of your particular electricity provider. In general, there is a trend towards "time of use" pricing. This means that it will be cheaper to charge at night, when the demand on the electricity grid is lowest.

Our charge system will be listed by a NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory), such as UL or CSA, and incorporates a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) very similar to the plugs in most bathrooms and kitchens. Before every charge, computers in both the car and the charge system make sure the car is parked and all electrical systems are working perfectly. We've even added additional safety features to shut down charge if the cord is tugged or smoke is detected.

The plug on the High Power Connector only becomes live when it is properly connected to a car and the connection is deemed safe. In addition, the contacts in the connector are protected by insulating towers around the sockets on the plug end and dead-front pins on the receptacle side. These towers meet the Underwriters Laboratories finger probe test. 

The battery pack in your Tesla Roadster is expected to maintain good driving performance for about 100,000 miles or five years, whichever comes first. Lithium-ion batteries will degrade slightly over time. Our testing and modeling indicate that a typical Tesla Roadster owner who drives 50,000 miles over five years should have about 70 percent of initial performance levels available.

For more information about what you can expect from your battery pack, see our blog, A Bit About Batteries.

Tesla Motors car batteries are both recyclable and replaceable. We care about the environment and know you do, too. We are working to have our car batteries safely recycled, and have even built the cost of recycling into the purchase price of the car. Simply visit a Tesla Store to recycle your old battery, and purchase and install a new one on the same day.

The Tesla Roadster uses Li-ion cells - the same kind of batteries used in most consumer-electronics devices, such as laptops, cell phones, and camcorders. Only a few more of them.

That particular cell stops working, but the driver would not notice any changes in performance, because it is just one battery among many. In fact, the Tesla Motors design can withstand multiple battery cell failures with no perceptible effect on performance.

All Lithium Ion batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream. These batteries, however, do contain recyclable materials that make recycling a good idea.

Yes, the Energy Storage System (ESS) has a heater that will keep the batteries warm in a cold climate.

The standard cable for the High Power Connector is 25 ft long (762 cm). The NEC (National Electrical Code) limits this cable length to 25 ft (762 cm). The main Mobile Connector cable will be 18 ft (549 cm) with the adapter cable being an additional 2 ft (61 cm)

At Tesla Motors we take safety very seriously. Check out our white paper to see how safety is designed into the battery (Energy Storage System, ESS). For an overview of the safety features of the Tesla Roadster, visit our safety page.

We constantly review new technologies for our vehicles. Right now, Li-ion offers the best performance and value.

Because Tesla Roadsters are built to order based on customer option
preference and color selection, Tesla Motors uses a reservation process
for purchase. The wait period from time of reservation to time of
delivery is approximately 4-5 months. The reservation process can be
broken down into three steps.

Step One: Sign up on through the online buy showroom and submit a
refundable $9,900 reservation fee. A sales associate will contact you
within 48 hours of submitting this initial fee to discuss the next
available Roadster production slot, along with opportunities to visit a
Tesla Store and see a Roadster in person.

The $9,900 reservation fee will place you in the next available
production slot. The reservation fee is refundable up to 90 days from
your slated production start date.

Step Two: Select and submit your Roadster color choices and preferred
options 90 days prior to your Roadster production start date. At this
point Tesla Motors requires the remaining balance due in order to begin
production of your car. There is also a one time option to defer
production to a future date at this time. Production slots are queued
based on the order of fees received.

Step Three:  At time of delivery, you pay the destination charge and any
applicable taxes, fees or delivery charges.  And then you go have that
first exciting drive in your next Tesla Roadster!

For further details concerning the reservation and sales process please
contact a Tesla Motors sales associate through the online buy showroom, or by calling
650-413-6300.

Delivery dates for the Roadster in the United States are estimated at 4-5 months from your confirmed reservation date. 

We will begin deliveries for the Roadster in Canada in late 2009.

For our Signature Edition, available exclusively in Europe, deliveries begin June 2009.

Please visit the buy showroom for pricing.

The best place to see the Tesla Roadster is to come visit a Tesla Store, now open in Los Angeles and  Menlo Park, California. We also periodically host off-site events where the public can see the car and meet Tesla Motors staff. Visit the Events page to locate activities we have scheduled in your area.

As all Tesla Roadsters are currently deployed for testing purposes or being delivered to customers, Tesla Motors is not offering public test drives at this time. We are, however, offering test drives to our earliest customers first. Please contact a Tesla Store or a Sales Associate for details.

If you are interested in finding out what it is like to drive a Tesla, visit our guest blog, where several customers have documented their own experiences driving the Roadster. Our Media Coverage section also contains links to published driving impressions.

The 2009 Roadster is exclusively available to customers who reside in any 50 of the United States.

Our 2009 Signature Edition is exclusively available to residents of Europe.

Customers will be required to cover transportation to the Tesla Store and back should it require service and/or repair.  The customer may facilitate the transport of their vehicle or Tesla is more then happy to arrange transportation.

Yes. The Roadster is available in the US, Europe and Canada.  The Signature Edition is available exclusively to residents of Europe.

Your personal information is for internal use at Tesla Motors. We do not sell personally identifiable information collected on our website to other companies. For more information about the Tesla Motors privacy policy, see our Privacy page.

The reservation fee is refundable up to the day that you confirm your option selections, which is three months prior to the production of your Tesla Roadster.

Components and subsystems for the car come from a variety of sources all over the world. The Roadster itself, or "Glider" is assembled at Lotus in Hethel, UK. Final assembly for the Tesla Roadster takes place in Menlo Park, California.

Tesla Motors is an American car company with a U.K. subsidiary. The car is engineered, designed, and developed by Tesla Motors. Our corporate headquarters is in San Carlos, California, and all of our funding came from the United States.

Lotus Cars is assembling the Tesla Roadster under contract to Tesla Motors. Tesla Motors has also hired Lotus Engineering for certain design and engineering tasks.

Lotus is the acknowledged leader worldwide for efficient assembly of sports cars at modest volumes.

Tesla licensed AC Propulsion's Reductive Charging(tm) patent, which integrates the charging electronics into the inverter in a way that reduces mass and complexity. Tesla has designed and builds its own power electronics, motor, and other drivetrain components that incorporate this licensed technology from AC Propulsion.