Now
Committed
Roadster
Electric sports car at an $89k price point
Prototype shown Jul 2006
Shipped Feb 2008
First Roadster delivered. About 2,450 sold by 2012.
Just between
you and me
Master Plan Tesla Motors · Product roadmap
Sports car first. It pays for the rest.
Roadmap review · Aug 2, 2006 · Internal
-
NowSports car$89k
-
NextFamily carAbout half
-
LaterThird carLess again
01 · The goal this roadmap serves
The goal isn't a car. It's a solar electric economy.
From
Mine and burn
A hydrocarbon economy
To
Solar electric
Sun in, miles out
The cars are outputs. The outcome is getting transport off oil.
02 · Where we are now
One prototype, revealed two weeks ago.
- Jul 2003Tesla Motors incorporated
- Feb 2004First funding round
- Jul 2005Lotus agreement for the chassis
- May 2006$40M third round
- Jul 19, 2006Roadster prototype revealed, Santa Monica
- You are hereAug 2, 2006This roadmap
- Not yet datedProduction Roadster
Now is committed. Next is planned. Later is a direction.
Next
Planned
Second car
Sporty four-door family car at roughly half the price
Not dated
Shipped Jun 2012
Model S deliveries begin at Fremont.
Later
Direction
Third car
An even more affordable third car
Not dated
Shipped Jul 2017
Model 3 deliveries begin. 325,000 reservations in its first week.
In parallel
Zero-emission power: solar sold with the car
Shipped Apr 2015Powerwall. SolarCity acquired Nov 2016.
03 · Now
Built to beat a gasoline sports car.
Committed · funded · prototype shown
Roadster Spec sheet · rev. Aug 2006
- Price point
- $89k
- Efficiency
- 2x a Prius
- Energy use
- 0.4 MJ per km
- Battery life
- 100,000+ miles
- Old battery
- Sold for recycling
04 · Next
A four-door family car at roughly half the price.
Roadster
$89k
Second car
About half
Planned
Date When the Roadster has paid for it
Name Not yet
05 · Later
Cheaper again, and deliberately vague.
In parallel: zero-emission power. A small solar system sold with the car, about 50 miles of driving a day.
Direction
- Name
- TBD
- Price
- Lower again
- Date
- None given
Every Roadster sold pays for the family car.
RoadsterCheap car
Early buyers pay a premiumNew tech, high unit cost, low price
$
Cash flow to R&DLosses, nothing to fund
Second carSecond car
More volume, about half the priceNever funded
$
Cash flow to R&DNothing to fund
Third carThird car
More volume, lower price againNever funded
Each car funds the next. The order is the strategy.Start cheap and the plan stops at step one.
06 · Not on this roadmap
Three things we said no to, in writing.
-
A hybrid
A gasoline car with a little battery assistance is still a gasoline car.
-
A cheap car first
New technology starts at a high unit cost. Enter at the top, then drive down.
-
Sports cars as the point
Does the world need another one? The post answers "no and not much."
07 · How we'll know
We judge the plan by CO2 per km.
And one for the driver: under 350 miles a week with a solar panel at home, you put back more energy than you drive.
Grams of CO2 per km, well to wheel, on natural gas power
Natural gas car
45.0
Fuel cell car
41.1
Prius hybrid
35.8
Roadster
12.6
08 · Internal vs customer
The team sees dates. Customers see four lines.
roadmap / internal / rev. Aug 2006blog / Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Product roadmap, 2006 to laterThe Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)
- 1 Build sports car. CommittedPrototype Jul 2006Funded
- 2 Use the money to build an affordable car. PlannedNot datedNeeds Roadster cash flow
- 3 Use that money for an even more affordable one. DirectionNot datedNeeds second-car volume
- 4 Meanwhile, offer zero-emission power. PlannedWith the RoadsterSolarCity partnership
Plan, not a commitment. Review when step one ships.Don't tell anyone.
09 · Next review
Next roadmap review: July 20, 2016.
- 2008Roadster
- 2012Model S
- 2016Part Deux
- 2017Model 3
Master Plan, Part DeuxDraft goals
- 1Solar roofs with battery storage built in
- 2Electric cars for every major segment
- 3Self-driving, learned from the whole fleet
- 4A car that earns money while you aren't using it