XML 25 R7.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT

Overview of the Company	9 Months Ended
Overview of the Company	Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Overview of the Company	Note 1 - Overview of the Company Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla, we, us or our) was incorporated in the state of Delaware on July 1, 2003. We design, develop, manufacture and sell high-performance fully electric vehicles and energy products. We have wholly-owned subsidiaries in North America, Europe and Asia. The primary purpose of these subsidiaries is to market, manufacture, sell and/or service our vehicles and energy products.