Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended
Oct. 05, 2016 Plaintiff	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Letters Of Credit Outstanding Amount \| $		$ 145.0
Lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware by purported stockholders of Tesla challenging SolarCity Acquisition [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of lawsuits filed \| Plaintiff	7

The total amount of the contingent obligation under letters of credit outstanding as of the reporting date.

No definition available.

Name:	us-gaap_LettersOfCreditOutstandingAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant