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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Unaudited Interim Financial Statements
The consolidated financial statements of Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”, the “Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”), including the consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2023, the consolidated statements of operations, the consolidated statements of comprehensive income, the consolidated statements of redeemable noncontrolling interests and equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, and the consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, as well as other information disclosed in the accompanying notes, are unaudited. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date. The interim consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the annual consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.
The interim consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes have been prepared on the same basis as the annual consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations for the periods presented. The consolidated results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or for any other future years or interim periods.
Reclassifications
Certain prior period balances have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation in the accompanying notes.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue by source
The following table disaggregates our revenue by major source (in millions):
 Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2023202220232022
Automotive sales$18,582 $17,785 $57,879 $46,969 
Automotive regulatory credits554 286 1,357 1,309 
Energy generation and storage sales1,416 966 4,188 2,186 
Services and other2,166 1,645 6,153 4,390 
Total revenues from sales and services22,718 20,682 69,577 54,854 
Automotive leasing489 621 1,620 1,877 
Energy generation and storage leasing143 151 409 413 
Total revenues$23,350 $21,454 $71,606 $57,144 
Automotive Segment
Automotive Sales Revenue
Deferred revenue is related to the access to our Full Self Driving (“FSD”) features and ongoing maintenance, internet connectivity, free Supercharging programs and over-the-air software updates primarily on automotive sales, which amounted to $3.27 billion and $2.91 billion as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Deferred revenue is equivalent to the total transaction price allocated to the performance obligations that are unsatisfied, or partially unsatisfied, as of the balance sheet date. Revenue recognized from the deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $360 million and $169 million for nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Of the total deferred revenue balance as of September 30, 2023, we expect to recognize $815 million of revenue in the next 12 months. The remaining balance will be recognized at the time of transfer of control of the product or over the performance period.
We have been providing loans for financing our automotive deliveries in volume since fiscal year 2022. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we have recorded net financing receivables on the consolidated balance sheets, of which $239 million and $128 million, respectively, is recorded within Accounts receivable, net, for the current portion and $1.11 billion and $665 million, respectively, is recorded within Other non-current assets for the long-term portion.
Automotive Regulatory Credits
During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we had also recognized $288 million in revenue due to changes in regulation which entitled us to additional consideration for credits sold previously.
Automotive Leasing Revenue
Direct Sales-Type Leasing Program
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we recognized $20 million and $197 million, respectively, of sales-type leasing revenue and $16 million and $149 million, respectively, of sales-type leasing cost of revenue. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, we recognized $161 million and $559 million, respectively, of sales-type leasing revenue and $97 million and $343 million, respectively, of sales-type leasing cost of revenue.
Lease receivables relating to sales-type leases are presented on the consolidated balance sheets as follows (in millions):
 September 30, 2023December 31, 2022
Gross lease receivables$803 $837 
Unearned interest income(84)(95)
Allowance for expected credit losses(6)(4)
Net investment in sales-type leases$713 $738 
Reported as:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets$178 $164 
Other non-current assets535 574 
Net investment in sales-type leases$713 $738 
Energy Generation and Storage Segment
Energy Generation and Storage Sales
We record as deferred revenue any non-refundable amounts that are collected from customers related to fees charged for prepayments, which is recognized as revenue ratably over the respective customer contract term. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, deferred revenue related to such customer payments amounted to $1.05 billion and $863 million, respectively, mainly due to billings for milestone payments. Revenue recognized from the deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $511 million and $132 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, total transaction price allocated to performance obligations that were unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied for contracts with an original expected length of more than one year was $1.91 billion. Of this amount, we expect to recognize $709 million in the next 12 months and the rest over the remaining performance obligation period.
We have been providing loans for financing our energy generation products in volume since fiscal year 2022. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we have recorded net financing receivables on the consolidated balance sheets, of which $29 million and $24 million, respectively, is recorded within Accounts receivable, net, for the current portion and $541 million and $387 million, respectively, is recorded within Other non-current assets for the long-term portion.
Income Taxes
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in many foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets that are not more likely than not to be realized. The determination of the realizability of deferred tax assets requires significant judgment in assessing the likelihood of future tax consequences. In completing our assessment of realizability of our deferred tax assets, we consider our history of losses measured at pre-tax income (loss) adjusted for permanent book-tax differences on a jurisdictional basis, volatility in actual earnings, excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation in recent prior years, and impacts of the timing of reversal of existing temporary differences. We also rely on our assessment of the Company’s projected future results of business operations, including uncertainty in future operating results relative to historical results, volatility in the market price of our common stock and its performance over time, variable macroeconomic conditions impacting our ability to forecast future taxable income, and changes in business that may affect the existence and magnitude of future taxable income. Our valuation allowance assessment is based on our best estimate of future results considering all available information.

We monitor the realizability of the U.S. deferred tax assets taking into account all relevant factors. As of September 30, 2023, we continued to maintain a full valuation allowance on our U.S. deferred tax assets. We will release the valuation allowance when there is sufficient positive evidence to support a conclusion that it is more likely than not the deferred tax assets will be realized. Depending on our operating results and the amount of stock-based compensation tax deductions available in the future, we may release the valuation allowance associated with the U.S. deferred tax assets within the next year. The timing and amount of the valuation allowance release could vary based on our assessment of all available evidence. Release of all, or a portion, of the valuation allowance would result in the recognition of certain deferred tax assets and may result in a material decrease to income tax expense for the period the release is recorded.

There are transactions that occur during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the aggregate balances of our gross unrecognized tax benefits were $1.04 billion and $870 million, respectively, of which $616 million and $572 million, respectively, would not give rise to changes in our effective tax rate since these tax benefits would increase a deferred tax asset that is currently fully offset by a valuation allowance.
We file income tax returns in the U.S. and various state and foreign jurisdictions. We are currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) for the years 2015 to 2018. Additional tax years within the periods 2004 to 2014 and 2019 to 2022 remain subject to examination for federal income tax purposes. All net operating losses and tax credits generated to date are subject to adjustment for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. Our returns for 2004 and subsequent tax years remain subject to examination in U.S. state and foreign jurisdictions.
Given the uncertainty in timing and outcome of our tax examinations, an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change in gross unrecognized tax benefits within twelve months cannot be made at this time.
Net Income per Share of Common Stock Attributable to Common Stockholders
The following table presents the reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders to net income used in computing basic and diluted net income per share of common stock (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2023202220232022
Net income attributable to common stockholders$1,853 $3,292 $7,069 $8,869 
Less: Buy-out of noncontrolling interest— (3)
Net income used in computing basic net income per share of common stock1,851 3,292 7,072 8,861 
Less: Dilutive convertible debt(0)(0)(0)(1)
Net income used in computing diluted net income per share of common stock$1,851 $3,292 $7,072 $8,862 
The following table presents the reconciliation of basic to diluted weighted average shares used in computing net income per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2023202220232022
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share of common stock, basic3,1763,1463,1713,120
Add:
Stock-based awards304301297311
Convertible senior notes2224
Warrants11191139
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share of common stock, diluted3,4933,4683,4813,474
The following table presents the potentially dilutive shares that were excluded from the computation of diluted net income per share of common stock attributable to common stockholders, because their effect was anti-dilutive (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2023202220232022
Stock-based awards133123
Restricted Cash
Our total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, as presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows, was as follows (in millions):
 September 30,
2023
December 31,
2022
September 30,
2022
December 31,
2021
Cash and cash equivalents$15,932 $16,253 $19,532 $17,576 
Restricted cash included in prepaid expenses and other current assets453 294 382 345 
Restricted cash included in other non-current assets205 377 235 223 
Total as presented in the consolidated statements of cash flows$16,590 $16,924 $20,149 $18,144 
Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Depending on the day of the week on which the end of a fiscal quarter falls, our accounts receivable balance may fluctuate as we are waiting for certain customer payments to clear through our banking institutions and receipts of payments from our financing partners, which can take up to approximately two weeks based on the contractual payment terms with such partners. Our accounts receivable balances associated with our sales of regulatory credits, which are typically transferred to other manufacturers during the last few days of the quarter, is dependent on contractual payment terms. Additionally, government rebates can take up to a year or more to be collected depending on the customary processing timelines of the specific jurisdictions issuing them. These various factors may have a significant impact on our accounts receivable balance from period to period. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we had $328 million and $753 million, respectively, of long-term government rebates receivable in Other non-current assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
Financing Receivables
As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the majority of our financing receivables were at current status with only immaterial balances being past due. As of September 30, 2023, the majority of our financing receivables, excluding MyPower notes receivable, were originated in 2023 and 2022, and as of December 31, 2022, the majority of our financing receivables, excluding MyPower notes receivable, were originated in 2022.
As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the total outstanding balance of MyPower customer notes receivable, net of allowance for expected credit losses, was $268 million and $280 million, respectively, of which $6 million and $7 million were due in the next 12 months as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the allowance for expected credit losses was $37 million.
Concentration of Risk
Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject us to a concentration of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents, investments, restricted cash, accounts receivable and financing receivables. Our cash and investments balances are primarily comprised of deposits which are diversified among high credit quality financial institutions or invested in U.S. government securities. These deposits are typically in excess of insured limits. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, no entity represented 10% or more of our total receivables balance.
Supply Risk
We are dependent on our suppliers, including single source suppliers, and the inability of these suppliers to deliver necessary components of our products in a timely manner at prices, quality levels and volumes acceptable to us, or our inability to efficiently manage these components from these suppliers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Operating Lease Vehicles
The gross cost of operating lease vehicles as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $7.40 billion and $6.08 billion, respectively. Operating lease vehicles on the consolidated balance sheets are presented net of accumulated depreciation of $1.28 billion and $1.04 billion as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Goodwill
Goodwill increased $56 million within the automotive segment from $194 million as of December 31, 2022 to $250 million as of September 30, 2023 primarily from a business combination and divestiture.
Warranties
Accrued warranty activity consisted of the following (in millions):
Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2023202220232022
Accrued warranty—beginning of period$4,465 $2,433 $3,505 $2,101 
Warranty costs incurred(335)(236)(911)(574)
Net changes in liability for pre-existing warranties, including expirations and foreign exchange impact15 156 426 158 
Provision for warranty577 418 1,702 1,086 
Accrued warranty—end of period$4,722 $2,771 $4,722 $2,771 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements
In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2021-08, Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers (Topic 805). This ASU requires an acquirer in a business combination to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities (deferred revenue) from acquired contracts using the revenue recognition guidance in Topic 606. At the acquisition date, the acquirer applies the revenue model as if it had originated the acquired contracts. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted this ASU prospectively on January 1, 2023. This ASU has not and is currently not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-02, Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. This ASU eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings by creditors that have adopted ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which we adopted on January 1, 2020. This ASU also enhances the disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancing and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. In addition, the ASU amends the guidance on vintage disclosures to require entities to disclose current period gross write-offs by year of origination for financing receivables and net investments in leases within the scope of ASC 326-20. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted the ASU prospectively on January 1, 2023. This ASU has not and is currently not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”) was enacted into law and is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2022. The IRA includes multiple incentives to promote clean energy, electric vehicles, battery and energy storage manufacture or purchase, in addition to a new corporate alternative minimum tax of 15% on adjusted financial statement income of corporations with profits greater than $1 billion. Some of these measures are expected to materially affect our consolidated financial statements. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the impact was primarily a reduction of our material costs. We will continue to evaluate the effects of the IRA as more guidance is issued and the relevant implications to our consolidated financial statements.