Tesla to Open Source Software and Design for Model S and Model X

Tesla to Open Source Software and Design for Model S and Model X - Not a Tesla App

Software

Guides

My Tesla

Not a Tesla App

Karan Singh

August 2, 2026

Three years ago, Tesla published all the design, theory, research, and development documentation for the original 2012 Tesla Roadster on their Service website. These detailed manuals and documents go deep into the Roadster's various parts, covering everything from suspension geometry and the system layout for battery cooling to the software used on the vehicle's microcontrollers. Now, Elon Musk says that Tesla will do the same for the now-discontinued Model S and Model X in the near future.

Just as Tesla made the original Roadster design & software open source, we plan to do the same with Model S & X — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2026

What Tesla Released for the Roadster Tesla’s public Roadster archive offers a detailed look at the company’s first production vehicle. It includes the complete service and parts manuals, just like every other Tesla vehicle. It also includes electrical circuit and connector information, as well as theory-of-operation documents that cover both the vehicle and the groundbreaking battery tech that kicked everything off. The archive also contains research and development documents for three of the key systems that made EVs viable, including the Battery Monitoring Board (part of the BMS), the Vehicle Display System (or Infotainment), and the HVAC Controller. Those files include schematics, component information, CAD files, and other technical material that was created when the Roadster was being designed.

Not a Tesla App

The Roadster BMS diagram

One interesting distinction is that the R&D documents are not Service documents. Final production vehicles and components, as well as parts or repair procedures from the R&D documents, likely vary from Tesla’s actual Service guidelines. Even with that limitation, this information is a gold mine for owners, independent repair shops, engineers, and enthusiasts, as well as companies who were looking to design their own EVs following Tesla’s success in building mass-market EVs like the Model 3 and Model Y.

Swipe to browse photos

Click the arrows to browse

1 / 20

Model S and Model X are Next Musk did not provide a release date or say precisely which Model S or Model X materials Tesla intends to publish. His wording suggests that both vehicle design documentation and software will be included, but the exact scope isn’t clear. The Model S and Model X of today run the modern Tesla infotainment UI package, and that software is likely a closely held secret. Instead, we could expect the original 2012 Model S software to be included as part of the materials. There is also a considerable amount of history to document. The Model S entered production in 2012, and the Model X in 2015. Both vehicles have received substantial reworks over their lifetime, with several major hardware refreshes, along with major infotainment software revisions nearly annually. Although production has ended at the Fremont factory, with the line now being set up to produce the Optimus humanoid robot, the design files will help preserve the engineering history to create replacement parts for decades to come. That means the release could also become a long-term technical resource for owners.

Share This Article

Help others discover this article by sharing it.

Tesla to Open Source Software and Design for Model S and Model X

Related Articles

(no title)

Scientists reverse brain aging, with a nasal spray

NHS apologises and admits Palantir have access to identifiable patient data

AI has torched the market for junior programmers

Al Vigier: Canada's AI strategy shouldn't include secret Palantir bills