Tesla Roadster 'Open Source' Files Lacked License, Design Data
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- Elon Musk announced Tesla plans to "open source" the Model S and Model X, pointing to the original Roadster as the template.
- Tesla's Roadster open-source release in November 2023 comprised five CAN database files (~339 KB total), a 309 MB diagnostic software ISO, and two PDF guides on GitHub — plus five document packages behind a login — with no license granting rights to copy, modify, or redistribute.
- The teslamotors/roadster GitHub repo has had zero commits since November 22, 2023; the DBC files were uploaded on December 2, 2022, nearly a year before Musk's announcement, and the repo sits at 1,100 stars and 300 forks.
- Antmicro found the board packages contained only manufacturing outputs (Gerbers and pick-and-place files), not design files, and had to reconstruct component footprints because Tesla didn't include PCB source.
- Tesla ended Model S and Model X production in April after Musk killed both in January to free the line for Optimus — meaning any open-source release would cover discontinued vehicles.
- Both the Model S and Model X run Linux, and Tesla only began publishing kernel and Buildroot source in 2018 after the Software Freedom Conservancy flagged GPL violations; the Conservancy says those disclosures remain incomplete.
Why it matters: Tesla's Roadster files help independent shops keep 18-year-old cars running, so the release has real value — but without a license granting reproduction or modification rights, none of it meets the Open Source Definition. With Model S and X production ended in April, Musk's new promise covers two discontinued vehicles that could become a genuine resource if Tesla released them under an actual open license with CAD and firmware source.
