Tesla delivered the Tesla Roadster first in 2008.
The original Tesla Roadster was the company’s first production vehicle and was based on the Lotus Elise platform. It used lithium-ion battery cells and an electric powertrain, helping demonstrate that a battery-powered sports car could offer strong performance and useful range.
Tesla began production of the Roadster in 2008. The vehicle’s importance was greater than its relatively small production volume: it helped establish Tesla as an electric-vehicle company rather than merely a battery or technology startup. Its battery pack and electric motor architecture also influenced later Tesla vehicles.
The Model S followed in 2012 and became Tesla’s first mass-market-oriented sedan. The Model 3 arrived in 2017, while Cybertruck deliveries began much later. Those models are more familiar today, but the Roadster was Tesla’s first production vehicle.