What was the name of the Tesla sports car that entered production in 2008?

The Tesla Roadster was the sports car that entered production in 2008.

Based on the Lotus Elise platform, the first-generation Roadster used lithium-ion battery cells and an electric powertrain. It demonstrated that a battery-electric vehicle could offer sports-car performance and useful driving range.

Tesla delivered the Roadster to customers from 2008 through 2012. The car was the company’s first production vehicle and helped establish the technology and brand before Tesla introduced higher-volume models such as Model S and Model 3.

The Roadster is sometimes confused with Tesla’s second-generation Roadster, announced in 2017 but not yet a production vehicle at that time. The 2008 Roadster is the specific model associated with Tesla’s initial entry into automobile manufacturing.