Which electric car was the first to use a production lithium-ion battery pack?

The Tesla Roadster was the first production car to use a lithium-ion battery pack.

Tesla launched the Roadster in 2008, using thousands of cylindrical lithium-ion cells arranged into a battery pack. At the time, most electric vehicles used older battery chemistries with lower energy density. The Roadster showed that lithium-ion technology could support a high-performance production car with useful range.

The car was based on the Lotus Elise platform but received a Tesla-designed electric powertrain. Its battery-powered motor delivered sports-car acceleration, helping change public expectations about electric vehicles. Tesla produced Roadsters from 2008 until 2012.

The Roadster is often confused with the Nissan Leaf, which arrived in 2010 as a mass-market electric hatchback. The Leaf helped broaden EV ownership, but the Roadster came first in production use of a lithium-ion automotive battery pack. Battery chemistry and cell format are separate concepts; lithium-ion describes the chemistry family, not one specific shape.