IT Home, November 5: Although the Tesla Model S has been discontinued, Tesla continues to work to prevent other automakers from freely copying its appearance. The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Tesla a design patent titled "Automobile Body," which closely matches the design of the latest Model S, several months after the sedan's discontinuation.
This patent, numbered US-D1156251-S, was officially granted on November 3 local time. Although the patent documents do not explicitly mention the Model S, the design drawings clearly identify the corresponding vehicle model.
What designs are protected by patents?
The drawings in the patent document show the automobile from various angles, including the front, rear, left and right sides, top, bottom, and multiple three-dimensional views.
These designs showcase the Model S’s iconic sloping roofline, along with elements such as the front lip, side skirts, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser.
The inventors listed on the patent are Franz von Holzhausen and Julien Bilodeau.
Notably, Tesla filed this patent application as early as May 2025, well before Musk announced the discontinuation of the Model S and Model X during Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings call in January this year.
The design patent has a 15-year protection period, meaning the Model S's design will be protected until 2041.
Design patents protect only the appearance of a product, not its functionality or operating principles. In this case, if other automakers release vehicles with an appearance too similar to the Model S, Tesla could take legal action based on this patent.
Bring the classic model to a close
This patent also marks a new chapter in the history of Tesla's first flagship model.
Tesla officially ceased accepting new orders for the Model S and Model X on March 31 and launched a limited Signature Edition to conclude production of these two models.
Since deliveries began in June 2012, cumulative deliveries of the Tesla Model S have exceeded 400,000 units. This vehicle, which proved that electric cars could reach the mainstream market, has remained in production for approximately 14 years.
Tesla executives later explained the reasons for discontinuing these two models. According to them, to continue meeting increasingly stringent safety standards on the 2012-era platform, the company would need to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades. Additionally, Tesla needed to free up factory space for the production of the Optimus humanoid robot.
Since then, Tesla has dismantled the Model S and Model X production lines at its Fremont factory to make way for Optimus production. Optimus has now officially entered mass production.
Patent protection and open-source initiatives are not mutually exclusive.
IT Home noticed that Tesla’s application for this design patent is somewhat unusual, as the company has historically taken a relatively open approach to patents.
As early as 2014, Tesla publicly pledged not to initiate patent lawsuits against anyone using its technology in good faith.
This patent approval also comes after Musk announced the open-sourcing of the Model S and Model X.
However, these two things do not necessarily contradict each other. Tesla can still make engineering documents, repair manuals, and software available to owners and repair facilities while continuing to protect the vehicle's design through patents.
As of now, Tesla has not announced a specific timeline for open-sourcing the documentation related to the Model S and Model X. Currently, the designs of these two models remain protected by patents, and enthusiasts awaiting open-source materials will need to wait further.