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How to Decode Your Tesla Model S VIN
With the Model X delivery around the corner, the recent announcement of the Model 3 and the much anticipated unveiling of the “D”, we thought it would be fun decode the Model S Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and take a wild guess on how future VINs may look like.
Finding your VIN
The VIN is a 17 character alphanumeric fingerprint to your vehicle often found on the lower left corner of your dashboard and against the windshield. Law requires that it be placed in a visibly prominent spot on the car and for that reason it’s not a secret code, dispelling the myth that your VIN is a confidential identifier. I’d hate to break it to you but your VIN is not a secret.
The Tesla Model S VIN can also be viewed by pressing the Tesla logo at the top of the 17″ display. The VIN is required by DMV and also when registering your vehicle with the insurance company because it provides a wealth of information about your vehicle.
Decoding the Tesla Model S VIN
Referencing Tesla’s filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here’s how we can decode the Model S VIN.
The first digit in the VIN indicates the vehicle’s country of origin which can also be its assembly location. Referencing CarFax we know that 5 represents the country code for the USA. The second character, Y, is for Tesla Motors as the Manufacturer. The third character, J, represents the vehicle type. Things start to become even more detailed as we start moving into the Vehicle Descriptor Section.
The make of vehicle is the first character within the Vehicle Descriptor Section. S is for the Model S, R for the Roadster and following this pattern we should expect to see codes of X, 3, and possibly D down the road.
The next character, A, is the body type and represents a 5 door hatchback with left hand drive. Right hand drive Model S’ use the letter B. The restraint system has had a few different variations but a 1 represents Manual Type 2 USA Seat Belts while Dual Front Airbags, Front/Rear Side Airbags, Knee Airbags etc. utilize their own set of codes.
The battery type, H, is for the 85kWh battery, and S is for the 60kWh battery. The final digit indicates the number of drive units (motors). This will be 2 for the Model X. Based on this Tesla Motors NHTSA VIN filing, it’s almost certain that a dual motor Model S will soon be announced. We’ll expect to see a 2 in the VIN of the Model S “D”.
The next code labeled Check Digit is just a way for agencies to verify the VIN through a mathematical algorithm. The year is a code with E representing 2014, F for 2015 etc.
The assembly plant is F which stands for Fremont, CA and there appear to be other plant codes they’ve used in the past. As Tesla starts assembly in other countries we’ll expect to see new codes here.
The first character of the production number indicates the stage of production with a few interesting codes:
Mine is a P for production level. The final 5 digits are a unique serial number. People often abbreviate their VIN with just the production number, so P36801 in my example.
The Tesla Motors VIN is constantly evolving as the electric carmaker continues to expand their lineup and into different markets. Don’t for one second think it’s just simple letter or number because in reality each one represents exciting new changes for Tesla Motors.
What does your VIN say about your car? Let us know in the comments below.
The Tesla Semi is entering a new Pilot Program with Paper Transport, LLC (PTI), a Wisconsin-based transportation provider. The company will test the Semi’s Long Range configuration through “dedicated operations within the Chicago market.”
Chicago presents an interesting challenge for the Semi, as it will be a colder-weather climate that will test the Semi’s ability to operate in lower temperatures and in potentially large accumulations of snow. This is something Tesla has been testing with the Semi in Alaska and even in Northern California during the colder months, but Chicago will present a truly tough midwestern winter.
Tesla Semi spotted on journey home after winter performance testing
PTI says it is using the Semi to evaluate its strategy of reducing transportation emissions while maintaining performance, reliability, and cost efficiency. These are major arguments for the Semi being introduced into new fleets.
CEO of PTI Tyler Ellison said:
“PTI has been a leader in sustainable transportation solutions for over 15 years. We take a consultative approach to helping customers identify and implement the right transportation solution for their network. Our partnership with Tesla expands our portfolio alongside renewable natural gas and intermodal, giving customers more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions without compromising service or economics.”
PTI is far from the first company to adopt the Semi within a fleet, as Tesla entered strategic agreements with PepsiCo. and its subsidiary Frito-Lay for a Pilot Program that extended throughout the California region.
Tesla has let companies like those utilize the Semi to determine whether it would be suitable for their operations. Additionally, Tesla gets valuable information regarding the Semi’s performance, knowing what to improve and what is ideal for companies that will utilize the all-electric truck for regional and nationwide logistics.
PTI plans to utilize the Long Range configuration, which is priced at $290,000 and features a range of approximately 500 miles, a three-motor powertrain, up to 800 kW of drive power, and consumption of just 1.7 kWh per mile.
Tesla Semi pricing revealed after company uncovers trim levels
VP of Maintenance at PTI, Bryan Ellen, added:
“We are excited to partner with Tesla, leveraging their ever-evolving technology. We are bullish in our estimation of the parallels available between our dedicated model and the efficiency of their fully electric Class 8 tractor. We anticipate a growing synergy between our businesses as we work to facilitate this sustainable solution for our customers.”
PTI has logged more than 87 million miles using sources like compressed and renewable gas, but now is looking to take it a step further with fully electric operations.
Tesla revealed on Monday that it is building a new autonomous vehicle at Gigafactory Texas, its plant just outside of the City of Austin. This particular vehicle will be geared toward those who are in need of a wheelchair-accessible car that would require no human driver for operation.
According to a new report from Wired, Tesla’s Senior Policy Advisor, India Herdman, told members of the Washington D.C. City Council on Monday:
“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas.”
This builds upon what CEO Elon Musk said last year on X, which confirmed the company was working on accessible rides within its Robotaxi platform, which currently is confined to the Model Y.
Absolutely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2025
Tesla is also developing the Cybercab, which started employee rides last week. However, this vehicle is not necessarily geared toward wheelchair accessibility.
That leaves a major gap in the autonomous ride-sharing program that Tesla is attempting to build; the company has been pretty clear that it does not want to complicate its manufacturing lines by bringing in a wide array of body styles.
However, it seems necessary to have something larger that could help transport people to appointments when they cannot drive. For wheelchair accessibility, the Robovan, which was unveiled at the “We, Robot” event in October 2024, seems to be the most ideal solution:
Herdman did not indicate whether she was referring to the Robovan or if Tesla is building yet another body style that is geared toward full autonomy but also caters to the handicapped.
Tesla might need to develop something specifically for the handicapped in order to align with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prevents discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services. Uber was hit with a lawsuit late last year for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.”
Tesla would obviously like to avoid this.
It will be interesting to see what Tesla will do with this project, and whether it will introduce something new to the market or just continue with the Robovan.
Tesla weirdly confirmed that its steering wheel-less and pedal-less Cybercab vehicle is now in the process of giving employees rides, a huge milestone for the vehicle program.
But the entire thing was super strange. On Friday, Tesla released a video stating that there was “Cool news from Giga Texas” and that employees were now taking rides in Cybercabs that have no manual controls. The units seen on public roads are engineering vehicles that have manual controls inside, a necessity as Tesla moved through the testing phase.
However, Tesla removed the video and reposted it shortly after with a more vague title. It seems like the employee rides are still going, but the video was adjusted slightly. The initial upload showed employees doing things like watching movies and adjusting the climate, but these snippets were removed in the second upload.
Cool news from Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/gvbG456Tzw
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) July 11, 2026
Both images below were uploaded with the first video, but were removed after Tesla re-uploaded the announcement. These are not available in the second upload
Credit: Tesla
Credit: Tesla
Nevertheless, the announcement from Tesla is that the Cybercab is operating with employees inside who can control the vehicle’s audio, video, climate, and destination settings through their smartphone app.
Tesla has already been testing Cybercab engineering units, but last month, it was able to self-certify for SAE Level 4, which would enable unsupervised self-driving in Texas. The company is moving toward that, and the plans have always been to launch Cybercab rides this year.
The Cybercab is potentially looked at as the next generation of Tesla’s mobility leg. For the past 15 years, the company has been known as somewhat of an automaker, among many other things. However, these passenger vehicles that Tesla has manufactured are now moving into a new realm, as they will eventually drive themselves with no supervision thanks to the Full Self-Driving suite.
The Cybercab is just the next step of that: a true vehicle developed for the sole purpose of ride-hailing. It has no human controls, it has only two seats, and it will get passengers from Point A to Point B with no awkward driver, no need for manual inputs, and with no stress.
Tesla is moving forward with other developments related to the Cybercab project as well. However, the big announcement will come when Tesla finally announces that it is launching Cybercab rides to the general public, something that it plans to launch either late this year or early 2027.
Tesla Semi enters new Pilot Program with interesting challenge
Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible Robotaxi
