In the face of climate change, Tesla Motors making patents public

PALO ALTO -- Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced Thursday that Tesla is making its vast array of technology patents available to the public for free, part of a bold move to spur development of electric vehicles in the face of climate change and create demand for Tesla's batteries.

Musk wrote in a blog post that Tesla has removed framed patents from the wall at the company's Palo Alto headquarters in the spirit of the "open source" movement and said Tesla won't initiate patent suits against "anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." Tesla will continue to apply for patents going forward, he said, but only to protect itself from being hampered by patents taken out by others for the same technology.

"Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," Musk wrote. "If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property land mines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal."

Tesla is known for its all-electric Model S sedan and is developing a Model X, a crossover SUV. The company plans to break ground this month on a "gigafactory" for batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage products for homes, commercial businesses and utilities.

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