Decoding Tesla Roadster VINs

[mattjs33]

I think it's sometimes interesting to see what the VIN can tell you about a car, particularly cars that are collector's items.

Does anyone have any insight to share?

I think I can help. I also have an interest in the VINs of low volume, unusual and exotic cars.

By regualtion, a manufacturer that wishes to sell cars in the U.S. must submit VIN decoding information to the NHTSA. The following information comes from documents submitted by Tesla to the NHTSA, as found on the NHTSA website.

Digits 1-3, Manufacturer: 5YJ = Tesla
Digit 4, Car line: R = Roadster
Digit 5, Body type: E = convertible
Digit 6, Region: 1 = USA
Digit 7, Restraint system: For 2008, 1 = Type 2 seat belts and dual air bags
For 2010, A = Type 2 seat belts and dual air bags
Digit 8, Motor: For 2008, B = Tesla 56C
For 2010, 1 = Tesla M6B; 3 = Tesla M6S
Digit 9, Check digit: Variable according to formula
Digit 10, Model year: 8 = 2008; A = 2010
Digit 11, Plant of manufacture: 1 = Menlo Park, USA
Digit 12-17, Sequential production number

They additionally note that Founders' Series vehicles will have F in digit 12.

Therefore --

5YJRE11B = 2008 Roadster
5YJRE1A1 = 2010 Roadster
5YJRE1A3 = 2010 Roadster Sport

Interesting. I would have thought they'd label the 2.5s as the 2011MY, but this indicates they're still using 2010.

I would have thought so too. But as we know, Tesla has so far only VIN'ed cars as 2008's and 2010's. There are no 2009's; car #500 is a 2008 and car #501 is a 2010. By pattern, I would have expected the next VIN's to be 2012's. By regulation, however, a car cannot be offered for sale with a model year more than one New Year's day ahead of its actual calendar year. Since Roadster production has been said to be ending in 2011, I do not know how long Tesla will be able to continue using 2010 VINs. As we saw in the past, Tesla was using 2008 VINs clear into 2009 production. So it is anyone's guess as to when or whether any 2011 Tesla VINs will appear.

 

[mattjs33]

But wait, there's more! ...

A while ago I found this thread and studied it closely. Using Doug's excellent first post in this thread and some other VIN data, I have built a collection of about 950 Tesla VINs that have records on CarFax. Some findings...

Early on, Tesla's WMI was SFZ (S representing England), to show that final assembly was done in England. Most early Teslas with VINs beginning with SFZ will have an 11th digit of 3, represneting the Hethel, UK plant of manufacture.

From Doug's first post in this thread, you can see that all of the EP VINs he has found use the SFZ/3E VIN format, E representing Evaluation Prototyope (I think that's what it stands for?). These cars are all 2006's.

For the Validation Prototypes, we see three different VIN formats, namely SFZ/3V, SFZ/39 and 5YJ/1V. Obviously the first two represent cars built in the UK, but why the different 12th digits I do not know. The U.S. built VP's have 1 in the plant (11th) digit and V in the 12th digit, presumably for Validation. The SFZ/3V cars are all 2007's and the SFZ/39 and 5YJ/1V cars are 2008's.

The UK-built EP's and VP's do not have records on CarFax, but U.S.-built VP's 21-33 do.

Now, the Founder's Series cars (I have found 27) are all 2008's, and carry their own unique VIN structure, but notice these cars are all UK-built cars (SFZ). However, only #F00001 carries the proper 3 in the plant (11th) digit to represent the Hethel plant. All the rest carry 1 in their 11th digits. Very strange!

For the Signature 100 Series cars (which can only be uniquely identified by their VIN with the last six digits), it is interesting to note that the first 11 cars' VINs start with SFZ, even though the plant digit represents Menlo Park, USA! From #000012 on all Teslas use 5YJ. I guess there was a lot of confusion early on as to which plant did the final assembly of these cars, due to the unique Lotus/Tesla arrangement?

Also very interesting, when I visited Tesla Chicago this summer, they had on display Founder's Series car #024, which has a VIN with a check (ninth) digit which should, by formula, be invalid! I checked it on CarFax, and it is registered this way. It is the only Tesla I have found that carries an error in its check digit!

For those who are curious, the highest Tesla VIN I have found on CarFax is #1026, a base model.

 

[mattjs33]

But wait, there's still more...

The SAE will assign a World Manufacturer Identifier with a third digit ending in 9 if that manufacturer produces less than 500 cars in a model year. In 2004, Tesla was given 1T9 as its WMI. This was only used on the driveable mule car(s?). Apparently at some point it was assumed that Tesla would not be building more than 500 cars in a model year. However, at some point Tesla was given not only SFZ, but 5YJ, in an indication that Tesla's intent was to produce more than 500 cars in a model year.

This has happened before. In mid-2003 Lamborghini's WMI changed from ZA9 to ZHW, in anticipation of the much-higher-volume Gallardo entering production. So someone at Tesla or the SAE decided the change would be made. But isn't it interesting that Tesla's total production for its first model year (2008) ended sometime in 2009 at exactly 500 units? Was it to keep the "large manufacturer" status on its VINs?

 

[doug]

Thanks mattjs33. That's really helpful stuff.
I think the absence of 2009 model year had more to do with production delays and that early customers wanted a car from the first production year. The majority of those MY2008s were delivered if not produced in the 2009 calendar year. (There was a long delay after the delivery of Elon's F00001.) Similarly marketing cars were given VP VINs so as to not eat up production VINs for customers that wanted a low number in that first production year. However those marketing VPs were eventually sold. That with the addition of other special out of sequence VINs makes it difficult to know actual production order.

 

[AndrewBissell]

My car has VIN SFZRE3B37A300222. It's a 2010 European Signature Edition.

Thanks to Mattjs above I now interpret this as:

SFZ - my car was built at Hethel in the UK, so it seems they are still using SFZ as the Tesla manufacturer string for UK built cars.
RE - Roadster Convertible
3 - region code, presumably Europe
B - some other kind of restraint system - what type?
3 - Motor type M6S - is this the Sport motor? If so it's interesting as I bought my car ostensibly as a non-Sport (but the VDS says its is a Sport!)
7 - Check digit
A - 2010
3 - Built at Hethel - correct!
000222 - EU Signature 222 - check

 

[doug]

Supposedly the drivetrain, including the battery pack, represent the majority of the value of the car. So when that is installed in Menlo Park, the car is arguably of US manufacture even though the body is still made in the UK. For EU cars, everything is put together in Hethel, thus the UK manufacturer string.

 

[mattjs33]

Andrew, your motor digit of 3 is interesting. It is likely that EU-spec cars have a different coding for the motor type. Or maybe you have a sleeper base model! Is the motor type labelled somewhere in the motor compartment?

I also wonder, is your car equipped with dual air bags?

Frequently there are different coding systems in use between EU and U.S. spec cars from one manufacturer, so this is interesting to see.

 

[Doug_G]

Supposedly the drivetrain, including the battery pack, represent the majority of the value of the car. So when that is installed in Menlo Park, the car is arguably of US manufacture even though the body is still made in the UK. For EU cars, everything is put together in Hethel, thus the UK manufacturer string.

Nope. Under NAFTA rules it is USA built if more than 50% of the value is added in the USA. But Canada charges import duty because it does not meet that target. It is one of the reasons why the car is slightly more expensive here.

 

[Jaff]

To be honest Doug, this is one of the issues we Canadians should be addressing with our politicians...to me, NAFTA be damned...all imported EV's should be exempt from import duty until we reach some sort of critical mass (say market penetration of at least 5-7%...more EV's & less ICE vehicles will result in a less smoggy Ontario...it is probably Ontario that should lead the charge on this as we have the most traffic congestion thus smog...we would benefit most from EV's being more accesible from an economic standpoint...(imo)

Nope. Under NAFTA rules it is USA built if more than 50% of the value is added in the USA. But Canada charges import duty because it does not meet that target. It is one of the reasons why the car is slightly more expensive here.

Sorry for going off topic folks. :redface::biggrin:

 

[ChargeIt!]

SFZRE2B3xA3000xxx spotted in GB with GB plates, but destined for DK. Model: 2.5

So, what's the "2" versus "3" for Region Code ?

 

[mattjs33]

Is DK Denmark? Maybe it has to do with LHD/RHD? Just a guess.

 

[ChargeIt!]

Is DK Denmark? Maybe it has to do with LHD/RHD? Just a guess.

Yes, DK = Denmark (sorry), and yes, it was a LHD (what we drive here in the US and what they drive in DK). British plates were probably temporary.

What do you Central Europeans show for Region Code versus GB ?

 

[mattjs33]

Anybody seen a 2011 VIN yet? Maybe Zack's car will be the first?

 

[TEG]

Was this the total of 2006 & 2007 production? :

00000000011111111
12345678901234567
SFZ - Tesla manufacturer string for Hethel, UK built cars
SFZRE - Roadster Convertible=RE
SFZRE1 - region code, 1=USA (2 or 3=Europe, 6=Canada, 8=Hong Kong)
SFZRE11 - restraint system type 1
SFZRE11B - Motor type B (Tesla 56C)
SFZRE11B? - Check digit
SFZRE11B?6 - 6=2006, 7=2007
SFZRE11B?63 - Factory - 3=Hethel, UK
SFZRE11B?63E - Engineering/Eval-Prototype, V=Validation-Prorotype

_______2006_______
SFZRE11B963E00001 EP1 Obsidian Black / Black
SFZRE11B063E00002 EP2 Radiant Red (repaint from "Chili Red")
SFZRE11B263E00003 EP3 Glacier Blue?
SFZRE11B463E00004 EP4 Very Orange
SFZRE11B663E00005 EP5 Brilliant Yellow
SFZRE11B863E00006 EP6 Non standard "Nightfall" dark blue (repaint?)
SFZRE11BX63E00007 EP7
SFZRE11B163E00008 EP8
SFZRE11B363E00009 EP9
SFZRE11BX63E00010 EP10 (Thunder Gray?)


_______2007_______
SFZRE11B773V00001 VP1 Signature Green
SFZRE11B973V00002 VP2
SFZRE11B073V00003 VP3 Racing Green / black
SFZRE11B273V00004 VP4 Arctic White / black
SFZRE11B473V00005 VP5 Jet Black / black
SFZRE11B673V00006 VP6
SFZRE11B873V00007 VP7
SFZRE11BX73V00008 VP8
SFZRE11B173V00009 VP9 Electric Blue / black
SFZRE11B873V00010 VP10 Sterling Silver / black
SFZRE11BX73V00011 VP11 Thunder Gray / microfiber
SFZRE11B173V00012 VP12 Black / saddle
SFZRE11B373V00013 VP13 Very Orange

 

[mattjs33]

Thanks to TEG, we now know that the fourth digit of 6 indicates a Canadian market Tesla. Thus, 5YJRE6A1 = Canadian Roadster base model, 5YJRE6A3 = Canadian Roadster Sport.

By my research, there are at least 33 Teslas in Canada. They are numbered concurrently with the U.S. versions.

 

[Doug_G]

Thanks to TEG, we now know that the fourth digit of 6 indicates a Canadian market Tesla. Thus, 5YJRE6A1 = Canadian Roadster base model, 5YJRE6A3 = Canadian Roadster Sport.

Makes sense that they'd have a different encoding for Canada, since there are things about the vehicle that are unique, such as daytime running lights and the immobilizer. Also that decoding matches my VIN.

By my research, there are at least 33 Teslas in Canada. They are numbered concurrently with the U.S. versions.

That matches up with what I heard a few weeks ago, which was 32.

 

[TEG]

About half are sport models...

 

[bonnie]

Anybody seen a 2011 VIN yet? Maybe Zack's car will be the first?

I have a 2011 VIN: I took delivery on Feb 8th in Menlo Park of a Roadster Sport #1194, VIN 5YJRE1A38B1001194. Date of manufacture is January 1, 2011 (big grin).

 

[vfx]

Hey Bonnie,

Is it gold colored?

 

[doug]

So I wonder which was the first with a 2011 VIN.

VFX, your car had an '08 VIN, correct?