In June this year, Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors, announced that Tesla was going "open source".

This means that anyone can use Tesla's technology in good faith, without facing the threat of a patent lawsuit.

With the Tesla Model S soon to become available in Australia, RN Drive looks at Tesla's patent pledge, which has been hailed by some as a breakthrough for the environmental friendly car industry, and viewed with caution by others.