Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is to make its patent library open source, in a move to encourage development and competition within the EV sector.

Just days after delivery of the first right hand drive Model S vehicles to customers in London, CEO Elon Musk announced the move on the company's blog.

The company's current model, the Model S, has an NEDC range of 312 miles, and features a 17" touchscreen, and 0-60 acceleration in 4.2 seconds. UK right hand drive pricing starts at £50,280, including the £5,000 government grant.

Musk said the patent move came in the spirit of the open source movement, to advance electric vehicle technology.

On the blog, he wrote: "Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology."

"Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day", he added.