COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Dec. 12, 2025 – Selkirk Sport today announced the Tesla Plaid Paddle by Selkirk, a limited-edition pickleball paddle engineered in collaboration with Tesla to bring advanced aerodynamics and precision performance to players seeking next-generation equipment.
The project centered on airflow analysis, structural testing and iterative prototyping designed to improve swing speed, stability and long-term durability of a pickleball paddle.
The collaboration began in early 2024 after Selkirk co-owner and Director of Research and Development Tom Barnes and Tesla designers, including Tesla’s Director of Product Design Javier Verdura, discussed how aerodynamics used in Tesla vehicle development could be applied to a pickleball paddle.
A series of shared design sessions produced initial CAD concepts that drew on Tesla’s vehicle design language and aerodynamic modeling tools. Selkirk then prototyped early versions at its Idaho-based lab, where both companies conducted repeated rounds of performance testing.
“This wasn’t simply a branding exercise. It was a true engineering collaboration,” Barnes said. “Tesla’s design group and our R&D team spent more than a year trading data, refining geometry and stress-testing prototypes.”
Shaped in the wind tunnel
Tesla’s testing focused on airflow behavior around the paddle during various swing paths. Engineers evaluated drag coefficients, turbulent wake patterns and how specific geometry adjustments affected acceleration. Their findings informed the paddle’s elongated silhouette, its edgeless perimeter and the air-dynamic open throat engineered to reduce drag during fast exchanges.
Selkirk paired this data with internal performance evaluations that measured structural integrity, core deformation over time, twist-resistance on off-center hits and the consistency of ball contact.
What’s under the hood
The Selkirk team combined its PureFoam core technology with a new TPU Power Ring developed specifically for this paddle. The ring’s lightweight perimeter structure was tested to dampen vibration and stabilize the paddle face, working to prevent the long-term crushing common in polymer honeycomb cores.
The paddle also includes Selkirk’s MOI Tuning System for a larger sweet spot, a two-ply carbon fiber face for control, and the company’s patent-pending InfiniGrit Surface for enhanced spin.
“This project is personal to me,” Barnes said. “I’ve always admired Tesla’s approach to engineering. What started as a fun idea between friends evolved into a full collaboration with their design and aerodynamics teams. The Plaid Paddle reflects the best of what both companies do. It’s engineered for players who want equipment that performs at the highest level.”
The Tesla Plaid Paddle is assembled in the United States and is USAP-approved. It retails for $350.
For more information and to purchase the paddle, visit the Tesla website.
About Selkirk Sport
Selkirk Sport, a premium manufacturer of pickleball paddles and accessories, is a family-owned and operated company. Selkirk Sport is based in Hayden, Idaho, in the shadows of its namesake, the Selkirk mountain range. Founded in 2014, Selkirk Sport was born from a passion for sport and the Western outdoor leisure lifestyle that was afforded to the company’s founders, Rob and Mike Barnes, along with their father Jim. Selkirk Sport is committed to manufacturing products that deliver the highest performance with unmatched quality and service. It has become one of the industry’s fastest-growing companies, with paddles used by many of the game’s premier players, such as Jack Sock, Catherine Parenteau and a host of other premier players and national champions.
Media contact:
Brynn Grissom: [email protected]
