Tesla is associated with the electric Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y vehicles.
Tesla’s current vehicle lineup uses these four model names: the Model S sedan, Model 3 sedan, Model X sport-utility vehicle, and Model Y crossover. Together, they helped make battery-electric cars more visible to mass-market consumers and supported Tesla’s rise among the world’s most valuable listed companies.
Tesla was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined soon afterward as a major investor and became chairman; he later served as chief executive. The company’s first production vehicle was the Roadster, which used lithium-ion battery cells and was delivered beginning in 2008.
Tesla also develops charging infrastructure, energy-storage products, and solar-energy systems. Its market capitalization has been unusually sensitive to expectations about future vehicle sales, autonomous-driving technology, and energy businesses. A company’s market cap represents investors’ valuation of its equity, not the number of cars it has sold.