Tesla’s first electric vehicle, the Roadster, entered production in 2008.
The Tesla Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise sports-car platform and used lithium-ion battery cells. Tesla began production in 2008, making it an early high-profile demonstration that a battery-electric vehicle could offer sports-car performance and meaningful driving range.
The Roadster was followed by the Model S, which entered production in 2012, and then by the Model X, Model 3, and Model Y. The Model 3 was especially important because Tesla designed it as a more affordable mass-market vehicle than its earlier models.
Tesla was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined as an early investor and became chairman before later serving as CEO. Tesla’s market capitalization has often reflected expectations about electric vehicles, batteries, charging, and software as well as current vehicle sales.