Tesla was founded in 2003 and became one of the world's most valuable automakers.
Tesla was established in California by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, with Elon Musk joining as an early major investor and becoming chairman. The company's first production vehicle was the Roadster, an electric sports car launched in 2008.
Tesla's later growth came from higher-volume vehicles, especially the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. It also developed battery-storage products, charging infrastructure, and solar-energy businesses. The company helped make battery-electric vehicles a central focus of the global automotive industry.
Tesla is often compared with BYD, another major electric-vehicle producer, but the companies have different histories and product mixes. Market capitalization is also not the same as vehicle sales: a firm's share value reflects investor expectations about future earnings as well as current deliveries.