Tesla was founded in 2003 and named after inventor Nikola Tesla.
Tesla was established in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined soon afterward as a major early investor and became chairman; he later became the company's chief executive. The company name honors Nikola Tesla, whose work on alternating-current electrical systems influenced modern power technology.
Tesla's first production vehicle was the Roadster, introduced in 2008. It used lithium-ion battery cells and was based on the Lotus Elise platform. Later vehicles, including the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y, expanded the company from a niche sports-car maker into a high-volume electric-vehicle producer.
Tesla's market capitalization has often reflected expectations about future vehicle sales, batteries, charging, software, and autonomous driving, not only current automobile revenue.