Tesla was founded in 2003 in San Carlos, California.
Tesla was incorporated on July 1, 2003, by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk joined as an early investor and became chairman; he was later named chief executive officer in 2008. The company was originally called Tesla Motors before adopting Tesla, Inc. in 2017.
Tesla’s first production vehicle was the Roadster, introduced in 2008. It used a modified Lotus Elise chassis and lithium-ion battery cells, helping challenge the assumption that electric cars had to be slow or limited to short distances. Tesla later produced the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y.
A common mix-up is saying Elon Musk founded Tesla alone. He did not. He became the company’s most prominent executive and public figure, but the incorporation documents identify Eberhard and Tarpenning as the original founders.