Tesla is the electric-vehicle company named after inventor Nikola Tesla.
The company was incorporated in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, and it was originally called Tesla Motors. The name honors Nikola Tesla, whose work on alternating-current electricity and induction motors influenced the history of electrical engineering. Elon Musk joined as an early investor and became chairman before later serving as chief executive.
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. Tesla later expanded with the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y, helping make battery-electric cars more prominent in the global automobile market.
Tesla’s market capitalization has often moved sharply because investors price it as both an automaker and a technology company. The company is distinct from Nikola Corporation, another vehicle company that uses the first name of the same inventor.