Tesla is the electric-vehicle company founded in 2003 and associated with CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla was established in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning as Tesla Motors. Elon Musk joined the company’s early funding round and became chairman; he later became chief executive. The company was named after inventor Nikola Tesla.
Tesla’s first production vehicle was the Roadster, launched in 2008. It used lithium-ion battery cells and demonstrated that an electric sports car could achieve long range. The Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y later broadened Tesla’s market.
Tesla’s market capitalization has often been much larger than that of traditional automakers, because investors value its vehicle business alongside possible growth in batteries, charging, software, and autonomous-driving technology. A high market cap does not necessarily mean the company sells the most cars.