Tesla

Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company that designs, manufactures, leases, and sells high-performance battery electric vehicles (BEVs), powertrain components, stationary energy storage systems, and solar energy products. Founded on July 1, 2003, as Tesla Motors by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in San Carlos, California,[](https://www.britannica.com/money/Tesla-Motors) with Elon Musk, JB Straubel, and Ian Wright also recognized as founders following a 2009 out-of-court settlement resolving a lawsuit by Eberhard against Musk,[](https://www.cnet.com/culture/tesla-motors-founders-now-there-are-five/) the company was renamed Tesla, Inc. in 2017 to reflect its expanded focus beyond automobiles.[](https://www.britannica.com/money/Tesla-Motors) Headquartered at Gigafactory Texas in Austin since relocating its corporate base from Palo Alto, California, in 2021, and establishing its global engineering and AI headquarters there in February 2023,[](https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/02/22/governor-newsom-welcomes-new-tesla-global-engineering-and-ai-hq-in-california/) Tesla operates a vertically integrated model encompassing vehicle production, battery manufacturing, and software development for features like over-the-air updates and advanced driver-assistance systems.[](https://www.tesla.com/contact) Under CEO Elon Musk, who invested $6.3 million in 2004 to become chairman and assumed the CEO role in 2008 following internal leadership changes, the company has scaled production of the Model 3 and Model Y, alongside premium models such as the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, achieving breakthroughs in lithium-ion battery efficiency and electric drivetrain performance that enabled longer-range EVs suitable for mass adoption.[](https://www.tesla.com/elon-musk) [](https://www.britannica.com/money/Elon-Musk) Tesla's defining characteristics include its emphasis on in-house engineering for cost reduction and rapid iteration, as well as pursuits in full self-driving autonomy and energy grid solutions like the Powerwall and Megapack. However, these pursuits, alongside company-wide scaling, have involved production delays, regulatory scrutiny over safety claims—particularly in autonomy—and executive turnover amid aggressive growth targets.[](https://www.britannica.com/money/Tesla-Motors) ## History

Teslamost commonly refers to:

• Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor
• Tesla, Inc., an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, formerly Tesla Motors, Inc.
• Tesla (unit), the SI-derived unit of magnetic flux density