What is Tesla?

The company is named after famed physicist Nikola Tesla, with the Tesla Roadster actually using an AC motor which was directly descended from Tesla’s original 1882 design.

The company was first founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhand and Marc Tarpenning, with Elon Musk, JB Straubel and Ian Wright also named as co-founders.

IN 2010, Tesla was the first automaker to go public since Ford in 1956. Listing on the NASDAQ, the company raised $226 million.