(1) For NVIDIA's earlier line of general-purpose GPUs, see
NVIDIA Tesla.
(2) The electric vehicle company that ignited the EV revolution in the 21st century. Founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, Elon Musk contributed funding in 2004 and has been CEO since 2008. With its own showrooms and online ordering, Tesla sells directly to customers, which means that many states ban Tesla retail outlets or limit their number. See
Cybercab,
Robovan,
Dojo supercomputer,
SAV,
SpaceX and
electric vehicle.
From the Ground Up
Rather than retrofit an existing car body for the huge battery necessary to power an EV, Tesla designed its vehicles from scratch. Tesla is also ahead of most other car companies in making its own batteries and charging stations.
Greater Range and More Charging Stations
In 2009, the Tesla Roadster was first with a 200-mile range. Since then, some models attained a range of 400+ miles, although other high-end EVs have reached greater distances.
In 2014, Tesla had sufficient charging stations in the U.S. to enable owners to drive from Los Angeles to New York. Initially charging was free; however, the free service was dropped in 2017 but has been resurrected from time to time for various promotions. In addition, a 2025 Consumer Reports rated three Tesla models at the top of "miles per minute" of charging (see
EV charging).
Nikola Tesla - Alternating Current and Radio
The company was named after Serbian-American electrical engineer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), who made major contributions to the design of AC current in the late 1800s.
Tesla Charging Stations
Whereas other automobile manufacturers have concentrated on developing their EV technology, Tesla has invested in the ecosystem by installing chargers around the U.S. These units in Bucks County, Pennsylvania are at a Wawa convenience store and gas station.