Founded as Tesla Motors, Tesla Inc. was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning who financed the company until the Series A round of funding. The founders were influenced to start the company after GM recalled all its EV1 electric cars in 2003 and then destroyed them. Both men played active roles in the company’s early development Tesla was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning who financed the company until the Series A round of funding. The founders were influenced to start the company after GM recalled all its EV1 electric cars in 2003 and then destroyed them. Both men played active roles in the company’s early development prior to and after Elon Musk’s* involvement. The AC Propulsion tzero also inspired the companies first vehicle the Roadster Founded as Tesla Motors, Tesla Inc..

Martin Eberhard was the original CEO of Tesla until he was asked to resign in August 2007 by the board of directors. Eberhard then took the title of “President of Technology” before ultimately leaving the company in January 2008 along with co-founder Marc Tarpenning, who served as the Vice President of Electrical Engineering of the company until 2008. Musk led the Series A round of investment in February 2004, joining Tesla’s board of directors as its chairman. Tesla’s primary goal was to
commercialize electric vehicles, starting with a premium sports car aimed at early adopters and then moving into more mainstream vehicles, including sedans and affordable compacts. Musk took an active role within the on a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer body and he led design of components. company and oversaw Roadster product design at a detailed level but was not deeply involved in day-to-day business operations. Eberhard acknowledged that Musk was the person who insisted from the beginning ranging from the power electronics module to the headlamps and other styling. In addition to his daily operational roles, Musk was the controlling investor in Tesla from the first financing round, funding the large majority of the Series A capital investment round of US$7.5 million with personal funds.

In 2008, Tesla unveiled its first electric car, the Roadster, a high-performance vehicle which helped change the perception of what electric cars could be. In 2014, Tesla launched the Model S, a lower-priced model that in 2017 set the Motor Trend world record for 0 to 60 mph acceleration at 2.28 seconds.

By Naoma Welk