In 2003, a group of engineers and American entrepreneurs founded Tesla, a company named after the Serbian American inventor, Nikola Tesla. This group wanted to prove that electric vehicles can be better, quicker, and more fun to drive than gasoline cars, and that people didn’t need to compromise in order to drive electric. Aside from all-electric vehicles, Tesla also builds infinitely scalable clean energy generation and storage products. This is because Tesla believes that the world should stop relying on fossil fuels and focus on a zero-emission future.
This sort of thinking is not just commendable, but probably necessary for the future. With fossil fuels running out and gasoline cars polluting the environment more and more every day, it’s high time that green sources of fuel become common. With the efforts of Tesla and hopefully more companies with a similar mindset, we might be able to accomplish this goal very soon.
Since the Tesla company is fast becoming a well-known name and is involved in such important work, it worthwhile to know more about this incorporation. Let’s take a look at what this venture has done over the years, especially with regards to the automobile industry:
The First Releases
Tesla Motors released its first car, the Roadster, in 2008. This was a completely electric option and achieved 245 miles/394 kilometers on a single charge, which is an unprecedented range for electric cars currently in production.
The Roadster’s body was made of carbon fiber and has a performance which is comparable even to gasoline-powered sports cars. In just less than 4 seconds, it could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles and reach a top speed of 200 km per hour. The Roadster did not use an internal-combustion engine, which means that it produced no tailpipe emissions.
Instead of gasoline, this car was powered by lithium-ion cells. this type of cell is often used in laptop-computer batteries, which can be recharged from a standard electric outlet. The same was the case with this car. The software development and firmware development company involved has built a sophisticated solution for the car.
Tesla stopped production of the Roadster in 2012. This is because they wanted to concentrate on their new Model S sedan, which was acclaimed by automotive critics because of its performance and design. This new model was designed with three different battery options, which have estimated ranges of 235 or 300 miles. The Roadster carried its batteries at the front of the car, while this model had its batteries underneath the floor. The result was an extra storage space in front and improved handling to boot.
The Goals of Tesla
Tesla has to build 800,000 cars in order to make automotive history. The company has already beaten notable automotive startups of the past half-century. These include DeLorean, with 9000 cars in their production history, Bricklin, with 2850 cars, and Tucker, with built 51 cars.
At this rate, Tesla will have more than 26,000 cars on the world’s roads very soon. However, there is another startup carmaker that Tesla needs to conquer–Kaiser-Frazer. This company was founded by Henry J. Kaiser, just after World War II. Kaiser built roughly 770,000 cars in the decade of its existence. If Tesla can exceed Kaiser’s total, it will become the highest-production automotive startup in 90 years.
Who were the founders of Tesla?
Tesla was named after Nikola Tesla, but was founded by American entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. However, in late 2007, Eberhard resigned as CEO and joined the advisory board of the company. He then left the company in 2008, but still remained a shareholder. Marc Tarpenning, who was the vice president of electrical engineering at that time, also left the company.
Eventually, Elon Musk took over the CEO position and led the first investment round in 2004. He also joined the company’s board of directors as Chairman. However, in May 2009, he was sued by Martin Eberhard for libel and slander, among other accusations. This issue was settled out of court four months later.
How far will a Tesla car take me?
The Model S, one of Tesla Motors car has two battery options; an 85 kWh and 60 kWh. On a single charge, the 85 kWh battery allows you to drive approximately 306 miles while a 60 kWh battery will take you about 244 miles. However, this range can be affected by factors such as the way you drive, depending on the terrain you are driving on, and the efficiency of the other components in the car.
How long does it take to charge the battery on my Tesla car?
If you won a Tesla car or are thinking of investing in one, you’re probably wondering about the nuances of such a vehicle. We’re used to filling up our cars with fuel, not docking them at a charging station as we do with our smartphones. That being said, we do want to know how long it will take to charge a Tesla car battery. Fortunately, such information is easily available online, with the option to ask the company if we want more detail.
Generally speaking, your Tesla car will hopefully be fully charged after a night of being plugged in, since the mobile connector plugged into a 240-volt outlet usually pumps in 10 kW of power into your car. At this rate, you can cover about 29 miles with every hour of charging. You can also learn more and check out AutoMole.
What are the sources of electricity for the battery in my Tesla car?
Another aspect to think about before investing in a Tesla car is about the energy sources to power your vehicle. For gasoline cars, we have several pumps on almost every route we take. It will take some time to install charging stations in the same frequency. Until then, we should look at ways to charge up our Tesla car without as little hassle as possible.
Fortunately, Tesla cars get electricity from various power sources. This includes nuclear power, oil, natural gas, coal, and hydroelectric sources. Aside from that, you can also use renewable sources of energy to charge the batteries of your car, such as solar power, biomass, wind energy, and geothermal power.
With these multiple sources of energy, we don’t have to worry about not having car charging stations in every location. Until electric cars become the norm, Tesla car owners can make do with several forms of renewable energy.
Topping the Charts
Most of us in the developed world have probably already heard of Tesla Motors by now. While it may not be one of the major giant car manufacturers yet, anything that this company does is sure to make headlines all over the tech world. Since it’s invested in trying to make the future of transport, it creates waves all over the internet with each new update.
Elon Musk himself is a well-known personality and is compared to scientific geniuses such as Einstein and Tesla himself. While some of his work and behavior might be controversial, there’s no doubt that it’s highly interesting and unique.
These are just a few of the reasons why everything about Tesla Motors is fodder for discussion on online forums, discussion boards, social media, and blogs.
The Worth of Tesla
Tesla Motors is already more than a decade old. Its research and popularity have made it quite a valuable company now. In fact, its net worth is already more than several Japanese car companies and even Fiat. Back in 2013, the market capitalization of this company was around $20.9 billion. This made it worth more than Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and Isuzu.
Some might say that the value of Tesla is overly optimistic, while others state that it’s actually undervalued. Whichever the case, it’s evident that this company is going to be a hot topic of discussion for a very long time.
Conclusion
What Tesla offers us is a very attractive deal; shiny new cars that might save the environment. However, it also gives us hope of a more convenient and safer way of navigating the roads. If the above information about Tesla piqued your interest, it might be worthwhile to read up about self-driving cars and their levels of automation. This is one aspect of the future of cars that many are looking forward to.