Tesla is an American company specialized in the production of electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and photovoltaic panels. The company’s name comes from the renowned inventor Nikola Tesla.
The main objective of the company is to facilitate a transition towards the use of renewable energy resources.
Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla. He considers the company to be a technology company and an independent car manufacturer with the goal of producing electric vehicles at affordable prices.
In recent years, we have witnessed a rapid development of the company:
- In 2015, Forbes named Tesla the most innovative company in the world;
- As of November 2018, there were already 500,000 Tesla cars worldwide, covering more than 16 billion km.
- In March 2020, the threshold of 1 million Tesla electric cars produced had already been reached, surpassing all other manufacturers.
History of Tesla Models
Being the most renowned electric car manufacturer globally, below, we will present the chronological timeline of Tesla vehicle models.
Roadster
The first Tesla prototype was presented to the public in July 2006 with great success. Production of this model began in March 2008 and concluded in March 2012, selling a total of 2500 units in 31 countries.
This model represented a revolution in the electric car market, as the ones produced before were considerably slower. The Tesla Roadster had a range of 340 km and a top speed of 201 km/h.
Model S
The Model S was the second vehicle produced by the American giant, a sedan that faced numerous design delays. Its production started in 2012 in North America and in 2013 for Europe and Asia.
By December 2015, it had already sold 100,000 units before undergoing a front-end restyling in 2016.
Currently, the Tesla Model S has a range of 637 km, a top speed of 322 km/h, and a power output of 1020 HP.
Model X
The Model X, an SUV with rear vertical-opening doors (Falcon Wings), was the third model developed by Tesla, presented to the public as early as 2012.
After several production delays, the first vehicles were only delivered in December 2015. The Model X received 30,000 pre-orders, compared to the 12,000 that the previous model had.
Although the primary market for the Model X was the United States of America, by September 2016, it became the best-selling car in Norway.
The Model X has a range of 536 km, a top speed of 262 km/h, and a power output of 1020 HP.
Model 3
The fourth Tesla model, the Model 3, was unveiled to the public on March 31, 2016. Within just one week, there were already 325,000 reservations (approximately 14 billion dollars). By July 2017, reservations had already reached 500,000.
The Model 3 was one of the first modern cars almost entirely devoid of physical buttons. The vehicle features a 15″ horizontal touchscreen in the central area, where all controls and functions of the car are managed.
While the standard version has a range of 491 km and a top speed of 225 km/h, the premium versions have undergone improvements as follows:
- Model 3 Performance: 547 km autonomy and 261 km/h maximum speed;
- Model 3 Long Range: 602 km autonomy and 233 km/h maximum speed.
Model Y
Model Y, the first Tesla crossover, was revealed to the public in March 2019, and a year later the first deliveries took place.
The Model Y, Performance and AWD Long Range variants have a range of 514 km and 533 km respectively, reaching a top speed of 250 km/h and 217 km/h respectively.
