TESLA CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

By Anne Bourgoin

In July 2003, Tesla Motors was founded by two engineers: Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. In 2004, Elon Musk took over as CEO. 2008 saw the launch of Tesla’s first model: the Roadster.

The Model S, the brand’s flagship sedan, is announced in 2009 and produced in 2012, with a range of 427 km on a single charge. Today, the twin-motor, all-wheel-drive Model S has a range of 652 km, and the Plaid sedan is one of the fastest ever made.

A partnership with Toyota enabled the electric vehicle (EV) brand to become the 1st EV manufacturer. Dissolved a few years later, this partnership is about to be revived as Toyota turns to Tesla for its manufacturing expertise.

Today, Tesla employs 120,000 people and has the capacity to produce two million vehicles annually. But the EV leader now faces a number of challenges, not least the emergence of Chinese manufacturers who are making inroads into the market.