Tesla was founded in 2003, shortly after GM destroyed the prototypes for its electric vehicle, the EV-1. In 2004, Elon Musk came to the fledgling company and provided much of the initial capital support to run it. It was founded with the idea to create effective electric cars and sell them to the masses. To do so, it created a 3 tiered strategy. The first phase was to release a sports car, which was then the only effective type of electric vehicle in terms of return on investment. It would be followed by a $60,000 sedan, and eventually a $30,000 sedan, sold to the masses.

As often has happened with Elon Musk’s companies, the timeline for these events was a bit off. The first phase, the Tesla Roadster, was released in 2008, and was slightly more expensive than anticipated. It was sold for about 4 years, and has not been manufactured since. The Tesla Roadster that SpaceX sent in to space was purchased by Elon Musk in 2009

Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster

The Model S was the next car produced. It was originally released in 2012. There are a number of varieties to it, varying the battery size, and other features, but in general it was the first practical electric vehicle mass marketed, albeit at a high price. Current prices for a Model S start at $74,500. There they experimented with technology like autopilot, supercharging, and others. The car has been continually improved via hardware changes in the factory, as well as software changes for the entire fleet. The Model X is similar in design, but built to satisfy the SUV market. Tesla, unlike most other auto manufactures, continually improves their vehicles, not in arbitrary year model versions like other companies.

Tesla Model S

One of things that currently sets Tesla apart from other manufacturers is the ability to charge at supercharger stations placed throughout the world. When it was first released, all Tesla owners were allowed to use it for free for life. Now one can only get the free charging if one uses a coupon code when purchasing. Purchasing a car? Use this link to get free lifetime supercharging, as well a $500 discount.

The current version, at long last, is the $30,000 version originally promised, now $35,000 per inflation, the Telsa Model 3. The production, as is common, is a bit slower then one would hope from Tesla, however, it is starting to be produced. The initial version produced is the more expensive version with a larger battery and luxury features, however, that price will soon come down with the base model that will be produced.

Tesla Model 3

It is this version that I finally own, thanks in part to the many people who have visited this site! If you want to purchase one of your own, use my referral code and get $100 supercharging credit!