Tesla

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About Tesla

Tesla Motors produces and sells electric cars. It first gained public attention with the first fully electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster. It was then followed by the first fully electric luxury sedan, the Model S.

History

Tesla Motors is relatively new, having been founded in 2003 by a team of Silicon Valley engineers. Curiously, the company is named after the revered inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla.

The first vehicle of Tesla, the Roadster, was launched in 2008. It was also the first production car to use lithium-ion battery cells, and the first ever production electric car with a range that is more than 320 kilometers per charge. It was also powerful enough to accelerate from standstill to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds.

In the four years that it was out on the market, the Tesla Roadster sold more than 2,000 units in 31 countries. Tesla decided to stop taking orders in the United States in 2011.

In 2012, the Model S was unveiled. It was a premium sedan that could accelerate to 60 miles per hour from standstill in 4.2 seconds, and could travel up to 265 miles per charge.

Models

The Tesla Model S has the distinction of being the electric car with the best range in the market today, capable of traveling up to 265 miles per charge. It is equipped with a 85 kWh lithium-ion battery. To date, more than 47,000 units of the Model S have been sold worldwide.

The Tesla Model S is also highly acclaimed. It has received awards like the World Green Car of the year for 2013, and Car of the Year for 2013 from the Motor Trend Car Automobile Magazine. Even the respected Time Magazine acknowledged it as one of the best 25 inventions in 2012. It is the top-rated car in Consumer Reports as well.

Tesla is also preparing for a new model, the Tesla Model X.

Innovations

Without a doubt, the most amazing innovation that Tesla has achieved so far is its battery and recharging technology. For the first time, an electric car has had an impressive range per charge. The Model S can travel up to 265 miles, which is more than triple of the 75 miles of its closest pursuer, the Nissan Leaf.

And although the Tesla Model S is quite prohibitive in price, the company hopes that it can produce more affordable electric vehicles that have a similar range as that of the Model S.