Tesla Model S Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Palo Alto, Calif., USA

Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers in Silicon Valley who wanted to prove that electric cars could be better than gasoline-powered cars.
With instant torque, incredible power, and zero emissions, Tesla’s products would be cars without compromise.

Tesla Model S Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Each new generation would be increasingly affordable, helping the company work towards its mission: to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport.

Tesla Model S – interior. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla’s engineers first designed a powertrain for a sports car built around an AC induction motor, patented in 1888 by Nikola Tesla, the inventor who inspired the company’s name.

Tesla Model Roadster Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

The resulting Tesla Roadster was launched in 2008.
Accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and achieving a range of 245 miles per charge of its lithium ion battery, the Roadster set a new standard for electric mobility.

Tesla Model Roadster Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla would sell more than 2,400 Roadsters, now on the road in more than 30 countries.

In 2012, Tesla launched Model S, the world’s first premium electric sedan.
Built from the ground up to be 100 percent electric, Model S has redefined the very concept of a four-door car.

Tesla Model Roadster – interior. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

With room for seven passengers and more than 64 cubic feet of storage, Model S provides the comfort and utility of a family sedan while achieving the acceleration of a sports car: 0 to 60 mph in about five seconds.

Tesla Model X Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Its flat battery pack is integrated into the chassis and sits below the occupant cabin, lending the car a low center of gravity that enables outstanding road holding and handling while driving 265 miles per charge.

Tesla Model X Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Model S was named Motor Trend’s 2013 Car of the Year and achieved a 5-star safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Tesla Superchargers Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

In late 2014, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled two dual motor all-wheel drive configurations of Model S that further improve the vehicle’s handling and performance.

Tesla Superchargers Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

The 85D features a high efficiency motor at the front and rear, giving the car unparalleled control of traction in all conditions.

The P85D pairs a high efficiency front motor with a performance rear motor for supercar acceleration, achieving a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.2 seconds – the fastest four-door production car ever made.

Tesla Superchargers Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Now with more than 50,000 vehicles on the road worldwide, Tesla is preparing to launch Model X, a crossover vehicle that enters volume production in 2015.

Tesla Store and Service Center Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Featuring exhilarating acceleration, falcon wing doors, and room for three rows of seating, Model X defies categorization.

Tesla owners enjoy the benefit of charging at home so they never have to visit a gas station or spend a cent on gasoline.

Tesla Store and Service Center Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

For long distance journeys, Tesla’s Supercharger network provides convenient and free access to high speed charging, replenishing half a charge in as little as 20 minutes.

Tesla Store and Service Center in Palo Alto. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Superchargers now connect popular routes in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Tesla’s vehicles are produced at its factory in Fremont, California, previously home to New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors.

Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

The Tesla Factory has returned thousands of jobs to the area and is capable of producing 1,000 cars a week.

The company is expanding its manufacturing footprint into other areas, including in Tilburg, the Netherlands, where it has an assembly facility, and Lathrop, California, where it has a specialized production plant.

Tesla Factory in Fremont, California – Interior, robots. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

To reduce the costs of lithium ion battery packs, Tesla and key strategic partners including Panasonic have begun construction of a gigafactory in Nevada that will facilitate the production of a mass-market affordable vehicle, Model 3.

Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

By 2020, the gigafactory will produce more lithium ion cells than all of the world’s combined output in 2013.

The gigafactory will also produce battery packs intended for use in stationary storage, helping to improve robustness of the electrical grid, reduce energy costs for businesses and residences, and provide a backup supply of power.

Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada - project. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Tesla is not just an automaker, but also a technology and design company with a focus on energy innovation.


Elon Musk

Co-Founder, CEO, and Product Architect

Elon Musk is the CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and the CEO and Chief Designer of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX).

At Tesla, Elon has overseen product development and design from the beginning, including the all-electric Tesla Roadster, Model S and Model X.
Transitioning to a sustainable energy economy, in which electric vehicles play a pivotal role, has been one of his central interests for almost two decades, stemming from his time as a physics student working on ultracapacitors in Silicon Valley.

At SpaceX, Elon is the chief designer, overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft for missions to Earth orbit and ultimately to other planets.
In 2008, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft won the NASA contract to provide a commercial replacement for the cargo transport function of the Space Shuttle, which retired in 2011.

The SpaceX Falcon 1 was the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to reach orbit. In 2010, SpaceX became the first commercial company to successfully recover a spacecraft from Earth orbit with its Dragon spacecraft.
In 2012, SpaceX became the first commercial company to dock with the International Space Station and return cargo to Earth with the Dragon.

In addition, Elon is the non-executive chairman and principal shareholder of SolarCity, which he helped create.
SolarCity is now the leading provider of solar power systems in the United States.

Prior to SpaceX, Elon co-founded PayPal, the world's leading Internet payment system, and served as the company's Chairman and CEO.

Before PayPal, Mr. Musk co-founded Zip2, a provider of Internet software to the media industry.

He has a physics degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a business degree from Wharton.


JB Straubel

Co-Founder & CTO

The story of JB's career started at a junkyard in Wisconsin, where, at the age of 14, he discovered a discarded electric golf cart and decided to rebuild it.
Thus began a lifelong fascination with energy work and electric vehicles.

As a co-founder of Tesla, JB has overseen the technical and engineering design of the vehicles, focusing on the battery, motor, power electronics, and high-level software sub-systems.
Additionally, he evaluates new technology, manages vehicle systems testing, and handles technical interface with key vendors.

Prior to Tesla, JB was the CTO and co-founder of the aerospace firm, Volacom, which designed a specialized high-altitude electric aircraft platform using a novel power plant.
At Volacom, JB invented and patented a new long-endurance hybrid electric propulsion concept that was later licensed to Boeing.

Before Volacom, JB worked at Rosen Motors as a propulsion engineer developing a new hybrid electric vehicle drivetrain based on a micro turbine and a high-speed flywheel.

JB was also part of the early team at Pentadyne, where he designed and built a first-generation 150kW power inverter, motor-generator controls, and magnetic bearing systems.

Armed with a bachelor's in energy systems engineering and a master's in energy engineering from Stanford University, JB left the cold winters of Wisconsin for good.

He now lives in Menlo Park, Calif., where he continues to indulge his passion for electric transportation: he built an electric Porsche 944 that held a world EV racing record, a custom electric bicycle, and a pioneering hybrid trailer system.

JB is also an accomplished pilot.


Franz Von Holzhausen

Chief Designer

As the Chief Designer at Tesla, Franz is responsible for the design of Model S and Model X, charged with driving the overall design direction of Tesla and establishing a world class design competency for all future Tesla products.

Prior to joining Tesla, Franz was Director of Design at the Mazda North American Design Center, where he pioneered the Nagare surface language design philosophy and was responsible for the design of all Mazda product in North America.

Before spearheading design at Mazda, Franz was Design Director at General Motors where he penned the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and various other concepts.

He began his career as Assistant Chief Designer at Volkswagen involved in the New Beetle and Audi TT design development.


Press

North America
Press@teslamotors.com  

Europe
EUPress@teslamotors.com  

Australia and Asia
China-Press@teslamotors.com  


Sources: Tesla Motors

http://www.teslamotors.com/about  

http://www.teslamotors.com/blog  

http://www.teslamotors.com/gigafactory  



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