Tesla Electric Vehicles

As the world becomes more climate-conscious, the electric vehicle movement continues to grow. This is because gas-powered vehicles release greenhouse gases and are responsible for almost one-third of global emissions.

Tesla Inc. has become a leader in the electric vehicle industry since releasing its first car in 2008. The growth and success of the brand have created more demand for electric vehicles and have motivated other car manufacturers to make a transition to electric as well.

Keep reading to learn more about Tesla's history, and how it became a premier electric vehicle brand.

What are Tesla electric vehicles?

According to Forbes, Tesla Inc.'s work includes the "design, development, manufacture, and sale of fully electric vehicles, energy generation, and storage systems."

The company can be divided into the segments of automotive, energy generation, and storage. However, Tesla Inc. is most known for its electric sedan and SUV designs, which include the Model S, Model X, Model Y, and Model 3, with a second-generation Roadster and Cybertruck in the works as of 2023.

Although many improvements have been made to the Tesla electric models since its release of the first-generation Roadster in 2008, Tesla vehicles have always been fully electric, meaning they do not use any gas and do not release any exhaust. The 2008 Roadster used an electric motor that was powered by lithium-ion cells, all of which were charged from a conventional outlet, per Britannica.

The Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y have been made with different size battery options, which can have changed the range from anywhere below 300 miles to above 400 miles, depending on the vehicle model, per Tesla.

The history of Tesla:

Tesla, Inc. became a company in 2003 and was actually called Tesla Motors, named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor known for developing a power grid system that rivaled the work of Thomas Edison, per Britannica.

Founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, the company was set on making an electric sports car. By 2008, the company had released its first model, the Roadster. In 2012, one of the largest funders of the Roadster project and chairman of the company, Elon Musk, took over as CEO.

That same year, the company released its first sedan design, the Model S, and started building Tesla charging stations, or Superchargers across the world. In 2015, Tesla released the Model X, as well as the autopilot function, all per Britannica.

In 2017, Tesla released the Model 3 car, and then in 2019 the Model Y vehicle. Elon Musk also revealed the Tesla Cybertruck in 2019; however, in a demonstration meant to show the durability of the windows, the glass broke.

In May 2023, there was proof that electric cars, specifically Tesla, were growing in popularity when data from JATO Dynamics found that the Model Y was the most sold vehicle in the first few months of 2023, per Business Insider.

How do Tesla electric vehicles compare to regular cars and other electric vehicles?

According to Optiwatt, calculations reveal charging a Tesla electric vehicle costs significantly less a month than putting gas in a regular car. Considering how often gas prices go up, the difference could continue to increase.

In comparison to other electric vehicles, Tesla was the brand that changed the game by making fast, efficient, long-range battery cars that were also available to the masses. Teslas helped put electric cars in fashion and increased the demand and production from other car brands too.

Besides being well-known and visually appealing, Tesla vehicles also are equipped with technology that allows the driver to regularly make download improvements and updates, instead of buying a whole new car or getting it serviced, per Topspeed.

Are Tesla electric vehicles better for the environment?

Although owning a Tesla will reduce your emissions made from exhaust pipes, the company's supply chain emissions are reported to be increasing. In 2022, Tesla's emissions totaled 30.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Although this is a lower number than other car brands, where Ford reported 337 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in the same year, the point is that just because Tesla makes electric vehicles doesn't mean it is entirely and purely eco-friendly, per The Verge. Just about everything has some sort of environmental impact.