Tesla is the electric car that everyone is talking about. Whether you’ve got a Tesla, you want a Tesla, or you love Elon Musk (and who doesn’t!), there are probably a few facts that will surprise you about the company.
The automotive giant dominates the electric car space, and with good reason. But why is Tesla hailed for being innovative and unique, and what are some of their secrets? Let’s find out…
1. Elon Musk Is The Face, But He Didn’t Create Tesla Motors
Shocking, but very true. Tesla was founded by engineers and investors Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk did join soon after, though, and has been through most of the company’s evolution.
2. The Name Has Meaning
The name is an homage to another designer and engineer who created the induction motor and AC – Nikola Tesla. Rumour has it that Eberhard came up with it while on a date with his wife at Disneyland!
3. Elon Musk Took Tesla To Over $1 Billion
Elon Musk may not have founded Tesla, but he’s renowned for being the second man in Silicon Valley to take three companies to over $1 billion. Tesla is, of course, one of them.
4. It’s Changing Sportscars
Sports Cars have been dominated by high-power engines and copious amounts of fuel in the past, but Tesla could change that. Their Model S can go from 0 to 60 miles in less than 2 seconds – crazy!
5. They Might Not Be As Eco Friendly As We Think
Yes, they’re probably better than petrol or diesel cars, but electric cars come with their challenges. Lithium is one of them. Materials found in batteries can pollute the environment when they’re being mined, but that’s not the bad part. If we all drove electric cars, there would be a mineral crisis due to the minerals needed to create car batteries at present.
6. Tesla Borrowed From The Government
Yes – who knew that the US government lent Tesla millions of dollars?! $465 million to be exact. The most interesting part of this fact is that Tesla paid it back within nine years – nice!
7. You Can Charge For Free
This is probably one of the most attractive parts of owning a Tesla – the fact that the cost of charging is incorporated into the price. That means you won’t have to pay for fuel costs, and now Tesla has dominated the globe over; there are thousands of superchargers all around the world.
8. They Are Very Safe Cars
In terms of safety, Tesla does well. They are constantly scoring high marks in safety rating and the Tesla S broke the record for the best safety rating ever achieved for any car – you can’t argue with that!
9. They Only Take 30 Minutes To Charge
Tesla’s can go for miles without needing to the charge-in fact, half an hour of charging at a power bank will give you 170 miles on average. Some Teslas have done double and even triple that figure, though.
10. Driverless Technology
Tesla might innovate the whole of the automotive industry and introduce driverless technology to the mainstream. They are working on it now, and while it fully works and looks great, a driverless car hasn’t graced the market yet due to safety issues.
