Tesla was founded in 2003 by two businessmen Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard, the aim to produce electric vehicles and power storage solutions from its California headquarters in Palo Alto and its manufacturing center in Fremont.
Tesla was the first automotive manufacturer to produce a 100% electrically powered car with its Tesla Roadster sports model. This was launched in 2007 and demand was so great that the manufacturer was unable to meet it. Capable of around 200 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion batteries, it was reported to also be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in under four seconds.
In 2008, the company announced it was to launch the S range of cars, a sedan-style electric car that was eventually launched in the US in 2012. In October 2014, the company announced the launch of the S85, a dual motor, all-wheel drive version of the car with a top speed of up to 155 mph and a range of almost 300 miles on a single charge.
