Tesla is one of the most influential brands in the world. It manufactures some of the best EVs ever made and is the brand that is single-handedly responsible for the immense growth in the EV industry. In the last few years, the Tesla Model 3 & Model Y have been the bestselling electric vehicles in the world. Here’s an in-detail look at the current bestselling EVs in the world for reference.
There’s one key figure for Tesla to have progressed as much as it did over the last two decades — Elon Musk. To the netizens of the world, he’s an eccentric personality who speaks his mind. However, in the automotive world, Elon Musk is a visionary and a personality that was necessary not just for Tesla but for the entire EV industry to achieve quick and unprecedented growth.
In this Personality of the Month article, we tell you all you need to know about Elon Musk.
Strong Beginnings
Elon Musk isn’t really a rags-to-riches story. Elon Reeve Musk was born in 1971, in South Africa to a wealthy family. His father Errol Musk is an electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, property developer, and emerald mine co-owner. At a young age, Elon Musk showed particular interest in computers and gaming. He taught himself programming and developed his own game, which he then sold for $500, all while he was 12 years old.
Musk would go on to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics and Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. He was even accepted into a Materials Science PhD program at Stanford University. However, Musk dropped out of the same just a couple of days later to pursue a career with the internet boom beginning at the time.
Career Before Tesla
In 1995, Elon Musk co-founded Zip2, which is a company that developed city guide maps, directions, and yellow pages. Musk worked on the coding of the website. In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services company that would then merge with Confinity, an online bank. Confinity called its money transfer service PayPal. This would eventually lead to Musk being the CEO of PayPal.
Elon Musk also founded SpaceX in 2002. It is one of the most technologically advanced space travel and transportation companies today with several government contracts. With SpaceX, Elon Musk aims at reducing the costs of space travel and exploration. His real growth and expansion would start only after this.
The Initial Investment In Tesla & Takeover Of The Brand
Elon Musk & Tesla are two names that seem fused together. Tesla and Elon Musk have almost become synonymous with each other. However, the fact is that Elon Musk wasn’t one of the original founders of Tesla.
Tesla was established in 2003 by Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning. In 2004, Elon Musk invested $6.5 million (AED 23.87 million), became the majority shareholder, and became the chairman of the board of directors. He oversaw the design and launch of the Tesla Roadster which was the first Tesla EV.
In 2008, Musk assumed the role of a CEO & Product Architect at Tesla. It was in the same year that the Tesla Roadster was launched. Only 2,5000 units were sold. However, it became the most modern electric vehicle at the time. It was also the first serial production EV to use lithium-ion batteries, a technology in which Musk has an unbreakable belief.
From then on, Elon Musk has overseen the development of all Tesla products. The Tesla Model S was launched in 2012, the Model X came out in 2015, the Model 3 was up next in 2017 and the most recent Tesla product launch was the Model Y in 2020. With these cars, Elon Musk was able to complete his little car naming game — the Tesla Model ‘SX3Y’, which when rearranged, closely resembles the word ‘SEXY’.
This is just one of the examples that shows just how eccentric and fun-loving Elon Musk really is. Elon Musk is also the one who promised to make premium EVs more affordable and delivered on that promise.
The Tesla Roadster, Model S & Model X were all very expensive, and mainstream car buyers were unable to afford them. In 2013, Elon Musk promised a more affordable Tesla and delivered on it in 2016 with the launch of the Model 3. The Model 3 would go on to become the best-selling EV in the world. It also became the first EV ever to reach a sales milestone of 1 million units. Here’s all you need to know about the Tesla Model 3, its history, variants & models.
Elon Musk continues to be his eccentric self even today and sets even higher goals for himself and Tesla. In 2021, he changed his official title at Tesla. He is now, ‘Technoking & CEO’ of Tesla! This is a title that he openly admits was created by himself to have some fun. Elon Musk’s eccentricity also led him to have the bright idea of sending a car into space. In 2018, Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster was shot into space! It is still up there in outer space.
After Tesla
Alongside developing the best EVs in the world, Elon Musk has also taken on several other roles. Elon Musk is involved with UK-based renewable power company SolarCity. Elon Musk provided the initial concept and the financial capital for the brand, and his cousins Lyndon & Peter Rive run the company.
In 2016, Elon Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup company. In 2017, he founded The Boring Company to construct tunnels underground for transportation. In 2022, he invested in Twitter and slowly gained ownership of the brand.
What’s Next For Elon Musk & Tesla?
There are a slew of upcoming products from Tesla and there are massive expansion plans. The Tesla Cybertruck is expected to be launched later this year. Tesla is also working on a brand new Roadster that promises neck-breaking acceleration and 0-100k/h times of under 2 seconds. Musk & Tesla are also currently focusing on ramping up production of the Tesla Semi truck.
If you’re looking for an EV, here are used Tesla EVs for sale in the UAE and new Tesla EVs for sale in the UAE.
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