Tesla has faced several highs and lows in its nearly 20-year history, and today the automaker hardly resembles the pre-IPO startup it once was. In a recent report, Forbes shared a long timeline of Tesla’s major innovations and accomplishments, alongside the company’s biggest headaches and the movement of its stock price to where it is now.
Below is an abridged timeline of some of Tesla’s most important innovations, achievements and challenges, as well as its evolving stock price once becoming publicly traded.
(Note: Forbes has adjusted historical prices to account for stock splits.)
2003: Tesla Founded
July 1: Tesla founded by Martin Eberhard; before Elon Musk and IPO stock price
2004: Elon Musk Invests In Tesla
February: Elon Musk invests $6.5 million into Tesla
2006: Tesla Secures $105 Million In Funding, Stock Price Pre-IPO
July 19: Tesla unveils Roadster
Tesla Roadster David Havasi” data-medium-file=”https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi-270×205.jpg” data-large-file=”https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi-570×432.jpg” loading=”lazy” class=”wp-image-227167 size-full” src=”https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi.jpg” alt=”” width=”1080″ height=”818″ srcset=”https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi.jpg 1080w, https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi-270×205.jpg 270w, https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi-570×432.jpg 570w, https://cleantechnica.com/files/2020/12/Tesla-Roadster-David-Havasi-768×582.jpg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px”/>
Tesla Roadster. Image courtesy of David Havasi, CleanTechnica
August 2: Tesla and Musk reveal “Master Plan” to move from coal to solar and to produce affordable EVs
2007: Eberhard Steps Down As CEO, Tesla Cuts Staff To Lower Burn Rate
August: Co-founder Eberhard resigns, moves to the role of President of Tech; Michael Marks becomes CEO
November: Ze’ev Drori takes over for Marks
2008: Eberhard Officially Leaves, Tesla Narrowly Avoids Bankruptcy
January: Eberhard officially leaves the company
February 1: First Roadster rolls off the production line
October: Musk takes over while Tesla is on the brink of financial collapse
November: Tesla narrowly avoids bankruptcy
2009: Eberhard Sues Tesla, Model S Announced
March 26: Tesla announces the Model S
June: Martin Eberhard files libel, slander lawsuit against Tesla claiming he was forced out of the company. Tesla gains $465 million U.S. DOE loan that would later be repaid in May 2013 with $12 million in interest.
August: Tesla’s first time achieving corporate profitability. Eberhard drops lawsuit against Musk.
September: Tesla gets $82.5 million in funding
2010: Tesla Goes Public, Partners With Major Automakers
January 29: Tesla files S-1 Form with SEC to initiate IPO
April 20: Daimler gains 10-percent stake in Tesla for around $50 million
May 21: Toyota gains Tesla stake through $50 million stock purchase
June 29: Tesla debuts IPO stock price at $17 per share (actual stock price after stock splits: $1.59).
2011: Model S Introduced
October: Tesla introduces Model S prototype with 320-mile rangeStock price: $1.58
2012: Tesla Ends Roadster, Launches Superchargers
January: Tesla ceases production of the RoadsterStock price: $1.52
February 16: Tesla unveils Model X SUVStock price: $2.28
June 22: Tesla delivers first Model SStock price: $2.25
September: Tesla launches Supercharger stations in CaliforniaStock price: $1.93
2013: Tesla Turns First Quarterly Profit
May 8: Tesla turns its first quarterly profitStock price: $3.72
2014: Tesla Launches Giga Nevada, Autopilot
February: Tesla opens “Gigafactory” NevadaStock price: $13.22
September: Tesla builds first cars capable of including Autopilot softwareStock price: $18.61
2015: Tesla Reveals Energy Products, First Model X Delivered, Autopilot Rolls Out To Customers
April 30: Tesla reveals Powerwall and PowerpackStock price: $13.99
September 29: Tesla delivers first Model XStock price: $16.44
October 14: Tesla launches Autopilot to customersStock price: $15.99
2016: Tesla Announces Model 3, SolarCity Deal Initiated
March 31: Tesla unveils mass-market Model 3Stock price: $15.32
May 4: Musk targets half a million vehicles yearly in 2018, a million in 2020Stock price: $14.84
June 21: Tesla initiates SolarCity dealStock price: $14.64
July 20: Musk reveals Master Plan, Part Deux with rooftop solar, market expansion, Autopilot advancements, and future carsharing platform (that still hasn’t been debuted)Stock price: $15.22
August: Tesla debuts Autopilot 8.0 softwareStock price: $15.33
October: “Full Self Driving” hardware included in new buildsStock price: $14.25
November: Tesla closes SolarCity deal sparking lawsuit; acquires Grohmann EngineeringStock price: $12.72
2017: Tesla Changes Name, Launches Model 3
February: Tesla drops “Motors” from nameStock price: $16.62
July 28: Tesla launches Model 3Stock price: $22.34
November 16: Tesla announces new Roadster and SemiStock price: $16.62
2018: Tesla Reports Losses, Twitter & SEC Go Crazy Over Elon Musk Tweet
January 3: Tesla delays Model 3 production targets a second timeStock price: $21.37
February 6: SpaceX sends Musk’s Tesla Roadster to Mars as test payloadStock price: $22.26
April 3: Musk announces Tesla doesn’t require any more capitalStock price: $17.84
May 3: Tesla shares hit a slumpStock price: $18.96
July 1: Tesla meets goal of over 5,000 Model 3 units per weekStock price: $22.34
August 1: Tesla reports biggest loss yetStock price: $20.06
August 7: Musk tweets that Tesla has “funding secured” to take Tesla privateStock price: $25.30
September: SEC fines Tesla and Musk $20 million each, requires Musk to step down from Tesla boardStock price: $19.26
2019: Tesla Unveils Cybertruck, Model Y, Giga Shanghai Starts Production
February 25: SEC files for contempt against Elon MuskStock price: $19.92
March 3: Tesla unveils Model YStock price: $19.02
October 23: Tesla begins production at Giga ShanghaiStock price: $16.98
November 21: Tesla unveils CybertruckStock price: $23.66
2020: Tesla Breaks Valuation Records, Delivers First Model Y Units
January 10: Tesla breaks U.S. automaker valuation record at $86 billionStock price: $31.88
March: Tesla delivers the first Model Y unitsStock price: $49.57
June 10: Tesla’s market valuation grows to $180 billionStock price: $68.34
June 15: Tesla unveils first 400+ mile range vehicle with Model S Long Range PlusStock price: $66.06
July: Tesla turns a full year’s worth of profitsStock price: $106.16
August 31: Tesla 5-for-1 stock split goes into effectStock price: $166.11
October: Tesla begins FSD beta testingStock price: $149.39
December 21: Tesla lands S&P 500 spotStock price: $235.22
2021: Tesla Delivers First Model S Plaid, Surpasses A Trillion-Dollar Valuation
January: Tesla announces it will accept cryptocurrencyStock price: $243.26
June: First Model S Plaid deliveredStock price: $207.97
August 19: Tesla hosts first AI DayStock price: $224.49
October 25: Tesla surpasses $1 trillion valuationStock price: $341.62
December 1: Tesla moves headquarters to TexasStock price: $365.00
2022: New Lawsuits And Gigafactories
February 11: Tesla faces racial discrimination lawsuitStock price: $286.67
March 22: Tesla opens Gigafactory BerlinStock price: $331.33
April 7: Tesla opens Gigafactory TexasStock price: $352.42
June: Tesla cuts 10 percent of salaried staffStock price: $246.79
August: California accuses Tesla of misrepresenting Autopilot and FSDStock price: $297.28
August 25: Tesla 3-for-1 stock split goes into effectStock price: $296.07
September: Tesla hosts second AI DayStock price: $287.81
Onlookers may be able to garner many valuable lessons from Tesla’s history, but suffice it to say that it has been a long and winding road, full of both failures and successes. With a new Gigafactory location set to be announced this year and continued expansion of the company’s innovations across worldwide markets, the next decade is likely to be a Tesla-dominated one — even more so than the last decade.
Originally published by EVANNEX. By Peter McGuthrie
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