6 Fun Facts about Tesla, the Company of Billionaire Elon Musk

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The company that sent one of its car models into space wants to dominate the electric vehicle market.
It is very likely that you have heard about Tesla Motors, especially after the company sent one of its car models into space in February last year.
The company, headed by South African billionaire Elon Musk, and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Operates in the automotive and energy storage business and focuses on the production of high-performance electric cars.

The "ride" of the red Tesla Roadster in Earth orbit was only possible because of 'Space X' - an aerospace systems company that took the vehicle by rocket; Elon Musk also managed this venture.

The sending of the car into space was a propaganda measure for its rocket company's high-tech and its automotive brand, together, in a single launch broadcast live to millions of Internet users.

But, although it is now increasingly difficult to dissociate the image of the Tesla Motors billionaire, it was not he who founded the company, born in 2003. Didn't you know? Check out this and other curiosities about the brand that wants to dominate the automotive market.

# 1 - NIKOLA TESLA

The company was created by friends Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning to bring to the market and an "alternative fuel source," good performance, and a beautiful look for the cars. The company was named after the Croatian inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, a noted scholar of electricity. Elon Musk only appears a year after the company's founding, when he makes an investment and gradually takes over the project.

# 2 - BEATING THE FORD

In the first half of 2017, Tesla outperformed traditional Ford and General Motors in market value on the New York Stock Exchange. The appreciation came after Musk announced the increase in sales. Both Ford and GM also produce electric cars, and are in the running for a spot in the sun with Tesla.

# 3 - SEXY CAR

Legend has it that the South African billionaire would like to form the word "Sexy" with his car models' names. "Model S", "Model E", "Model X" have already been Y." However, at the time of registering the names, Ford would have claimed its rights over the letter 'E,' which forced Elon Musk's company to change the letter to the number '3', which as modified may still look like an 'E.'

# 4 - HEAVY LOAD

Investments are not limited to small vehicles. In 2017, the American company announced its electric and semi-autonomous truck that, according to the company, will reach 100km / h in 20 seconds, even when it is loaded with more than 30 tons.

# 5 - HOW MUCH DOES ELON MUSK GET FROM TESLA?

According to what was revealed recently, nothing. The businessman would have temporarily canceled his monthly earnings until he hit a series of goals within the company. According to what has already been disclosed, US law requires companies to pay their employees at least a minimum wage, but Elon Musk says he does not enjoy the value. Forbes estimates the South African has a fortune of about $ 155.6 billion in 2020.

# 6 - ALMOST BANKRUPTCY

Although today it is gaining more and more space in the market, Tesla almost went bankrupt in 2008. When Elon Musk sold PayPal (he was one of the founders), the businessman initially invested 90 million dollars in Space X and Tesla.

With costs rising, the economic crisis of 2008 at its peak, and successive rocket launch failures, there was $ 40 million left to invest. "I could put all that amount in one company, and the other would definitely die, or I could put half in 'SpaceX' and the other in Tesla. In that case, both could die," he once said. Both ended up escaping bankruptcy and are still on the market today.