Tesla Business Model | How Tesla Makes Money

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Do you know who is making Revolution in Automobile Industry?

Tesla Motors, who is a leading Electrical vehicle Producing Company In the World and also working on clean energy generation.

Tesla has reached the Market Capitalization of 98.63 Billion.

Tesla is Ran by Elon Musk, who is a very famous Entrepreneur, whose Net worth is $30.2 Billion. A lot of People think that Elon Musk is the Founder of Tesla But they are not.

Tesla is working on upcoming great technology and a loss-making Company who had never a single Profitable year till its Origin

So let’s read a detailed guide on the business model of Tesla & how This Company making changes in the globe. 

1. About Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors is an electric car manufacturing company based in California, America. Company is widely known by very Famous, Elon Musk who is presently chief executive of Tesla.

The company operates multiple production and assembly plants in America. Tesla has produced many famous car models which include Model Y, Roadster (2020), Model S and Model X, etc.

The company is very famous for adopting the latest technology and its innovation. Its co-founder Elon musk is very passionate about innovation and also owned SolarCity and SpaceX, both are Innovative companies.

Tesla was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard Marc Tenpennin, but in Series A funding, Elon Musk was lead investor, they are allowed to call themself as a Co-Founder of Tesla.

Tesla ranked as number plug-in passenger car seller and manufacturer with a share of 12% in total plug-in cars selling.

Tesla is not a profitable company, the company generated some profits in some quarters but never had any profit year.

The reason behind their loss is they work on latest technology who need to approve in the market, but in the long term Tesla can become a Profitable company because other cars will not sell in future due to finishing of fuel, electricity is a renewable energy that’s why in future only electrical car will be sold and Tesla earned early adopter advantage.

2. How Tesla Started 

Tesla is started by two engineers named Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning in 2003. The name of Company Tesla is inspired by Engineer Nikola Tesla.

In Series A funding of company Elon Musk joined the company, he is the lead investor in Series A Funding and allowed to call themselves as a Co-Founder of the company.

The main objective of Tesla is to produce an electric vehicle that can be better and quicker than a gasoline car. The company launched its first Product in 2008, Roadster. The company produces Model which is the world’s first premium class electrical sedan.

Elon Musk took a great role in the design of a Roadster. Elon Musk also leads investors in Series B Funding.

In the Series C Funding of the company, many great Entrepreneurs join the company which includes Sergey Brin & Larry Page (Co-Founder of Google), Jeff Skool ( Former President of eBay). In 2015, Tesla Expanded its Product range to Model X that holds a 5 Star rating in Safety.

In 2016, Tesla introduced and Model and later Semi Truck. The company is continuously working on the production of High-Quality environment-friendly Vehicles at a low cost.

3. Business Model of Tesla 

Tesla is working on electrical Vehicles. So far the Company has launched Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Semi Truck, Tesla Pickup Truck, and Tesla Roadster.

All these models of electric vehicles are available in the market for Purchase.

Company’s manufacture Electrical cars in which electric motor, battery pack and battery chargers are developed by Tesla and other materials will be imported from other Suppliers.

The company’s other Work is designing the electrical vehicle, Research and Development, Software Development and  Sales Marketing.

After Production of Cars company directly sells to customers through its distribution channel. Company’s distribution Channel includes Retail Stores, Self Service online Store, and some partner channel.

Business Model of Tesla

The target customer segment of Tesla includes the people who are tech-savvy and want to own a vehicle that contributes to keeping the environment clean and safe in the future. The reason behind is that Tesla vehicles don’t run on oil fuels.

The business model of Tesla has three aspects-

Direct Selling- Generally, you have seen all the car manufacturers selling their cars on a franchise model. But, Tesla uses a different approach. It does not have any franchised dealers. The company sells its vehicles directly to the customers.
The company has its own showrooms in many urban areas globally. It has more than 400 showrooms across the world. Customers can also place their orders online on the official website of the company.

 

Servicing- The showrooms of Tesla also include “Service Plus Centres” for the servicing of vehicles. In some locations, the company provides the facility of home services in which the technicians of the company called “Tesla Rangers” visit the customer’s home for the servicing of vehicles.

 

Charging Network- Tesla has developed its own ecosystem of charging stations for the facility of its customers where they can visit and charge their vehicles within30 minutes for free. The company is planning to develop more charging units in remote areas.

The company also sells solar systems to Commercial and Residential Consumers. So, this is the business model of tesla. 

Production of Tesla

Source Statista

4. Revenue Model of Tesla  

Tesla has an established brand in the market for is recognized for the electrical vehicle. The company’s Revenue Model includes three major components which are Sales of Electric Vehicles, Servicing and Charging of  Vehicles.

Tesla is using Direct Sell methods in which a company sells its vehicles on company-owned showroom and supply through its international distribution channel.

The company also has a self-service online store. The company also owned Service Centers in which the company provides service for Electric Vehicles.

Tesla also creates a super Network of Charger in which Drivers fully charger for 30 minutes in free.

The reason behind these Charging Networks is people can charge their vehicles while on the go and it will help them to adopt electrical vehicles.

Revenue of Tesla

Source Statista

tesla business model

6. Fun & Facts

Categories Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Electronics,
Headquarters Regions San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, West Coast
Founders Elon Musk, JB Straubel
Operating Status Active
Funding Status IPO
Number of Employees 10001+
Legal Name Tesla, Inc
IPO Status Active
Company Type For-Profit
tesla business model

Tesla Vehicles

Tesla vehicles have always been a part of gossips. the vehicles are popular for their futuristic technology and high-end security features. These are the unmatchable qualities of Tesla Cars. Few of the models of the company are-

Roadster

Acceleration 0-60 mph

1.9 sec

Acceleration 0-100 mph

4.2 sec

Acceleration 1/4 mile

8.8 sec

Top Speed

Over 250 mph

Wheel Torque

10,000 Nm

Mile Range

620 miles

Seating

4

Drive

All-Wheel Drive

Model S

          Range

          390 mi (est.)

          1/4 Mile

          9.23@155 mph trap speed

          Peak Power

          1,020 hp

          Wheels

          19″ or 21″

          Cargo

          28 cubic ft

          Weight

          4,766 lbs

          Acceleration

          1.99 s 0-60 mph*

          Top Speed

          200 mph+

          Drag Coefficient

          0.208 Cd

          Powertrain

          Tri Motor

          Supercharging Max

          250 kW

Model X

          Range

          340 mi (est.)

          1/4 Mile

          9.9 s

          Peak Power

          1,020 hp

          Wheels

          20″ or 22″

          Towing Capacity

          5,000 lbs

          Seating

          Up to 7

          Weight

          5,390 lbs

          Acceleration

          2.5 s 0-60 mph+

          Top Speed

          163 mph

          Drag Coefficient

          0.25 Cd

          Powertrain

          Tri Motor

          Supercharging Max

          250 kW

  •  

Model Y

          Battery

          Long Range

          Acceleration

          3.5s 0-60 mph

          Range

          303 miles (EPA est.)

          Drive

          Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive

          Seating

          Up to 5

          Wheels

          21″

          Weight

          4,416 lbs

          Max Cargo Volume

          68 cubic ft

          Top Speed

          155 mph

          Display

          15″ Center Touchscreen

          Supercharging Max

          250 kW max; Pay Per Use

  •  

Model 3

          Battery

          Long Range

          Acceleration

          3.1s 0-60 mph

          Range

          315 miles (EPA est.)

          Drive

          Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive

          Seating

          Up to 5

          Wheels

          21″

          Weight

          4,065 lbs

          Max Cargo Volume

          15cubic ft

          Top Speed

          155 mph

          Display

          15″ Center Touchscreen

          Supercharging Max

          250 kW max; Pay Per Use

Onboard Charger Max

11.5 kW max (48A)

  •  

Cybertruck

          Acceleration

          0-60 mph < 6.5s

          Range

          250+ miles (EPA est.)

          Drive

          Rear Wheel Drive

          Storage

          100 cubic ft

          Value Length

          6.5 ft

          Towing Capacity

           lbs

          Autopilot

          Standard

          Adaptive Air Suspension

          Standard

          Ground Clearance

          Up to 16”

          Approach Angle

          35 degree

          Departure Angle

          28 degree

Onboard Charger Max

11.5 kW max (48A)

 

7. Fund Rising 

We have already discussed the business model of Tesla. The company is working on very innovative Ideas in Automobile Industry.

The automobile business is a very high capital centric business. Thus it requires a lot of money to run this type of business. The need for finance is very big for companies like Tesla. Tesla raised 19.9 Billion dollars.

Elon Musk, who is CEO of Tesla’s funding also includes in this funding amount. In SeriesA round of funding, Elon Musk was lead Investor.

He also invested in other funding rounds of Tesla. Tesla also launched its IPO in June 2010 on the Nasdaq Exchange. The Company offers share for $17 per share and raised $226.1 Million from IPO.

On the first day of listing on the Stock Exchange, Tesla’s share is closed at $23.89. Its share currently trending for $510 per share.

Investor Name Funding Round
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Post-IPO Debt-Tesla
China Construction Bank Post IPO Debt Tesla
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Post IPO Debt Tesla
Agricultural Bank of China Post IPO Debt Tesla
China Merchants Banks Post IPO Debt Tesla
Tencent Holdings Post-IPO Secondary
Goldman Sachs Post IPO Equity Tesla
Bank of America Post IPO Equity Tesla
Deutsche Bank Post IPO Equity Tesla
Citigroup Post IPO Equity Tesla

8. Management Team  of Tesla

CEO Elon Musk
Senior Software Engineer Terence Pae
Operations Commodity Manager AJ Vandermeyden
Chief Accounting Officer Vaibhav Taneja

 

9. Acquisition 

Tesla has also acquired some organization to run its business more successfully.

Tesla has acquired 6 organizations. Their first acquisition was  Riviera Tool LLC who is the manufacturing of the stamping die system.

Tesla acquires SolarCity for $2.6 B. SolarCity is a big company who provide Solar energy services to homeowners, business and government. The following are the list of acquisitions made by Tesla.

Acquiree Name Price
Deep Scale Not Disclosed
Maxwell Technologies $218M
Perbix Not Disclosed
Grohmann  Engineering Not Disclosed
SolarCity $2.6 B
Riviera Tool LLC Not Disclosed
tesla business model
 

10. SWOT Analysis 

 

Strengths

  • Tesla has the greatest strength of adopting the latest technology for production.
  • Tesla has a very strong R&D Department which is responsible for the development of new technology. Many other famous companies use technology developed by Tesla.
  • The company has good support from the Government. The company obtained $465 Billion for Energy Management Project from the US Energy Department.
  • Tesla also has a strong Brand Recognition, Its CEO, Elon Musk is a very popular Entrepreneur in the world.

Weakness

  • Very low capacity in its manufacture unit.
  • Very low cash liquidity as compared to its competitors.
  • Making environmentally friendly products but it has very low awareness regarding It Products.
  • Very high-cost production, Thus its Prices are also very High.

Opportunity

  • Expand its sales in the untapped market.
  • Global expansion.
  • Distribution channel in Asian countries.
  • New technology adoption.

Threats

  • Face aggressive competition
  • There are a lot of fluctuations in automobiles of material.
  • Tesla is working on Self-driving which includes a lot of risks.
  • Customer Adoption is very slow in the technology in which Tesla working. In Asian countries, people are using diesel and petrol vehicles. It becomes difficult for them to adopt new technology like electrical vehicle

 

11. Future Plan of Tesla 

Tesla is expanding its business very quickly to other countries and working very large projects.

 

The plan of Tesla is following

  • The company is planning to launch Roadster 2020 which is an electrical car. Elon Musk announced that these cars will be able to go to 0 to 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds and can run on a maximum speed of 250 miles per hour.
  • Tesla is planning to launch a Semi which an electrical truck vehicle. The production of these vehicles will start in 2020. This vehicle can run 640 kilometres on a charge of 30 min. Its cost is expected at around $1,80,000
  • The company also planning to launch Model Y which is an SUV vehicle and have the capability to run 340 miles based on a full charge. It is expected to arrive in the market in March 2020. Its expected cost is $39000 to $60000

    The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk officially announced in December 2020 that Tesla Vehicles will be available for sale in India from 2021. The Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari also confirmed about this update in 2021. It means Tesla will try to capture the Indian market in the segment of electric vehicles.

    Do you think that Tesla will succeed in India and people will be purchasing its Models?

    Well, India is not ready to adapt the electric vehicles right now because our country does not have a proper facility of charging stations.

    The government is promoting the use of electric vehicles and also providing subsidy on their purchases. Also, it is planning to build the infrastructure for charging stations. Once the charging ecosystem builds properly, the electric vehicles will boom in the country.

    Tesla vehicles are bundles with top-notch security features and the company is also about to introduce fully automated self-driving cars. The company is testing its vehicles for various types of scenarios. Hence, we will see driverless cars in the upcoming years.

12. Competitor  of Tesla 

Like all other Companies, Tesla also facing great competition. Tesla is mostly competing with General Motors, Ford Credit & Hyundai Motor. Tesla’s estimated revenue is $25.1 Billion annually. General Motor is a major Competitor of   Tesla, is also an Us Based manufacturer and marketer of Vehicles. General Motors generate $144.1 Billion annually.

Ford Credit, manufacturer and distributor of car and SUV is also competing with Tesla. Ford Credit is generating more than $158 Billion per year. Hyundai Motor, a Japan-based company who is especially known for the manufacturing of automobiles and Motor Cycles is also competing with Tesla.

If we talk about self-driving cars, Tesla is not the only one in this domain. The other companies are also evolving in the race. Google’s Waymo is also working on the same project of self-driving technology.

Apple has also announced that it is planning to launch a self-driving car. The company was looking for a collaborate with a partner to develop the technology. the reports were saying that Hyundai could partner with Apple. Although it is not confirmed right now.

General Motors is also working to develop autonomous cars in the future. There are many other players like Bosch, Volkswagen, etc. to compete with Tesla or we can say, to compete with each other. All this is happening because the future of vehicles will be electric. It will control pollution and also global warming. We just hope for a clean and green future.

So this is the complete case study and business model of Tesla. 

To Watch the case Study of Tesla. You can watch on Intellectual Indies.

FAQs

What is the current valuation of Tesla?

Tesla’s current Market valuation is 185 Billion (Approx)

How much percentage of Tesla is owned by Elon Musk?

Elon Musk currently holds 19% of Tesla and is planning to increase his Stake

Which model of Tesla is most popular?

Tesla Model S is the most popular car of the Tesla

Does Tesla own Solar City?

 Yes, Tesla owns SolarCity and Elon Musk owns 22% Stake in Solar City.

Tesla Business Model?

Tesla is working on electrical Vehicles. So far the Company has launched Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, Semi Truck, Tesla Pickup Truck, and Tesla Roadster and many more.
Company’s manufacture Electrical cars in which electric motor, battery pack and battery chargers are developed by Tesla and other materials will be imported from other Suppliers.

Tesla Revenue Model?

Tesla’s Revenue Model includes three major components which are Sales of Electric Vehicles, Servicing and Charging of  Vehicles.
Tesla is using Direct Sell methods in which a company sells its vehicles on company-owned showroom and supply through its international distribution channel.

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