Tesla in 2018 delivered more than 245,000 vehicles and a gigawatt hour of energy storage, with the latter number set to double next year. Half of all global electric-vehicle battery production, Musk said, came from Tesla factories.
Twice in 2018, Tesla turned quarterly profits. The Model 3 outsold most of its competitors in the US—the Mercedes C-Class, the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4—and generated more revenue than any car in the US, out-earning even high-volume cars like the Toyota Camry.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors”
“It won’t be long before we have a 400-mile range car.”
Tesla CTO and co-founder JB Straubel joined Musk on stage at the meeting to thank teams that built the company’s battery tech and massive US battery plant, the Gigafactory. Tesla jointly owns and operates that factory with Panasonic, its primary supplier of cellsor its vehicle batteries today.
Musk also told shareholders that they should expect an unveiling of the Tesla pickup truck towards the end of the summer of 2019, and production of its larger electric Semi truck by the end of 2020.
Outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, Tesla showed off prototypes of its forthcoming Roadster, Semi and Model Y, prompting fans and shareholders to post snapshots on social networks.
During the share hold Q&A, Musk, Being Musk said Tesla has designed a submarine car straight out of a Bond film.
He mentioned the design in response to a question about whether the company would ever make an “aquatic car.”
“It’s funny you should mention that. We do actually have a design for a submarine car, like the one from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me‘ – the Lotus turns into a sub,” Musk said, referencing the 1977 James Bond film.
Musk purchased the actual Lotus from the film at auction in 2013.
