Tesla's name is synonymous with electric cars and self-driving technology. Even though Tesla has gone global and its business octopus is getting wider, there are still many who don't know why they chose the name.
It turns out that the name Tesla was not CEO Elon Musk's idea. Although the two names are already very closely tied, Musk only joined Tesla's board of directors after the company was founded.
Tesla itself was founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning on July 1, 2003. Eberhard said he wanted to establish a car manufacturer that also puts forward the latest technology, including in terms of software and batteries.
His vision also inspired the choice of Tesla's name. When thinking of a potential Tesla name, Eberhard didn't want to use a name that was too reflective of something too environmentally friendly like most electric cars. Likewise with names that are too technical.
Eberhard wanted to use a name that sounded like an automaker, so as not to sound like a typical Silicon Valley startup. The company name must also be easy to remember and can change people's thinking about electric cars.
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Eberhard spent months thinking about a name for his company. He invites Carolyn, his girlfriend who is now his wife, to discuss thinking about the name of the company.
In 2003, Eberhard and Carolyn traveled to Disneyland. While sitting at the Blue Bayou restaurant, Eberhard proposed the name Tesla, which was inspired by Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor who invented the alternating current (AC) motor which was later used in Tesla cars.
"What about Tesla Motors," Eberhard asked Carolyn, as quoted by Business Insider, Thursday (28/7/2022).
"Perfect! Now let's get to work on your car," said Carolyn.
Nikola Tesla moved to the United States in 1884. Tesla initially briefly worked for Thomas Edison, where he was tasked with improving the direct current (DC) system invented by Edison.
Tesla and Edison then broke up after Edison rejected Tesla's idea of using an AC system. Tesla then joined the Westinghouse Electric Company and started a 'Current War' between the AC system he developed and the DC system that Edison developed.