Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is an American electric vehicle and renewable energy company that produces and sells electric cars, solar panels, and energy storage devices. Its headquarters are located in Palo Alto. The company was founded on July 1, 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who named the company "Tesla, Inc. Automotive" in honor of physicist Nikola Tesla. In 2004, Elon Musk joined the company and led its Series A funding round. Tesla, Inc.'s CEO Elon Musk has stated that the company strives to provide every average consumer with an affordable electric vehicle, and the vision of Tesla, Inc. is to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy."