Tesla announced that it had created its 5 millionth electric vehicle (EV) on September 17, 2023, via its X (previously Twitter) page. This achievement comes roughly 20 years after the company was founded in 2003, despite the fact that the EV maker only began producing and selling its first car, the Roadster, in 2008.
In March 2020, roughly 12 years after it first started production, Tesla’s one-millionth vehicle rolled off the assembly line. The second million cars were built in 18 months, and the third million were built in just 11 months. Meanwhile, the fourth million milestone took just 7 months to complete, with the company announcing it in March 2023.
As a result, the company reached the 5-million-unit milestone this month after adding another million to its cumulative total in just 6 months. Based solely on electric vehicles, no other automaker comes close to Tesla’s numbers. The five millionth Tesla is a Pearl White Model 3 Highland produced at the Shanghai plant in China.
Related: Tesla’s 20th Anniversary and How Toyota Missed the EV Opportunity
Tesla currently has four vehicle production facilities worldwide, two of which are in the United States: Fremont, California (opened in 2010) and Austin, Texas (opened in 2022). Outside of the United States, it has Gigafactories in Shanghai, China, and Berlin, Germany.
This month is also significant for Tesla because it installed its 50,000th Supercharger just two days before announcing its production milestone. The unit is in Roseville, California, and is painted a shade of red rather than the more common two-tone white and red. It also has a plaque identifying it as the milestone unit. It took Tesla approximately 11 years to reach the 50,000-unit global milestone after launching its Supercharger network with just six units in September 2012.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
