Energy
Tesla’s Master Plan turns 15 years old: What Elon Musk’s company has achieved so far
Fifteen years ago today, on August 2nd, 2006, Co-Founder and CEO of what was then called “Tesla Motors” Elon Musk put out his top-secret Master Plan. Essentially, the cleverly titled document outlined what Musk envisioned for Tesla a few years before it would ever pump an electric vehicle off its production lines. Musk, who has built Tesla from nothing to the world’s most valuable automaker, with the help of employees and other executives, of course, showed the plan that would take the company to the top. At the tail-end of the document, the general ideas of the “Master Plan” are explicitly listed, giving anyone with even a glimmer of skepticism a clear-cut plan of what was to come.
Musk’s four bullet points cleverly stated:
- Build sports car
- Use that money to build an affordable car
- Use that money to build an even more affordable car
- While doing above, also provide zero-emission electric power generation options.
1. Build a sports car
The Tesla Roadster was the automaker’s first car. Priced exclusively for those who were financially viable and well-known, the Roadster was essentially a fundraising device used by Tesla to get its name out there and generate capital for a second all-electric car. “Almost any new technology initially has high unit cost before it can be optimized, and this is no less true for electric cars,” Musk wrote in 2006. “The strategy of Tesla is to enter at the high end of the market, where customers are prepared to pay a premium, and then drive down market as fast as possible to higher unit volume and lower prices with each successive model.”
This is exactly what was accomplished. The Roadster was bought by celebrities and wealthy figures of the public who were driving an all-electric, sustainable vehicle that did not contribute to the global environmental crisis that was upon us. The Roadster was snagged up by stars like Olivia Newton-John, Leonardo DiCaprio, and others, all as a way to generate money so Tesla could dive into developing its next project: the Model S.
The Original Tesla Roadster (Credit: carforyou.ch)
2. Use that money to build an affordable car
“Without giving away too much, I can say that the second model will be a sporty four-door family car at roughly half the $89k price point of the Tesla Roadster,” Musk said when speaking of the Model S before any concrete details were known.
Since the Model S was first released in 2012, it has accumulated several significant awards, including Motortrend’s Car of the Year award on several occasions. The Model S has also held high standards for crash safety and ranks among the safest vehicles on the market. After being reimagined with the recent release of the Model S Plaid, the flagship sedan from Tesla is better than ever before and is recognized as the fastest production car on the planet.
The Tesla Model S Plaid (Credit: Tesla)
3. Use that money to build an even more affordable car
This is where Musk’s plan takes a slight detour. The Model X was actually produced before the Model 3, and it was not more affordable than the Model S. However, Musk’s recognition that Tesla customers needed a family vehicle ultimately put the Model X ahead of the Model 3. However, the plan was still going relatively well. The Roadster funneled money to the Model S program, which ultimately cultivated in the Model X. The Model 3 followed in 2017 and became Tesla’s first mass-market vehicle.
The Tesla Model X (Credit: Tesla)
It was not an easy road to this point, however. Musk commonly refers to the Model 3 ramp as “production hell,” which was likely one of the most challenging phases of his life, likely comparable to when Tesla and SpaceX were nearly bankrupt in late 2008. The Model 3 ramp was met with difficulty due to scalability, production quality, and other bottlenecks that ultimately made the process much tougher than ever imagined. Musk has said that Tesla was on the verge of bankruptcy during the early phases of Model 3 production, stating that doors were about a month away from closing. It was “extreme stress & pain for a long time.”
Much like anything difficult, the Model 3 ramp was undoubtedly worth it. The vehicle managed to make Tesla a money-maker, and directly contributed to the company’s ongoing streak of profitable quarters. The Model 3 is on par with its sibling Model Y, which has become Tesla’s most popular car. The Model 3 still contributes substantially to the automaker’s increasing delivery and production figures that rise on a quarter-over-quarter basis to this day.
The Tesla Model 3 (Credit: Tesla)
4. While doing above, also provide zero-emission electric power generation options
While Tesla is most commonly noted for its vehicles, its energy division does not receive enough credit. Tesla Energy has continued to grow every quarter, and energy deployment and generation figures increase with every quarterly update the company provides. Most recently, Tesla stated that energy storage deployments more than tripled Year-over-Year in Q2, mainly driven by Megapack projects. Powerwall, Tesla’s residential energy storage option, continues to be in high demand and nearly doubled YoY in Q2. Additionally, Tesla’s solar deployments more than tripled YoY, reaching 85 MW in Q2.
Tesla’s energy program has helped residents worldwide avoid blackouts and power outages while also accumulating significant amounts of energy directly from the sun.
(Credit: Tesla)
It is pretty safe to say that Tesla has done an outstanding job keeping up with Elon Musk’s top-secret Master Plan. But one last thing:
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
Hard to believe it’s been 15 years already.
Those goals actually precede the creation of Tesla by many years. Goes back to probably ~1992 when I was in college. However, at the time, I thought the chance of achieving those goals was very low.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 2, 2021
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
Energy
Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage.
Tesla has officially begun hiring for its new $200 million Megafactory in Brookshire, Texas, a manufacturing hub expected to employ 1,500 people by 2028. The facility, which will build Tesla’s grid-scale Megapack batteries, is part of the company’s growing energy storage footprint.
Tesla’s hiring efforts for the Texas Megafactory are hinted at by the job openings currently active on the company’s Careers website.
Tesla’s Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, similar to the Lathrop Megafactory in California. Tesla’s Careers website currently lists over 30 job openings for the site, from engineers, welders, and project managers. Each of the openings is listed for Brookshire, Texas.
The company has leased two buildings in Empire West Business Park, with over $194 million in combined property and equipment investment. Tesla’s agreement with Waller County includes a 60% property tax abatement, contingent on meeting employment benchmarks: 375 jobs by 2026, 750 by 2027, and 1,500 by 2028, as noted in a report from the Houston Business Journal. Tesla is required to employ at least 1,500 workers in the facility through the rest of the 10-year abatement period.
Tesla’s clean energy boom
City officials have stated that Tesla’s arrival marks a turning point for the Texas city, as it highlights a shift from logistics to advanced clean energy manufacturing. Ramiro Bautista from Brookshire’s economic development office, highlighted this in a comment to the Journal.
“(Tesla) has great-paying jobs. Not just that, but the advanced manufacturing (and) clean energy is coming to the area,” he said. “So it’s not just your normal logistics manufacturing. This is advanced manufacturing coming to this area, and this brings a different type of job and investment into the local economy.”
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