Tesla just celebrated its 12th year as a public company. Here are the most important moments in its history.

Musk in 2006.Joanne Ho-Young Lee/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images

Musk led the company's Series A funding round in 2004, contributing $6.5 million and joining Tesla's board as chairman.

August 2006: Musk reveals Tesla's Master Plan.

Musk.Thomson Reuters

In 2006, Musk published a blog post entitled "The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)" in which he laid out Tesla's long-term mission: to help transition the world away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy.

"Some readers may not be aware of the fact that our long term plan is to build a wide range of models, including affordably priced family cars. This is because the overarching purpose of Tesla Motors (and the reason I am funding the company) is to help expedite the move from a mine-and-burn hydrocarbon economy towards a solar electric economy, which I believe to be the primary, but not exclusive, sustainable solution."

November 2007: Ze'ev Drori named CEO.

Ze'ev Drori.Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Tesla announced Drori would take the helm at Tesla at the end of November. An Israeli engineer and tech veteran, Drori was tasked with bringing Tesla's first car, the Roadster, to market by the first quarter of 2008.

February 2008: Tesla's first Roadster is delivered.

The Tesla Roadster.Tesla

Drori managed to bring the Roadster into production on time and the first vehicle was delivered to Musk, who was serving as the company's chairman at the time.

To celebrate the occasion, Musk jumped in the Roadster and led four other prototype Roadsters packed with engineers down Highway 101 and University Avenue in Palo Alto, California.

March 2008: The company begins regular production of the Roadster.

Tesla RoadsterScott Olson/Getty Images

By mid-March, the company had met its goal of getting regular production of the Roadster up and running.

At the time, Drori referred to the event as a "milestone for the company and a watershed for the new era of electric vehicles."

March 2008: The company begins regular production of the Roadster.

Tesla RoadsterScott Olson/Getty Images

By mid-March, the company had met its goal of getting regular production of the Roadster up and running.

At the time, Drori referred to the event as a "milestone for the company and a watershed for the new era of electric vehicles."

Tesla produced the Roadster, which priced at $109,000, until January 2012 and in total sold 2,450 of them.

October 2008: Musk assumes title of CEO.

REUTERS/Noah Berger

By October, Tesla was feeling pressure created by the financial crisis.