• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Tesla About To Spend Big On Model 3

By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Katie Fehrenbacher
Katie Fehrenbacher
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 3, 2016, 4:42 PM ET
Fortune/Katie Fehrenbacher

As it moves closer to launching its Model 3 car by the end of next year, Tesla Motors will soon start to spend heavily to make enough cars for its customers.

In its second quarter earnings on Wednesday, the company said that its operating expenses over the next two quarters would increase so that its annual operating expenses would rise around 30%.

Tesla plans to spend about $2.25 billion on capital expenditures this year to be able to get its first Model 3’s to customers late next year and to make enough of the cars to meet the large demand.

Earlier this year, Tesla opened up reservations for the planned $35,000 car, and quickly racked up close to 400,000 reservations.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Tesla has been planning on making the lower cost car since the company was founded. Tesla’s three other cars have been much higher-end luxury electric vehicles.

Tesla is building a massive battery factory outside of Reno, Nev. so that it can make batteries cheap enough to power a $35,000 car. The company says the battery factory will make enough batteries by 2018 to power 500,000 cars.

To take a look inside Tesla’s Gigafactory watch our video.

Tesla’s revenue in the second quarter rose to $1.27 billion, from $954.98 million from the same quarter a year earlier. But losses also grew to $293.19 million in the quarter, much more than the $184.23 million it lost the year before.

The loss, which equaled $2.09 a share using generally accepted accounting principals, was bigger than analysts expected. The loss excluding certain expenses was $1.06 a share. Analysts expected an adjusted loss of 59 cents a share.

The company had operating expenses of $512.82 million for the second quarter, up from $383.56 million from the second quarter in 2o15. Capital expenditures for the quarter of $294.72 million were less than they were for the same quarter the year earlier, when they were $405.17 million.

Tesla raised $1.7 billion in a public offering earlier this year to help fund the launch and production of the Model 3.

About the Author
By Katie Fehrenbacher
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

AIData centers
Microsoft is picking up a Texas data center project OpenAI didn’t want, in a telling sign of how far they’ve drifted apart
By Matt O'Brien and The Associated PressMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
InnovationDrones
The Army and Amazon are creating an online storefront to buy drones as the technology transforms the battlefield
By Jason MaMarch 27, 2026
2 hours ago
kid on laptop with parent blindfolding them
PoliticsSocial Media
Americans want kids shielded from the internet. They don’t trust websites or the government to do anything about it
By Catherina GioinoMarch 27, 2026
3 hours ago
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Kash Patel delivers remarks as U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement on his Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dinning Room of the White House on October 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
CybersecurityFBI
Pro-Iranian hackers claim they breached FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email as Trump administration offers $10 million reward
By Eric Tucker and The Associated PressMarch 27, 2026
3 hours ago
C-SuiteMark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg has cut 25,000 jobs at Meta since 2022. Here’s what that says about his leadership
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMarch 27, 2026
4 hours ago
CryptoCrypto Playbook
Crypto is entering its ‘collared-shirt’ era says Andreessen Horowitz partner Guy Wuollet
By Jeff John RobertsMarch 27, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

C-Suite
'I didn’t want anybody shooting me': Five Guys CEO gave away $1.5 million bonus to employees over botched BOGO burger birthday celebration
By Fortune EditorsMarch 25, 2026
2 days ago
AI
Exclusive: Anthropic acknowledges testing new AI model representing ‘step change’ in capabilities, after accidental data leak reveals its existence
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
18 hours ago
Environment
Vail Resorts CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
2 days ago
Success
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 24, 2026
3 days ago
Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
4 days ago
Success
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only 'a matter of time' before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Fortune EditorsMarch 26, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.