Enlarge / A Tesla Motor Inc. vehicle is displayed outside the company's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, US, on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. (credit: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Back in July, Tesla became the first company to sell 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. It was a major milestone for Tesla, but it was also a bittersweet one, as it meant the beginning of the end for the $7,500 tax credit that the federal government offers to buyers of plug-in electric cars.