From what I understand their inception is 2001, which means they've lost about $30mil/year. That doesn't sound excessive to me at all. Software startups normally count $15k/employee/month as a reasonable expense (including hardware, rent, benefits, etc.) Given how massive the equipment and production expenses for an auto company can be, I wouldn't be surprised if their number is three times as high. At only 500 employees (again, a very small estimate for an auto company) that would put their expenses at 45k/month * 12 * 500 = $270mil/year. Considering that they've lost only $240 mil in <i>eight</i> years, they're doing <i>extremely</i> well.<p>I can't even imagine the amount of effort and capital required to pull something like this off. If anything, I'm surprised how well they're actually doing so far.