Tesla Makes A Surprising Amount Of Money Selling T-Shirts And Hats

Tesla announced its first ever profitable quarter Wednesday night, sending the stock up in after hours trading.

The company now expects to deliver 21,000 cars in 2013, up from a previous goal of 20,000.

On a press call after the numbers were released, CEO Elon Musk revealed another, more surprising, source of revenue: the sale of Tesla gear.

"Our apparel sales are not bad," he said. Tesla makes millions of dollars selling t-shirts, hats, water bottles, and more, "without trying hard."

Those "millions" may be insignificant compared to what Tesla makes selling cars, but they illustrate something important: popular enthusiasm for the brand.

A lot of people love Tesla. A lot of people want to own a Model S.

Now the key for continued success is keeping production up and driving costs down, so fans can become owners.