Tesla's first-quarter earnings report itself was a disaster, but Musk gave investors some much-needed good news on the conference call.

Tesla ( TSLA 4.71%) stock gained ground today in the lead-up to its first-quarter earnings results, which were published after the market closed. The electric vehicle (EV) leader's share price ended the day up 4.8% amid a 2.5% jump for the S&P 500 and a 2.7% gain for the Nasdaq Composite.

The electric vehicle Goliath has suffered a series of blows that have derailed its stock price, frustrated investors, and looted hundreds of billions of dollars off CEO Elon Musk's net worth. Much of the damage has arguably been self-inflicted.