Wall Street may be skeptical about Tesla’s upcoming quarters, but CEO Elon Musk made four surprising announcements that could be game-changers — if they prove true.

Tesla reported second-quarter results after Wednesday's closing bell, unveiling profits and sales in line with Wall Street expectations. Losses mounted for the stock, however, as the company's call with analysts sowed more doubts than offered answers about Tesla's prospects and Chief Executive Elon Musk said he could see potential for "a few rough quarters" ahead.

That’s bad no matter how you look at it, but for Tesla, it might be the best way to explain the biggest problem facing both the company and its CEO, Elon Musk. Because, while Musk is trying to sell a story of the future, things aren’t great here in the present.