Tesla Model S News

  • Used 2015 Tesla Model S P85D on day of purchase  [photo: Jay Lucas]

    As a nation, the U.S. takes lots of road trips, because most of the country has no viable mass transit between city pairs. If electric cars are ever to enter the mass market in North America, they have to be usable on those road trips. Last year, our reader Jay Lucas of Alexandria, Virginia, wrote an account of his road trip in a new 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. Now he's followed up with an explanation of why he now drives a used Tesla Model S. What follows are his words, lightly edited by Green Car Reports for clarity and style. DON'T MISS: Electric-car road trip: lessons learned in...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S Signature
    Tesla recalls 123,000 Model S electric cars over steering-bolt corrosion

    Tesla will recall roughly 123,000 of the Model S electric cars it built from 2012 through April 2016 to replace bolts in the power-steering units of the electric cars. The company said the bolts could corrode in cars used on roads where calcium or magnesium salts are used to melt ice. The Model S...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S 100D on cross-country trip from New York to California  [photo: David Noland]
    Life with Tesla Model S: coast to coast in a new 100D (and how it differed from my old 85)

    One of the reasons I traded in my 2013 Tesla Model S 85 last summer for a new Model S 100D was to get extra range. The newer car’s 100-kilowatt-hour battery gives it an EPA-rated range of 335 miles—70 miles more than the old car’s rating of 265 miles. Over four-plus years and...

  • Tesla Model S P100D Electric Production Car Series race car
    Tesla Model S racing is now a real thing, approved by FIA sanctioning body

    It's formally called the Electric Production Car Series, but for the moment it may come to be known as "the Tesla Model S series" by electric-car fans and racing followers alike. After being unveiled almost two years ago, it's now officially a legitimate racing series: On Wednesday that the FIA...

  • Tesla Autopilot
    NHTSA to investigate Tesla Model S on Autopilot that hit parked fire truck on freeway

    Investigators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are scheduled to examine the crash of a Tesla Model S that hit a fire truck parked on a California freeway. The driver claimed the Model S was operating with Tesla's AutoPilot functionality turned on, according to a tweet sent by...

  • Zev Gitalis takes his 97-year-old grandfather for a ride in his Tesla Model S electric car [YouTube]
    One Tesla Model S plus one 97-year-old grandfather: video magic

    "I hear you got an electric car," says a 97-year-old man, looking every bit like a 97-year-old man, suspenders and all. "Is it outside?" The man behind the camera is Zev Gitalis, and the man in front of the camera is his grandfather. DON'T MISS: South's good ol' boy drag racers whupped by Tesla...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S

    Tesla now offers roughly the same percentage of its model lineup with standard all-wheel-drive configuration as famed AWD proponent Subaru. The Silicon Valley electric-car maker has completely ditched rear-wheel drive in its Model S hatchback sedans and Model X crossover utility vehicles. Only its Model 3 smaller sedan remains available (at some point in the future) with rear-wheel drive in the base model. DON'T MISS: Why Tesla Model 3 should use standard model-year changes: opinion Unlike traditional all-wheel-drive systems that sap efficiency due to additional weight and driveline drag...

  • Tesla Model 3 found on Craigslist
    Electric car buyers' struggle: practicality vs luxury, Chevy vs Tesla

    Competition for the title of most popular electric car has sparked a long and highly charged race between Tesla and Chevrolet. Though these brands offer vastly different versions of electric vehicles, they seem to be the two dominating electric vehicle sales in 2017. Reports show that top monthly...

  • Dutch "Hesla," a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Tesla Model S
    A Tesla Model S that runs on hydrogen fuel cells? Dutch firm claims it built one

    Tesla has never built anything but battery-electric cars. Now a Dutch gasoline company believes it's improved upon the Silicon Valley automaker's design with a hydrogen fuel cell—so much so that it wants to sell its solution to the general public. The Holthausen Group, a Dutch gasoline...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    Don't be fooled: only some electric cars are sold nationwide, even now

    Almost seven years after modern electric cars entered the mass market, there are now more than two dozen battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models on sale in the U.S. But that impressive number shouldn't disguise a fundamental truth about those vehicles: only about half of them are widely...

  • 2016 Tesla Model S   [photo by owner Shiva]
    How Tesla Model S alters car ownership: a buyer's one-year notes

    In late July, we published an article describing one electric-car driver's experience in adding solar panels to his home to help with charging his family's five electric cars. That reader, who'd like to be known just as Shiva, has now owned a 2016 Tesla Model S for a year. He recently outlined for...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    RWD Tesla Model S 75 gone after September 24, as electric-car range continues to change

    This year has seen a dizzying profusion of changes to the features, options, and available versions of the Tesla Model S luxury electric car, now in its sixth model year. Anyone who wants to buy a new Model S with rear-wheel drive, however, must act fast. The 2017 Tesla Model S 75, the sole variant...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017

    OK, now the 2018 Nissan Leaf has made its debut, and we know the prices, specifications, and standard and optional features of the updated electric car with a projected 150 miles of range. Deliveries of the 2018 Leaf will start early next year, but meanwhile the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV has been on sale throughout the U.S. since the end of July and its monthly sales figures are climbing. Then there's the Tesla Model 3, which began deliveries in low volumes in July. DON'T MISS: 2018 Nissan Leaf review Production of Tesla's least-expensive electric car is expected to ramp up continuously in the...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S 100D   [photo: David Noland, owner]
    Life with Tesla Model S: assessing my new 100D vs old 2013 electric car

    About two years ago, under the influence of an eager Tesla representative, I briefly considered trading in my trusty 2013 Tesla Model S 85 for a new Model S 90D. But after a 24-hour test drive, the advantages of the 90D—40 miles more range, all-wheel drive, and Autopilot...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S durability: cars with 250K and 300K miles still humming along happily

    The latest reports on Tesla Model S durability and reliability should likely be considered a win for the Silicon Valley automaker. High-mileage cars aren't unusual, but we're only now starting to see the first truly high-mileage examples of electric cars. With less maintenance required compared to...

  • Tesla Model X P100D races Lamborghini Aventador SV
    Tesla Model S beats Lamborghini Aventador in 1/4-mile drag race; so does Model X SUV

    Tesla has not only put some of the world's longest-range electric cars into production, but its cars also happen to house some serious performance specifications. Everyone knows the P100D versions of the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X SUV are capable of accelerating at lightning speed, thanks to...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Chevy Bolt EV vs Tesla's Model 3, Model S: CNET, Consumer Reports compare electric cars

    Five years ago, the only true battery-electric cars on the market were the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf, while the Chevrolet Volt offered a plug-in hybrid solution. A lot has changed since then, and choices for those interested in an electric car have become more abundant. Specifically, the...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]
    Life with Tesla Model S: beware Extended Service Agreement fine print

    A couple of years ago, as my 2013 Tesla Model S approached the end of its 50,000-mile warranty, I debated long and hard whether to opt for Tesla’s extended warranty, which they call an Extended Service Agreement (ESA). At $4,000, it wasn’t cheap. It provided four years and an additional...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S

    Before the Tesla Model 3 officially entered production, the electric-car maker shuffled features on its Model S to provide a clear distinction between the two sedans. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has often said those looking for luxury will be happiest in a Model S, while the Model 3 remains a much more straightforward piece of transportation. The updates to the Model S, many of which come to the Tesla Model X as well, underscore the separation Musk has alluded to in the past. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3 net reservations clarified after 16 months: 455,000 The least expensive Tesla Model S now tallies in...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S climbs back to top of Consumer Reports safety ratings

    The Tesla Model S has retaken its spot as the luxury sedan that gets the highest ratings from Consumer Reports after the electric car gained back automatic emergency braking that works at all legal road speeds. Some may remember Tesla restored the automatic braking during an update to vehicles...

  • Tesla Model 3 teaser image with Model S and Model X, March 2016
    Update: Have Tesla Model S, Model X electric-car sales plateaued?

    Often there seems to be no middle ground in discussing electric-car maker Tesla Motors. The challenge of reading large volumes of Tesla coverage is that it tends to be either sharply negative or rabidly positive. And the California company's stock is so obsessively analyzed both by supporters and...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]
    Life with Tesla Model S: the challenges of selling her at last

    It was time to let her go. She is my 2013 Tesla Model S, serial number 003662, in dark green, now with 76,000 memorable miles. The best car I’ve ever owned, by far. She had taken me to 33 states and roughly 100 Superchargers, through deserts, mountains, and tropics, with total reliability...

  • Tesla Model S after IIHS small-overlap frontal crash test, late 2016   [frame from IIHS video]
    Tesla slams IIHS after 'Acceptable' Model S test, older NHTSA ratings cited in response

    Tesla slams IIHS after 'Acceptable' Model S test, cites older NHTSA ratings in response

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car at EVgo fast-charging station, Newport Centre, Jersey City, NJ
    Bizarre Swedish study claims electric cars are worse for the environment

    Electric vehicles shouldn't be considered all-out carbon footprint saviors, but they can legitimately be viewed as the great minimizers. The benefits of electric vehicles over those with internal-combustion engines are vast, but a strange new study is making rounds that claims electric cars are...

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