battery pack
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Last September, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill granting various tax breaks and incentives to Tesla Motors for construction of its massive battery "gigafactory" outside Reno. Now, photos taken yesterday show that work on the site--empty desert land less than a year ago--is well underway. DON'T MISS: Panasonic To Invest Hundreds Of Millions In Tesla Gigafactory To Start (Oct 2014) The photos, taken by electric-car advocate Bob Tregilus--who's also host of the Plug In America Show--were taken looking north-northwest from outside the site. It's actually made up of about 30...
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Tesla Roadster 3.0: 70-kWh Battery, Aero Kit, New Tires, For 400-Mile Range
Tesla Motors announced today that it has prototyped a "Roadster 3.0" package, which Roadster owners will be able to purchase in the future to update the battery pack, aerodynamics, and tires of their 2008-2012 Tesla Roadster electric sports cars. Taken together, the updates are expected to boost...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Roadster Battery Upgrade Details: Coming This Week, Musk Says
Say what you will about Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk, he's one of the very few global automaker CEOs who personally responds to owner questions via Twitter. And he's at it again, promising late Friday afternoon that details will be coming this week on the promised battery upgrade for the...
John Voelcker -
Lead Batteries Likely To Be With Us A Long, Long Time: European Study
Lead is terrible stuff: damaging to humans in even small quantities, and persistent if it's improperly disposed of. Nonetheless, it's a central element of technology that has enabled a century of automobiles to be started via ignition keys rather than hand cranks--which occasionally broke the arms...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery-Swap Pilot Program To Launch Next Week In California
Tesla Motors will shortly announce that it is launching a pilot program next week to test the long-promised battery-pack swapping technology for its Model S electric sedan. The swapping site will be located at a facility across the street from the Tesla Supercharger site in Harris Ranch...
John Voelcker -
Better Batteries Coming Soon, Experts Agree: A Video Panel Worth Watching
The formula is simple: Put three battery and auto-industry experts in front of a camera, ask them a few leading questions, and let them debate. That's exactly what the Autoline Network did three weeks ago; the resulting 27-minute video is a must-watch for any electric-car enthusiast. The three...
John Voelcker -
General Motors took the wraps off its second-generation Voltec electric-drive system this morning that will power its 2016 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car. Company executives declined to give specifications for power of the two electric motors, the range-extending engine, or range of the final vehicle. DON'T MISS: 2016 Chevrolet Volt To Use New 1.5-Liter Four As Range Extender Engine But they did give some percentage improvements and weight reductions for the new powertrain over that used in the current first-generation Volt. [EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been expanded from the...
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Panasonic To Invest Hundreds Of Millions In Tesla Gigafactory To Start
Panasonic will invest hundreds of millions of dollars as a first installment in its gigafactory support.
Stephen Edelstein -
Should Plug-Ins And Hybrids Offer A Range Of Battery Sizes?
You can choose from two or more engine and transmission options in most gasoline cars, so why not offer a choice of battery-pack sizes in hybrids and plug-in electric cars? That was the question posed by the launch of the Tesla Model S, which was originally offered with three different battery...
John Voelcker -
Elon Musk Tweets Tesla To Unveil 'D' On Oct 9th: Our Guesses
Do you ever get the sense that Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has fun in his job? Last night, at 6:31 pm Pacific time, he tweeted a photo with the caption, "About time to unveil the D and something else". The photo showed a roller door with the letter "D" on it, the shadowy front end of what appeared...
John Voelcker -
Sakti3 Battery Firm: Key To GM 200-Mile Electric Car, $100 Per kWh By End Of Decade?
By all indications, there will be an all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Sonic EV for which General Motors is targeting a range of 200 miles. And one of the keys to achieving such a range from a compact car will be a more energy-dense battery than those used today. DON'T MISS: GM's 200-Mile Electric Sonic...
John Voelcker -
Rapid Charging Electric-Car Batteries: Less Damaging Than We Thought?
A new study indicates fast-charging isn't as bad for batteries as originally believed.
Stephen Edelstein -
It's likely the biggest question for the future of electric cars: How low can battery cost go, and how fast? Tesla Motors is thought to have the lowest cost-per-kilowatt-hour in the electric-car business, with some estimates suggesting the company is already approaching the crucial $200/kWh level. But a new report suggests that the pace of cost reduction won't be as swift as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has suggested in interviews and comments during the company's financial-results calls. DON'T MISS: How Much And How Fast Will Electric-Car Battery Costs Fall? The report is a slide-show presentation...
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Nissan's Electric-Car Battery Future: Will It Be With LG Chem?
Nissan is set to close electric-car battery plants in England and the U.S. and turn to Korean maker LG Chem for some batteries. Or perhaps not. A startling and exclusive Reuters report yesterday said that Nissan is in the middle of reassessing its plans for electric-car production and global...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's Nevada Gigafactory: Elon Musk, Brothel Owner, State Work Toward Deal
As expected, Tesla Motors announced yesterday afternoon that it would build its first battery gigafactory outside Reno, Nevada. The electric-car maker released platitudinous statements from CEO Elon Musk, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, and state Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Much of the business...
John Voelcker -
Electric-Car Battery Use: Already Higher Than Hybrids' Total?
You see a lot in the press these days about the low sales of plug-in electric cars. While deliveries have risen every year--and have outpaced hybrid sales at the same point after launch--electric cars clearly remain only a tiny piece of the global car market today. But those low sales nonetheless...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Gigafactory Going To Nevada, Apparently (First One, Anyhow)
A press conference to be held this afternoon may answer one of the major questions for the future of electric-car maker Tesla Motors: Where will it locate its gigafactory? The answer appears to be Nevada. The office of state governor Brian Sandoval said he would make a "major economic development...
John Voelcker -
Battery Maker LG Chem: Biggest Electric-Car Winner Of All?
Let's say your company builds a crucial, high-volume component for advanced-technology vehicles. Suppose it emerged this week that you've now got contracts to supply two of the world's three biggest automakers. That would put you in a good spot, wouldn't it? First GM, now VW Group Yesterday, LG...
John Voelcker -
Sometimes mathematical logic is simply swept aside by the more primal emotions: fear, anxiety, and insecurity. Which is why so many car buyers make choices that cost them money in the long run. Some of those choices may be luxury items they want but don't need; others may be capabilities they'll rarely, if ever, use but want to have in case of unusual circumstances. DON'T MISS: GM's 200-Mile Electric Car For 2017: What We Know So Far The choice of vehicle range for a battery-electric car turns out to be one of those decisions where fear of what could happen decisively trumps what probably...
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Tesla Roadster To Get Replacement Battery, 400-Mile Range: Musk
Retrofitting new powertrains to used cars isn't something that automakers have done, historically--but electric cars may change that rule. Now, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has suggested that the Silicon Valley electric-car maker will offer a replacement battery for the 2008-2012 Tesla Roadsters that...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Gigafactory: CA Could Waive Environmental Rules To Get It: Report
California may waive environmental regulations to attract Tesla's Gigafactory.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric-Car Batteries: What Happens To Them After Coming Out Of The Car?
It's one of the recurring questions asked by electric-car skeptics: Yeah, but what about all those battery packs? Won't they just end up in landfills? We know already that the 12-Volt lead-acid car battery appears to be the most-recycled consumer good in the world--though that's largely for safety...
John Voelcker -
Tesla And Panasonic Reach Agreement On Gigafactory Project: Report
Panasonic will reportedly invest funds and provide equipment for the massive lithium-ion cell factory.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf $5,500 Battery Replacement Loses Money, Company Admits
Last month, electric-car owners finally learned the price of a replacement battery pack for the Nissan Leaf: a surprisingly low $5,500 after the old pack is traded in. Many advocates and Leaf owners promptly seized on the price to "prove" that Nissan could now build batteries for less than $250 per...
John Voelcker