Elon Musk
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In three tweets late Thursday, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said he’s on the lookout for “hardcore software engineers” to “achieve generalized full autonomy” for his line of electric cars. The latest addition to that lineup was the Model X unveiled at the end of September — around the same time that Musk told one publication, “If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple.” Musk has made clear for a while that there will be a software switch he magically turns on that will release an update to existing vehicles, endowing them with...
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Expect A 500-Mile Electric Car By 2025, Says Tesla's Elon Musk
It was a relatively brief projection of the future from a man who's juggling a lot of balls in the present, but even Elon Musk's quick hits can be newsworthy. The CEO of electric-car maker Tesla Motors told attendees at the Barron's Investment Conference that he expects 500-mile electric cars to be...
John Voelcker -
Life With Tesla Model S: Service Centers Get Crowded, Cost More
One of the coolest things about owning a Tesla Model S for almost three years now has been the service. When first revealed back in the spring of 2013—a few months after I had taken delivery of my car—the Tesla service model sounded almost too good to be true. If a problem occurred, CEO...
David Noland -
A Polite Note About Tesla To Media Colleagues (Especially In Detroit)
Automotive journalists talk among ourselves, just as most people in most professions do. And because this site consistently covers Tesla Motors and its electric cars, we've had a number of colleagues at other outlets reach out to us with questions about the Silicon Valley carmaker. They all boil...
John Voelcker -
Fourth Tesla Model X Said To Go To Google Founder Sergey Brin
The fourth Tesla Model X electric crossover went to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, a new report says.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Autopilot: The 10 Most Important Things You Need To Know
Tesla Motors is now rolling out its much-awaited "Autopilot" software for the Model S electric car, and it has revealed a number of things about how the autonomous driving system is intended to work. While an explanatory conference call on Wednesday afternoon lasted less than an hour, Tesla CEO...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is famous for tweeting bits of key product and company information. Looks like he's done it again, referring to a 'Model Y' that may have falcon doors as one of two future products, the other being the Model 3 affordable sedan Tesla plans to put into production late in 2017. The fact that Musk's tweets have since been deleted makes the whole thing even more mysterious. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model X Spreads Its (Falcon) Wings: Production Details Revealed The story comes via Tech Insider, which has a screen capture of Musk's deleted 'Model Y' tweet. A user had asked if "a...
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Tesla Delivered 11,580 Cars In Q3; Can It Meet Full-Year Goal?
While it still refuses to report standard monthly U.S. sales like other carmakers, Tesla Motors now at least reports quarterly global sales of its electric cars. During the third quarter--July through September--Tesla said last week that it delivered 11,580 cars, all but six of them presumably its...
John Voelcker -
Musk: Trickery “The Only Option” For Engineers In VW Scandal?
Although internal combustion engines are for the most part getting a little more efficient with every new model year, there’s no avoiding a cold fact: that whether they’re gasoline or diesel—or even a groundbreaking design under the hood of the 2016 Prius—they’re...
Bengt Halvorson -
Life With Tesla Model S: Should I Buy The Extended Warranty?
The odometer on my 2013 Tesla Model S ticked over 49,000 miles yesterday. That means I’ll soon be facing a big financial decision: whether or not to buy Tesla’s extended warranty, or as they call it, extended service agreement (ESA). The car’s standard bumper-to-bumper warranty is...
David Noland -
Elon Musk Hints At 50 Percent More Range For Tesla Model S: Video
Elon Musk says Tesla could achieve over 600 miles of range within two years.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 Unveil Comes In March, Pre-Orders Start Then, CEO Musk Says
Elon Musk says Model 3 production will start in "about two years."
Stephen Edelstein -
One of the most contentious points in coverage of electric-car maker Tesla Motors is its financial performance. On the one side, analysts and naysayers note that the company continues to lose money. CEO Elon Musk himself has admitted that the company won't turn a profit using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) until 2020 or later. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model S P85D Lauded By Consumer Reports, 'Breaks' Rating System That requires Tesla [NSDQ:TSLA] to raise more capital periodically, as it said two weeks ago it would do again: It plans to offer up to $640 million in new stock to...
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Tesla Motors Announces New Stock Sale Of $500 Million
It had to come, and it did: Tesla Motors is selling more stock to bolster its cash position as it prepares to launch its second high-volume electric car. The California company announced this morning it would offer $500 million in new common stock And, the company noted, CEO Elon Musk "intends to...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Delivery Goal Fell Due To Slower Model X Production Ramp: Sources
The quarterly financial results issued by electric-car maker Tesla Motors, plus the ensuing conference call with CEO Elon Musk, are eagerly followed by fans and analysts alike. Some of its most scrutinized numbers are the Model S production and delivery numbers, and the projections for how many...
John Voelcker -
Could Tesla Add Autonomous Electric Car-Sharing As New Business?
The quarterly earnings conference calls held by Tesla Motors are always intriguing, and so it was with last week's second-quarter update. Financial analysts focused on the company's numbers--it's still losing money as it invests, and a fresh capital raise seems inevitable--but another topic raised...
John Voelcker -
Do BMW, Mercedes, Volvo Plug-In Hybrid SUVs Compete With Tesla Model X?
We've known they were coming for more than a year, and now they're within weeks or months of landing in dealerships. In this case, "they" are the first plug-in hybrid SUV models from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and other luxury makers. Large, luxurious, plug-in ... almost sounds like a description...
John Voelcker -
UPDATED: Tesla Model S Gets New 90-kWh Battery, 'Ludicrous' Performance Mode
The Tesla Model S luxury electric sedan will get an upgrade of its highest-capacity battery pack, from 85 to 90 kilowatt-hours, as well as a new optional high-performance mode called "Ludicrous" mode. The news was announced today by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk during a press conference (and followed...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Motors commands outsize attention within the world of electric cars--and the auto industry in general. Its CEO, Elon Musk, has a huge personal following that eagerly hangs on his every word. Or perhaps "his every tweet" would be more appropriate, Twitter often being his preferred mode for communicating and, seemingly, thinking out loud. DON'T MISS: No, Tesla Won't Make A 'Model M' Electric Motorcycle (Despite That Rendering) Musk is a dynamic figure, and under his leadership, Tesla has accomplished a number of things that were dubbed flatly impossible by the auto industry. The company...
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Will Future Tesla Model S Top Toyota Mirai's 312-Mile Range?
Hydrogen fuel-cell cars today have many similarities to electric cars. Both employ advanced zero-emission powertrains that power the wheels with electric motors, both cost more to buy than gasoline cars of the same size, and both represent only a tiny fraction of today's car market. The main...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's Contradictory Messages: Is Supercharging Unlimited, Or Not?
At Tesla’s annual shareholders’ meeting earlier this month, CEO Elon Musk groused about Model S owners who aggressively use the company’s Superchargers for their local driving. Superchargers, Musk said, were intended for long-distance charging. For Model S owners fortunate enough...
David Noland -
Liquid-Cooled Cable Could Speed Up Tesla Supercharging Even More (Video Added!)
A Tesla Supercharger station with a liquid-cooled cable is being tested in California.
Stephen Edelstein -
Life With Tesla Model S: Local Supercharger Joys & Frustrations
As an early Tesla Model S owner, I’m accustomed to waiting. After putting down a $5,000 deposit in April 2009, I waited nearly four years to take delivery of the car. And then I waited another 18 months for the vast barren Northeast Supercharger Desert to bloom, finally unleashing the...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S, Three Years Later: What Electric Car Taught Us
Three years ago today, the very first production Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan was delivered to its buyer. That would be Silicon Valley venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, who's also a Tesla board member. The delivery took place, on a weekend, as soon as the Model S had been fully certified...
John Voelcker