Tesla Model S News
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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 one hour later by an update on the rocketry efforts of SpaceX, which he also runs). Musk called the upgrade "pretty awesome," as is his wont. DON'T MISS: How Elon Musk Controls Tesla Motors While Owning Only 27 Percent In "Ludicrous" mode in both P85D and new P90D variants--it's above "Insane"...
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Tesla Model S Outsold Nissan Leaf In U.S. During Q1: Report
It's one of the great frustrations for journalists in reporting on electric cars: Tesla Motors refuses to release its monthly deliveries of cars, unlike every other legitimate automaker. The company now gives a global sales total every quarter, but that doesn't help in adding accurate U.S. sales...
John Voelcker -
Russian Plutocrats Crave Tesla Model S; Electric Carmaker Resists
Tesla has quite a following in Russia.
Stephen Edelstein -
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 Model S Owner Loyalty Probably Unparalleled In Industry
A Jefferies survey shows Tesla to have exceedingly high owner loyalty.
Stephen Edelstein -
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 -
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 car’s long-distance potential. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model X To Arrive In 'Three To Four Months,' Autopilot In Testing: CEO Musk Then, recently, came the most lingering, tantalizing, frustrating wait of all: for a long-promised Supercharger just minutes away from my home. It would be the site that would...
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Too Much Electric-Car Torque: Tesla Model S P85D Breaks Dynamometer (Video)
A Tesla Model S P85D breaks a dynamometer.
Stephen Edelstein -
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 -
Kitten Rescued From Tesla Model S Electric Car Motor: Video
Tesla Motors and its Model S electric cars get a lot of attention, especially on the Internet. And kittens? Well, cute-cat pictures are a staple of modern connectivity. Rescuing kittens? Even better! Now, to our delight and amazement, we've got a story that ties both of them together. DON'T MISS...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Door-Handle Failures Still Plague Electric Car, Consumer Reports Learns: UPDATE
It is one of the more remarkable features of the Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan: door handles that retract flush with the body until needed. But the retracting door handles proved tricky in practice; owner of early Model S cars reported that quite a lot of them had to be replaced under...
John Voelcker -
Used Electric Cars: About To Get Big, What You Need To Know
Think electric-car ownership is priced out of your league? It’s simply not. Even if leasing isn’t for you, or you don’t have the stellar credit required to get some of those deals, prices are plummeting on used electric vehicles—and that makes it a buyers’ market...
Bengt Halvorson -
So-called popup stores are an increasingly common way for retail brands to get media attention and attract new customers, without the expense of building and staffing a full-time location. Now California carmaker Tesla Motors is extending the concept to bring its luxury Model S electric car to likely audiences in affluent summer resorts. Tesla's mobile popup store debuted in Santa Barbara, California, last Friday. DON'T MISS: Where Can Tesla Legally Sell Cars Directly To You? State-By-State Map As noted last week by the investment site The Fool, Tesla is offering "a touring, full-fledged...
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Tesla To Launch Automated Passing Function, Timing Still Uncertain
Tesla will launch an automated passing function activated by turn signals.
Stephen Edelstein -
Porsche Electric Sport Sedan To Target Tesla In 2018, Fuel-Cell Version To Follow?
Patent applications reveal designs for possible Porsche electric and fuel-cell models.
Stephen Edelstein -
Which Electric Car Dominates Sales In New York State?
More Tesla Model S sedans are registered in New York state than any other electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model S Drifting Shows Wild Side Of Electric Cars (Video)
See what happens when a Japanese drifting pro gets behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model S Certified Used Electric Cars: Now On Sale Online
Tesla has been selling used cars online since last week.
Stephen Edelstein -
It had been more than 50 years since I'd been to a drag race--back in what now seems almost like the very dawn of motoring. Back then, I just watched. Yet here I was, just a month ago, behind the wheel of my Tesla Model S P85D, facing off against another car as I watched the lights change. Red, yellow ... GO. DON'T MISS: Why I Had To Trade My Tesla Model S For A Brand-New P85D It was the very first time a Tesla P85D had ever run head to head against a standard S85 at the Sacramento Raceway open drags. Our cars took on several other combatants powered by gasoline engines as well. As it turned...
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Life With Tesla Model S: Valet Mode Hides Away All The Fun
As arguably the coolest, most cutting-edge car in the world, the Tesla Model S electric car attracts a lot of curiosity and envy from other drivers. What self-respecting car guy—or gal—wouldn’t love to take a Tesla out for a quick spin around the block, just to sample its...
David Noland -
Will Tesla Model 3 Electric Car Hit 2017 Production Date?
Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has done many remarkable things in its short decade of existence--including a few the auto industry viewed as impossible. But the company has never managed to get a car into volume production on the date it first announced. That applied to its Roadster, the Model S...
John Voelcker -
Why Nothing Competes With Tesla Today, Plug-In Hybrids Included
Two years ago, the launch of the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid produced the first ostensible large luxury plug-in sedan competitor to the Tesla Model S electric car. The Porsche is a plug-in hybrid, with an electric range of 15 or 16 miles; the Tesla is all-electric, with ranges of 208 to 275 miles...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Had A Deal To Sell Itself To Google Til Musk Walked Away
Like any startup company, Tesla Motors has had crises where the electric-car maker came very close to financial collapse. One was in 2008, when its Roadster model was late in delivery and its two-speed transmission proved unable to handle the car's power. But a second crisis developed in late 2012...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Body Kit: Definitely Different, Range-Robbing Too?
Body kits--add-on components and replacements for a car's front and rear fascias and door sills--are often a good way for owners to make their vehicle stand out from the crowd. Often used on luxury brands and tuner cars, the updated looks are usually edgier and more aggressive than the factory...
John Voelcker