Tesla News
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Tesla announced Friday that it has added two independent directors to the company's board: Kathleen Wilson-Thompson and Larry Ellison. Yes, it’s that Larry Ellison—the Oracle founder, and one of the richest men in the world, who made a cameo alongside Musk in Iron Man 2. Ellison lives a jet-setting lifestyle—including a lot of gasoline-swilling exotic-car ownership bragging rights—although he’s done much good as a philanthropist and innovation-minded investor. He’s been a longtime Tesla booster, and the announcement notes that Ellison purchased 3 million...
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Porsche Taycan sold out for a year—to mostly Tesla driversAs much as they evangelize Tesla, it turns out Tesla owners may be looking for an upgrade. Klaus Zellmer, Porsche's president and CEO for North America, disclosed in an interview that the company's upcoming 2020 Taycan electric sports car could be sold out for a year with pre-orders from customers...
Eric C. Evarts -
Opinion: Expiring tax credits hurt U.S. automakers, favor importsPresident Trump campaigned on a promise to aid U.S. manufacturers and provide more incentives for them to produce products in the U.S. Now the President, seemingly in opposition to that stance, has launched into a war of words with two of America's largest automakers—its youngest and one of...
Eric C. Evarts -
What are your hopes for plug-in cars in 2019?People wish for all kinds of things. When it comes to electric cars, there are several types of things green car fans may wish for to get more such cars on the road, from easier charging to more tax credits, to more types of models. Our Twitter poll for this annual time of reflection between...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla offers to cover remainder of full tax credit if it can't deliver by year-endBuyers interested in a Tesla have just one week to take delivery before the full federal tax credit gets cut in half—unless Tesla can't get the car delivered until the new year, that is. Then, Tesla says it will make up the difference. There are some caveats, of course. CHECK OUT: Tesla...
Eric C. Evarts -
Affordable Audi electric, Ford police hybrids, Tesla refunds: Today's Car NewsAudi will build an upscale car on VW's affordable electric-car platform. Ford is taking orders from police departments for its more efficient hybrid police cruisers. Tesla will refund the full amount if it doesn't deliver cars in time for the full federal tax credit. And how do our readers see the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Which company plans on introducing a new electric pickup and SUV? What car caused a ruckus when its manufacturer announced it would be discontinued? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending November 30, 2018. This week was all about the 2018 LA Auto Show, with introductions and insights regarding hybrid, electric, and fuel-efficient cars from three days spent at one of the most consistently green auto shows in the country. By the end of the week, things on the show floor had wrapped up, so we had a chance to explore some...
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Tesla (again) says buyers must order today for full tax creditIf you want to buy a Tesla and get the full tax credit, today is your last day to order for Tesla to guarantee delivery by December 31. With the tick-over of the new year, the federal tax credits on Teslas will be reduced from $7,500 to $3,750. That could raise base price of a Tesla from $39,700...
Eric C. Evarts -
EV Drive coalition begins lobbying effort to save tax creditMembers of the lame-duck Congress all got letters on their desks Tuesday stating why the electric-car tax credit should be revised and extended. Along with a five-point fact sheet made public Tuesday, the effort is the first salvo in a battle by the newly-formed EV Drive Coalition to extend the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Commentary: Tesla's carrot sells more electric cars than California's stickIf you build them, they will come—as long as what you build is attractive. That's the message of Tesla's dominant sales reports and awards this month. Buyers seem to be clamoring for the Model 3. There was a time when electric cars seemed unattractive to a lot of drivers. Even with reports of...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla will soon be compatible with all DC fast charging—in EuropeWhen the Tesla Model 3 arrives in Europe in early 2019, it will carry a special toolkit: the ability to charge—quickly—in more places than any other electric vehicle. Tesla revealed this week that Model 3 sedans sold in Europe will come with a CCS charge port (inlet). Full compatibility...
Bengt Halvorson -
Track Mode released to make more of Tesla Model 3 PerformanceTesla confirmed last Thursday that Track Mode has started rolling out for the Model 3 Performance, in an update for vehicles that have already received Version 9 of the automaker’s vehicle software. The company emphasized that Track Mode is intended specifically for closed circuits...
Bengt Halvorson -
The Tesla Model 3 is Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2019. It’s the second time a Tesla product has won our annual award, which was captured by the Tesla Model S in 2013. Many have called the Model 3 Tesla’s “iPhone moment.” But that was the Model S—the shock to an auto industry that had dismissed its very premise as unfeasible. The Model 3 looks well beyond that. It’s a brave, distinct product that makes no attempt to measure up to anything else on the road. And in some ways, it’s the future. On design and engineering, the Model 3 is probably the...
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Tesla news, VW pricing, electric Harley, and Best Car To Buy: The Week in ReverseWho will fill the role of Tesla's chairman to replace Elon Musk? Which cars made the list of finalists for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy for 2019? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending Nov. 9, 2018. Toyota teased an...
Eric C. Evarts -
Tesla bumps price of Autopilot post-deliveryAfter removing its former Full Self-Driving Mode feature, Tesla is doubling down on selling Enhanced Autopilot. In a new software rollout, the company has temporarily enabled Enhanced Autopilot on all the cars that have the hardware to run it in a 14-day free trial that chief executive officer Elon...
Eric C. Evarts -
New Tesla chairwoman, Model 3 contender; electric Harley-Davidson: Today's Car NewsTesla announced a new chairwoman to replace Elon Musk in a settlement with the SEC. Harley-Davidson commits to building its electric Livewire motorcycle. Nissan shows off a rescue truck with two Nissan Leaf batteries for backup power. And we consider the Tesla Model 3 as a contender for our 2019...
Eric C. Evarts -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Tesla Model 3Just 16 months passed from when Tesla first showed its Model 3—and we got our first ride in a Model 3 prototype with its VP of engineering Doug Field—to when it made the first batch of deliveries. And it was certainly not our intent to wait nearly another 16 months before considering it...
Bengt Halvorson -
Robyn Denholm appointed new Tesla board chairwomanTesla's board has promoted from within to fill the role of chairman, replacing Elon Musk, who agreed to step down in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Robyn Denholm, one of the two independent directors appointed to Tesla's board in 2014 will be its new chairwoman, the...
Eric C. Evarts -
Federal investigators may be looking into whether Tesla CEO Elon Musk knowingly lied to investors when he said that the automaker could build tens of thousands of Model 3 sedans by the end of 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The newspaper reported that the FBI is looking closer at Musk's statements last year, including one in July 2017 that the company could build up to 20,000 Model 3 sedans by the end of 2017. Looks like we can reach 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in Dec — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 3, 2017 At issue is whether Musk knowingly lied about the company's...
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Tesla Model S loses spot on Consumer Reports’ recommended listThe Tesla Model S has slipped back off Consumer Reports recommended list, due to a dip in reliability, as the consumer organization assesses it. Suspension problems are to blame, reported CR. In 2017 Tesla made its air suspension standard on the Model S, and all versions were dual-motor (all-wheel...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla Model 3 range-efficiency edge is a serious market strengthAlthough Tesla may still sometimes be finding its way in terms of how to build cars themselves, it retains a distinct advantage over pretty much every other automaker in one respect: superb power management. Buried in the company’s third-quarter 2018 financial results—hailing a...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla reports profit, explains $46k Model 3 Mid Range model, hints about leasingTesla’s quarterly earnings call today was shaping up to be, at long last, an earnings call. Tesla reported a net income of $312 million for the third quarter of 2018. The all-electric vehicle maker made money. It also claimed that, given its financial results—and some creative...
Bengt Halvorson -
Lower-cost Tesla Model 3: Does 260 miles, $46K before incentives split the difference? [Updated]UPDATE: Tesla originally rolled out the Model 3 Mid Range at a base price of $45,000 on 10/18. Less than six days later it's raised the price $1,000, and we've adjusted the numbers in this piece to reflect that. “We made a slight adjustment to our pricing for Model 3 following the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla Model 3 teardown underscores missed opportunitiesLast year employee parking lots overflowed at Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant. By comparing the headcount of Tesla's factory at present versus historically, it’s easy to grasp why the facility has seemed so crowded. At its heyday, Toyota and GM needed 4,400 people at Fremont. Tesla...
Bengt Halvorson