Tesla News
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In June 2013, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced he would drive a Tesla Model S electric car across the U.S. to show off the company's new Supercharger fast-charging network. Indeed, two Tesla Model S sedans successfully completed the run from Los Angeles to New York City in February 2014. Last year, Musk decided to repeat the stunt, but with a twist: This time, a self-driving Tesla would take him across the country. DON'T MISS: Tesla upgrades self-driving sensors, hardware; full autonomy test next year? (Oct 2016) Musk and the rest of the company, however, have been quite preoccupied with a...
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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...
David Noland -
Will GM or Tesla buyers lose electric-car tax credits first? (updated)A major contributor to electric-car sales is the program under which buyers of new electric cars qualify for a federal income-tax credit of up to $7,500. But these tax credits are not unlimited. Once a manufacturer reaches sales of 200,000 plug-in electric cars (after December 31, 2009), the...
Stephen Edelstein -
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Tesla Model 3 variants delayed; will some buyers lose $7,500 tax credit?"Overall, I think, while there were challenges associated with Model 3 ramp, we were in a deeper level of hell than we expected, so a few levels deeper than we'd like to be, but swiftly exiting, I think." Those chastened but seemingly optimistic words came from the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, during a...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S racing is now a real thing, approved by FIA sanctioning bodyIt'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...
John Voelcker -
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 a firefighters union that had members at the scene of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board had deployed investigators to the accident on Wednesday. DON'T MISS: Tesla Hardware 2: so what functions work in Autopilot and what don't? According to Reuters, NHTSA stated it would...
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Tesla met promises in first 10-year Master Plan; Musk to stay 10 more yearsAt this point, a majority of the global auto industry agrees that Tesla and its electric cars have had a remarkable impact in less than 10 years. Founded 15 years ago by two Silicon Valley engineers, Tesla won funding from venture capital, private investment, and government loans that totaled...
John Voelcker -
What maker offers electric cars, plus solar panels and energy storage, beside Tesla?While Tesla may be the automaker most known for marketing home-solar equipment, it's actually not the only player on the block. Japanese automaker Nissan previously offered home-energy storage solutions in Europe, dubbed Nissan xStorage, that utilized cells recycled from Nissan Leaf batteries...
Mark Stevenson -
What you need to know about electric-car namesake Nikola TeslaThis month marks the 75th year since the death of famed inventor and and electrical innovator Nikola Tesla, a man whose life is as interesting as his technical achievements. Tesla, a Serbian who was born in what's now Croatia, brought the world numerous innovations in electricity that, to this day...
Mark Stevenson -
Tesla wins another, licensed to sell electric cars in Rhode IslandTesla can now add another notch to its sales board. Rhode Island will allow the direct sale of Teslas and has issued a state dealer license to the company to open a dealer in Warwick. Additionally, the city itself issued its own license to the electric-vehicle manufacturer, which plans to take over...
Mark Stevenson -
Tesla Model 3: what parts breakdown says about high-volume electric carTesla CEO Elon Musk has aspirations of vertically integrating his companies as much as possible, trying to avoid traditional suppliers wherever he can. While Tesla has been successful in developing things like their electric motors in-house, the company still relies on others for many of the...
Bozi Tatarevic -
Though generally mum on details, Porsche has been trickling out tidbits on its forthcoming MIssion E electric sedan since it first unveiled the concept at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Porsche let slip another detail in late December. It had already revealed a claimed 200-mile recharge within 15 minutes, a starting price that'll place it below the Panamera sedan, and a launch date in late 2019. DON'T MISS: Porsche Mission E electric sport sedan: 200-mile recharge in 15 minutes Now, Porsche has said the Mission E will send at least 400 horsepower to its wheels—and that's just the start...
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Tesla Model 3 Long Range rating of 310 miles: Is it understated?Amidst all the coverage on Wednesday of the Tesla Model 3 production numbers, we realized we'd forgotten one piece of the Model 3 saga. That would be the official EPA range and efficiency ratings for the 2017 Tesla Model 3 Long Range version. Those were issued at the end of November, and they...
John Voelcker -
Tesla delivers 1,550 Model 3s in Q4; Models S, X over 100,000 in 2017Tesla reported its fourth-quarter global deliveries on Wednesday, saying it delivered 1,550 Model 3 electric cars between October 1 and December 31 last year, but built 2,425 over the same period. That compares to a total of 260 Model 3s delivered in the third quarter, after a splashy "handover...
John Voelcker -
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...
Mark Stevenson -
If electric semi tractors are real, their running-cost advantage could be hugeEmotions play a big role in purchases of passenger vehicles, but fleet decisions are generally driven by numbers, spreadsheets, and the almighty dollar. And it's in the equation of overall cost where early adopters of electric and other alternative-fuel semis could make a financial killing. Haulers...
Mark Stevenson -
All-wheel drive now standard on all Tesla Model S, Model X carsTesla 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...
Mark Stevenson -
With DC fast charging fully electric vehicles can be charged to around 80% of their full battery capacity in under 30 minutes
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Wal-Mart, Anheuser-Busch, DHL to test Tesla Semi; now UPS, Pepsi too (more updates)An Instagram post by an "outdoor living design and construction firm serving the Chicago Southland" seems to confirm at least several hundred reservations for Tesla's new all-electric truck. Elemental Landscapes of Illinois posted a screenshot of its reservation for three Tesla Semi trucks, showing...
Mark Stevenson -
Tesla motor, Shelby Cobra body, Kia battery: watch electric Cobra stun a race crowdIn 1962, a 39-year-old Carroll Shelby stuffed a Ford V-8 into an AC Ace to create one of the most sought after performance cars ever made, the AC Cobra. Some 50 years later, a group of engineers from British Columbia, Canada has brought Shelby's idea—small two-seat sports car, very big...
Mark Stevenson -
Could Tennessee top Michigan in U.S. electric-car production (if not California)?Today, battery-electric cars are built in volume at only three locations across the entire United States. Tesla builds its three different electric models in Fremont, California; the new 2018 Nissan Leaf has just gone into production in Smyrna, Tennessee; and the Chevrolet Bolt EV is built at the...
John Voelcker -
Electric car buyers' struggle: practicality vs luxury, Chevy vs TeslaCompetition 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...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Musk confirms Tesla is designing its own computer chip for self-driving cars (update)Early last year, with promises of self-driving cars in owners' hands well before any competitor, development of the Tesla Autopilot system for the maker's electric cars was proceeding nicely. Then, in May 2016, a dedicated Tesla owner was killed in a Florida crash when his Tesla Model S, operating...
John Voelcker