Tesla News

  • 2012 Tesla Model S

    Tesla's first foray into the commercial vehicle sector—an all-electric semi truck—is expected to debut next month, but specifics surrounding the electric-car maker's latest project have been few and far between. An exclusive report may have revealed Tesla's range figure as it prepares to tackle a segment dominated by diesel-powered vehicles. While unconfirmed, the latest news suggests Tesla's electric semi truck will arrive with a 200- to 300-mile range. DON'T MISS: Elon Musk teased Tesla's electric semi truck at a TED talk Initially, the range falls well below what diesel-powered...

  • Tesla Model X P100D races Lamborghini Aventador SV
    Tesla Model S beats Lamborghini Aventador in 1/4-mile drag race; so does Model X SUV

    Tesla has not only put some of the world's longest-range electric cars into production, but its cars also happen to house some serious performance specifications. Everyone knows the P100D versions of the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X SUV are capable of accelerating at lightning speed, thanks to...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Chevy Bolt EV vs Tesla's Model 3, Model S: CNET, Consumer Reports compare electric cars

    Five years ago, the only true battery-electric cars on the market were the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf, while the Chevrolet Volt offered a plug-in hybrid solution. A lot has changed since then, and choices for those interested in an electric car have become more abundant. Specifically, the...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3
    What car is closest Tesla Model 3 competitor? Poll results

    Much of the electric-car world is waiting to see how quickly production of the Tesla Model 3 will ramp up over the balance of this year. Will it reach the remarkable level of 5,000 cars per week by December 31 that CEO Elon Musk has set as a goal? Analysts and industry commentators are skeptical...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Tesla Model 3: do design features point to self-driving car-sharing service?

    The Tesla Model 3 continues to generate an inordinate amount of interest from electric-car advocates and the general public, as pretty much any Tesla model has in the past. But unlike the Model S in 2012, which broke new ground on multiple fronts, the lower-priced Model 3 appears to be less...

  • Tesla factory, Fremont, California
    Tesla electric-car plant expansion could double size of Fremont factory

    Electric-car maker Tesla is at a pivotal time in the 13-year-old company's history as production of its mass-market Model 3 ramps up and ambitious plans to roll out additional vehicles loom. Coinciding with the production start of the Tesla Model 3 are plans for a major expansion the Silicon Valley...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017

    The Volkswagen diesel scandal has largely fallen out of the public eye in the U.S., as VW and Audi buy back and modify roughly half a million noncompliant vehicles sold from 2009 through 2016. In Germany, meanwhile, the major sellers of diesel vehicles—not only VW Group but also Mercedes, Opel, and Fiat—have agreed to modify 5 million newer diesels now on the road to reduce their emissions. They'll also offer four-figure trade-in bounties to encourage owners of the dirtiest diesels still on the road, those sold under Euro 4 rules before 2009, to trade them in for scrapping and buy...

  • 2018 BMW 3-Series
    Does Tesla Model 3 compete with Bolt EV and Leaf, or BMW 3-Series?

    There's a new generation of the BMW 3-Series sport sedan coming next year, and rumors suggest there will be an all-electric version in 2019 or 2020. If so, there's only one car that it would be targeting: the Tesla Model 3, the 220-mile or 310-mile electric sedan from the Silicon Valley carmaker...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 and 2011 Nissan Leaf, Half Moon Bay, California, Aug 2017  [photo: Scott Forrest]
    Is the Tesla Model 3 really 'Car 2.0'? Maybe not: here's why

    Like the company's three previous electric cars, the Tesla Model 3 launched into production with a splashy media event during which owners received the keys to their new cars and the company's fans applauded. Like the Model S and Model X, production is starting at very low rates, with the rate of...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Tesla Model 3 won't be delivered in Michigan to buyers; lawsuit grinds on

    An ongoing lawsuit continues to complicate life for potential buyers of the Tesla Model 3, and the automaker's other electric cars, who live in Michigan. Tesla and the state remain locked in a legal battle over the state's franchise law, which requires automakers to sell vehicles only via an...

  • Tour of Tesla battery gigafactory for invited owners, Reno, Nevada, July 2016
    Tesla Model 3 battery cells will turn a profit for Panasonic by next year

    Relatively few people focus on it, but the huge Japanese electronics company Panasonic is a minority shareholder in electric-car maker Tesla. The deal dates all the way back to November 2010, the same year that Tesla completed its initial public offering after Toyota took a stake in the company and...

  • Teaser for Tesla semi truck debuting in September
    Tesla semi truck to test self-driving, capable of 'platooning': report

    With Tesla, there's always something new coming up to keep owners, buyers, and fans excited. The company's main task over the next year is to get its lower-priced Model 3 electric car into volume assembly at high quality, a process CEO Elon Musk has called "production hell." But there's more to...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017

    Now that the Tesla Model 3 has officially entered production, the electric-car maker's main goal will be to ensure the manufacturing process ramps up smoothly. With 1,800 new reservations reportedly placed each day for the affordable electric sedan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to confirm the company needs to get through six months of "production hell" with its most mainstream model. After the automaker stabilizes production of the Model 3, Musk promised, a performance variant will arrive. DON'T MISS: 2017 Tesla Model 3 prices, features, details, specifications from Handover Party The...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3 "first production" car, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Tesla Model 3 electric car: what's your take? Poll results

    With the Tesla Model 3 electric car now in early production and an aggressive ramp rate targeted, it's getting lots of media attention. Part of that is due to the allure of the Tesla brand and fascination with company CEO Elon Musk. Some more may be due to the widespread misapprehension that the...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3
    Tesla Model 3 rated at 126 MPGe, third-best after Ioniq Electric and Prius Prime

    Ten days ago, when the first 30 Tesla Model 3 electric cars were delivered to their owners at a much-publicized Handover Party, we didn't get full information on the latest Tesla model. The company didn't discuss battery capacity in kilowatt-hours, for instance, giving range in miles instead, nor...

  • Teaser for Tesla Model Y electric SUV due for reveal in 2019
    Tesla Model Y to be based on Model 3 after all; Musk 'reeled back' from 'insanity'

    It's fair to say that Tesla CEO Elon Musk probably raises more eyebrows more often than all other automaker CEOs combined. One case in point came in early May, when he mentioned during a financial-results call that the upcoming Tesla Model Y compact crossover utility would be based on a new...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S, in July 2017   [photo: David Noland]
    Life with Tesla Model S: beware Extended Service Agreement fine print

    A couple of years ago, as my 2013 Tesla Model S approached the end of its 50,000-mile warranty, I debated long and hard whether to opt for Tesla’s extended warranty, which they call an Extended Service Agreement (ESA). At $4,000, it wasn’t cheap. It provided four years and an additional...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S, Model X electric cars updated with new features

    Before the Tesla Model 3 officially entered production, the electric-car maker shuffled features on its Model S to provide a clear distinction between the two sedans. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has often said those looking for luxury will be happiest in a Model S, while the Model 3 remains a much more...

  • Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Tesla Store opening in Westfield Mall, London, Oct 2013

    Sometimes, if you ask a question often enough for long enough, an answer will eventually be forthcoming. In the case of the net number of $1,000 reservations for the Tesla Model 3 electric car, it took 16 months for the company to cough up the latest data. It came, not surprisingly, from CEO Elon Musk, speaking on a conference call for financial analysts yesterday afternoon. DON'T MISS: Tesla won't discuss net Model 3 reservations number; why? In April 2016, Tesla quoted a number of 373,000 reservations taken for the Model 3 following its splashy debut and enormous publicity. The company then...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3, in photo tweeted by Elon Musk on July 9, 2017
    Tesla won't discuss net Model 3 reservations number; why?

    One year ago today, a communications staffer (since departed) wrote that Tesla had received 373,000 reservations for its future Model 3—a number first issued in April 2016. In a splashy event for owners, fans, and media, a few dozen early-production Model 3 electric cars were delivered last...

  • Tesla Model 3 Easter eggs screen
    Tesla Model 3 Easter eggs, discovered by board member Steve Jurvetson

    The few dozen 2017 Tesla Model 3 owners who've already taken delivery of their electric cars will find a few surprises inside if they look closely enough. The Silicon Valley automaker handed over the first examples of its new Model 3 to customers, one of whom happens to be Steve Jurvetson...

  • 2018 Tesla Model 3
    Tesla Model 3 drive reports, reviews: raves for sporty electric car

    The first, earliest production versions of the Tesla Model 3 electric car were delivered to their owners in a splashy "Handover Party" late last week. A few journalists got short drives at the event, but only one outlet was granted a Model 3 before the party to enable a more comprehensive review...

  • 2017 Tesla Model 3
    2017 Tesla Model 3 prices, features, details, specifications from Handover Party

    Thirty of the earliest Tesla Model 3 buyers took delivery of their electric cars last night in a gala event for owners, investors, and friends the company had dubbed the Handover Party. The highly anticipated Model 3, the vehicle Tesla hopes will boost its production to hundreds of thousands of...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S climbs back to top of Consumer Reports safety ratings

    The Tesla Model S has retaken its spot as the luxury sedan that gets the highest ratings from Consumer Reports after the electric car gained back automatic emergency braking that works at all legal road speeds. Some may remember Tesla restored the automatic braking during an update to vehicles...

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