Tesla News
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And now we know: Tesla's Big Mystery Story, teased via more than one tweet from CEO Elon Musk, is this: You will soon be able to "lease" a brand-new 2013 Tesla Model S. That's a good thing (though not nearly as much fun as some of the ideas proposed under the Twitter hashtag #TeslaPredictions). But we digress. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has partnered with two banks, Wells Fargo and US Bank, to create a "new kind of financing product" that combines, the company claims, "the surety and comfort" of actually owning a car with the traditional advantages of a lease. On a conference call held today...
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Tesla Model S Electric-Car Deliveries For Q1: 4,750-Plus, Says CompanyWhen the news is good, you want to get it out there. Last night, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] released a statement saying that it had delivered more than 4,750 Model S cars from January 1 through March 31 of this year. The statement came before the first quarter of 2013 had even technically ended...
John Voelcker -
How To Drive On Ice, Tesla Model S-StyleMention snow and ice in relation to electric vehicles, and many people will first think of the impact of cold weather on driving range. It's true that driving range will decrease in cold weather in most electric vehicles, but the way the car drives is important too. For the Tesla Model S driver in...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla To Expand Supercharger Network In Northwest, TX, FL, and NortheastOne of the features associated with the 2013 Tesla Model S all-electric luxury sport sedan is the dedicated Supercharger network of DC quick-charge locations. Since the first stations went live last September, there have been only eight locations in California and the Northeast Corridor. Now Tesla...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Now Making, Delivering 500 Model S Electric Cars WeeklyWith a backlog of more than 10,000 depositors for the Tesla Model S, its maker is making and delivering electric luxury sedans as fast as it can. Among other benefits, that may allow Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] to achieve CEO Elon Musk's suggestion that the company could be profitable for the first...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Update: 3,000th Electric Sedan Delivered In CAIn the last few weeks, it's almost become a cliche: drivers in Silicon Valley say they see as many Tesla Model S electric luxury sedans on the roads as they do Nissan Leafs or Chevrolet Volts. With a likely total production of perhaps 6,000 cars thus far, the Model S is outnumbered on U.S. roads by...
John Voelcker -
Accessories are a huge part of the auto business, and for every car, somewhere there's a business (or a few dozen) offering aftermarket items the manufacturer hasn't, can't, or won't provide. And so it turns out to be for the Tesla Model S, the all-electric sport sedan from Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. Founded by Tesla owner Roger Pressman, who took delivery of a very early Model S with serial number 00184, Teslaccessories.com plans to offer aftermarket add-ons for the Model S. The company's first product is the Center Console Insert, which slides into the empty center...
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Life With 2013 Tesla Model S: 'Vampire' Thirst For Electricity At Night?A couple of weeks ago, shortly after I took delivery of my 2013 Tesla Model S, I noticed that my home electric meter seemed to be running a bit faster than normal. I keep a close eye on my meter, but that seemed odd. After all, the long-awaited new luxury sport sedan delivered to my house in...
David Noland -
How To Get A Tesla Model S 'Elon Musk Signature Edition'Why would Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk take a Sharpie to the sun visor of an all-but-new Tesla Model S electric sport sedan? It wasn't a question we'd considered until a reader tipped us off to a photo on Flickr that showed just that. And we were intrigued enough to contact Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA}...
John Voelcker -
Life With 2013 Tesla Model S: The Good & The Bad At 600 MilesTwo weeks and 600 miles ago, I took delivery of a 60-kWh 2013 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan. I won't dwell on the ear-flattening acceleration, nor the magic-carpet ride and handling, nor the mesmerizing 17-inch touch screen controls. Those features have been exhaustively analyzed and reported...
David Noland -
Tesla Model X Electric Crossover Pushed Back A Year To Late 2014Now that Tesla appears to be delivering hundreds of its Model S electric sport sedan each week, public attention inevitably turns to its future. Specifically, the next vehicle it plans to launch, the Model X all-electric crossover utility vehicle--which will offer optional all-wheel drive. But...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Wins One In Minnesota: Bill To Ban Its Stores DefeatedLike a lot of news from Tesla, this came in the form of a tweet by CEO Elon Musk on Friday morning. It read, in its entirety, "Minnesota auto dealers tried to pass legislation to block Tesla stores. Bill was just defeated in Senate. Thanks MN!" And indeed, a Minnesota Senate committee voted down...
John Voelcker -
What a difference a few years makes. Startup electric-car maker Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] said it will repay its $465 million in low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Energy five years earlier than originally scheduled. The news came yesterday in the company's annual report. Sourcing Tesla CFO Deepak Ahuja, Bloomberg reports that Tesla will accelerate payments starting in 2015, completing payment in December 2017 with a balloon payment if necessary. The loan agreement with the DoE, the company said, had been modified to reflect the accelerated repayment. The original loan was to have...
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Tesla Motors Loses Libel Case Over Top Gear's Roadster Review (Again)It isn't easy being a startup car company. Running a new business is difficult enough without others damaging the reputation of your product. That's why Tesla CEO Elon Musk fought so hard over The New York Times' assessment of its Model S in a recent road trip, and why the company sued Top Gear for...
Antony Ingram -
Don't Cry: Tesla Model S Torn Apart For Safety's SakeModern cars feel so substantial and safe they can often feel impregnable--you're just rolling along in your little bubble, protected from the world outside. The Model S, the luxurious electric car from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] with its large body, incredible refinement and luxurious interior is...
Antony Ingram -
Life With 2013 Tesla Model S: Getting Supercharged In WinterAs the brand-new owner of a 60-kWh Tesla Model S, I was eager to try out a Supercharger, the ultrafast 90-kilowatt DC fast-charging stations that Tesla is establishing along Interstate highways across the country. Model S owners--and nobody else--will be able to plug in and grab up to 150 miles of...
David Noland -
My 2013 Tesla Model S Electric Sport Sedan: Delivery at Last!After 1,386 days of waiting, I first glimpsed my new 2013 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan at a local discount tire store. The Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] delivery rep who was bringing the car up from the New Jersey distribution center to my house in New York's Hudson Valley had called me from the...
David Noland -
Tesla Motors, Model S, And NY Times: Google+ Hangout VideoTesla Motors, a notorious review in The New York Times of its Model S electric sedan, and the company's future were the topics of discussion last week among High Gear Media editors during a Google+ Hangout on Air video chat. The participants were editorial director Marty Padgett, social media...
Joel Feder -
Do you own a Honda, or maybe an Acura? You might be eligible for a discount on solar power at your home. If you think that sounds strange, you're right. Why would a solar company partner with an automaker to provide solar arrays for owners of certain cars? The answer appears to be: market research. SolarCity & Honda SolarCity installs solar arrays for homes and businesses in 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, plus the District of Columbia. In the video above...
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Tesla Stock Sinks After Release Of 2012 Financial ResultsYesterday was a bumpy ride for the stockholders of electric-car maker Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. Following the company's Wednesday release of its 2012 financial results, including an after-hours conference call, the stock plummeted yesterday. Before the earnings call, it had closed Wednesday at...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Motors To Be Profitable Selling Electric Cars By April, It SaysTesla Motors announced its fourth-quarter and full-year results late yesterday, and offered some good news to the company's shareholders. That would be the projection that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will operate at a profit in the current quarter, which ends March 31. "We expect to be slightly...
John Voelcker -
Is Tomorrow The Most Important Day Ever For Tesla Motors?It's never dull over at Tesla Motors, but tomorrow is a particularly important day. It may, in fact, be the most important day in the electric-car maker's history. That's because after the stock market closes, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will give the first hints about whether it could genuinely...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Owners Crowdsource Trip To Counter NY Times ReportIt's been a week of Tesla Model S hullabaloo, centered around last Sunday's critical New York Times road test, Stalled Out on Tesla's Electric Highway. Now a set of defiant Tesla Model S owners are setting out to prove Times reporter John Broder wrong. They will replicate his trip from Maryland to...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's Elon Musk & NY Times: Disturbing Discrepancies On Model S Range ReportingGolly. Turns out nothing ignites the Internet quite like a rapid-fire online spat between Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and The New York Times, the Grey Lady of establishment journalism. Like many such controversies, common ground turns out to be easier to find than you might think: It's a fact that...
John Voelcker