Tesla News
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After more than an hour of discussion last night, the town selectmen of Natick, Massachusetts, voted 4-1 to grant a license to sell cars to Tesla Motors Massachusetts. The local company, which the Selectmen concluded was legally separate from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], will operate out of a property on West Central Street in the town. Tesla has operated a showroom or "gallery" at the Natick Mall since September, but is not allowed to sell its electric cars there. The Massachusetts Auto Dealers Association had sued the company over its store, saying that, among other things, Tesla's service...
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2013 Tesla Model S: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2013Two years ago, our first-ever Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy award went to the first modern battery-electric car sold in the U.S. How far we've come. This year, our third annual winner is the 2013 Tesla Model S, a car that takes the all-electric vehicle to a new and far more elevated level. But...
John Voelcker -
How Far Will A Tesla Model S Go? One Owner Did 405 MilesBack in May, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] released range estimates for the 2012 Model S. While the company predicted that 250-300 miles would be typical for the largest, 85 kilowatt-hour battery, and the EPA confirmed this with an official 265 miles, insiders at Tesla had a sneaky feeling that 400...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Reservations Open In U.K.U.K. Tesla fans jealous of their counterparts in the U.S. are finally able to reserve their own 2013 Tesla Model S. Buyers will be able to choose between Model S and Model S Signature, and will get to enjoy the same specifications as buyers in the U.S. That means the same color and trim options...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S 60-kWh Version: EPA Range Rated At 208 MilesWithout any fanfare, the EPA has released its range rating for the second version of the Tesla Model S to come to market. The 2013 Tesla Model S fitted with a 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack has a rated range of 208 miles. That compares to 265 miles for the Model S version with the largest 85-kWh...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Motors In The Black, This Week, Tweets CEO MuskSome of the biggest news of the year has been broken on social networking site, Twitter. For Tesla CEO Elon Musk, that includes regular tweets about the company. Yesterday, he tweeted that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] was in the black. "Am happy to report that Tesla was narrowly cash flow positive last...
Antony Ingram -
Well, it looks like there won't be a Tesla Model S under my Christmas tree after all. Even more annoying, that means I'll have to wait until April 15, 2014, to take advantage of my $7,500 electric-car tax credit. As Model S reservation holder P717, I'd hoped to take delivery of my car this month, after the initial batch of 1,200 premium-priced Signature cars were completed by Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. When I signed the purchase agreement back in August, I was told I'd get my car--a metallic green 60-kWh model--in November or December, in time for the 2012 tax credit. But with production...
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More Updates For 2012 Tesla Model S: Voice Commands, Faster AccelerationTesla has released details of an impending software update, for the 2012 Tesla Model S electric sedan. Among the changes, owners will now be able to use new features like an app launcher and voice commands, while seeing improvements to some of the controls, and even acceleration response. New...
Antony Ingram -
New Tesla Model S Pricing Announced For Jan 1, Battery Pack Costs TooAs of January 1, it'll cost you more to buy a 2013 Tesla Model S--as the company said last week. Now, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has released the details of the price increases on the different versions of the Model S all-electric luxury sport sedan. The new prices are $59,900 for the base version...
Antony Ingram -
Rejected For Loans Tesla Got, Inflatable Car Firm Sues DoE 3 Years LaterOh, those DoE loans. They arose in the recent U.S. presidential debate--not just once or twice, but three times--and continue to generate debate. So here's more fuel for the fire: A company rejected three years ago for loans is now suing the DoE. Its proposed product? An inflatable electric car...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Price Increase Coming, But For New Buyers OnlyMuch of economics is simple: Makers of desirable, popular products can raise their prices--to some degree. One example: Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] confirmed in a blog post yesterday that it would raise prices on its 2013 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan in the next two or three weeks. But...
John Voelcker -
Injunction To Shut Tesla Store Denied In MA, Dealers To Fight OnScore one for startup carmakers trying to do things differently. Last Friday, a judge denied a request by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association for an injunction that would have shut down the Tesla Store in Natick, which opened on September 28. If the dealers' request had been...
John Voelcker -
It isn't easy to impress Consumer Reports. Fisker Automotive knows this better than most, after its Karma range-extended sedan was savaged by the magazine earlier this year. In contrast, the 2012 Tesla Model S looks to have gone down rather well, CR describing it as "a revelation". High praise indeed, and it's sure to join Motor Trend's 'Car of the Year' verdict on a list of things Tesla should be proud of. 2012 Tesla Model S: First Drive In their test of the model, Consumer Reports describes the Model S as "the electric car that shatters every myth"--adding that range anxiety is effectively...
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Tesla Model S Buyers Face Year-End Deadline: $7,500 At StakeMore than 13,000 people have put down deposits to join the waiting list for the Tesla Model S electric sports sedan. Each of us eagerly awaits delivery of our much-decorated, cutting-edge car. But as 2012 winds down, several hundred of us at the front of the queue are especially antsy. It's not...
David Noland -
Elon Musk, CEO Of 'Loser' Tesla, Suggests Romney Got It WrongOne week ago today, Americans elected a president. During the hard-fought campaign that preceded the election, Republican candidate Mitt Romney called Tesla a "loser" company, along with Fisker Automotive. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and other companies named by Romney had received loans or grants...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S: More New Versions Coming, Says CEO Elon MuskTesla being what it is--a venture-funded startup battery-electric automaker in Silicon Valley--every utterance from its CEO Elon Musk becomes newsworthy. So a generalized hint at future development of its main product, the 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan, becomes fodder for news stories. In...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Production Ramps Up, Company Says In Earnings CallThe biggest question facing tiny Tesla Motors right now is whether it can ramp up production of its Model S all-electric sport sedan and deliver enough of them to paying customers that it can generate the income it needs to keep going. On the quarterly Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] earnings call this...
John Voelcker -
Jay Leno Drives 2012 Tesla Model S Electric Car (Video)Larger-than-life TV presenter Jay Leno is known for his love and obsession of cars--and not just those fueled by gasoline. To prove it, he tests one of the hottest electric cars around in his latest video--the 2012 Tesla Model S. The comedian even counts a 1909 Baker Electric among his personal...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Motors is often frustratingly opaque about the company's progress in getting its 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan up to mass production. Hard numbers come only from quarterly reports filed with the SEC--and sporadic tweets from Elon Musk, its CEO. According to one of those tweets yesterday, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] built its 1,000th body shell for the Model S, presumably on or around Sunday, October 28. Musk's tweet said the company had completed more Model S cars in October than in the entire rest of the year, from the start of production in May or June through the end of...
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Auto Dealers' Fight Against Tesla Stores: Elon Musk Weighs InTesla Motors is facing a formidable opponent it may not have sufficiently appreciated: the auto dealers of America, and their state associations. Tesla, you may remember, is selling its electric cars online, not through franchised, independently owned dealers, and delivering them directly to buyers...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S: Most Important New Car Since Ford Model T?There's no denying that the Ford Model T is one of the most important cars of all time. It jump-started the auto industry as we now know it. But Tesla is looking to change the automotive industry, and the new 2012 Model S just might be the most important new car since the Model T. Let's start with...
Joel Feder -
Romney Slams Tesla, Fisker Again In Final Presidential DebateThe CEOs of Tesla and Fisker may have thought they were home free--but it was not to be. Both startup electric-car companies were named at the very end of last night's third and final presidential debate. Republican candidate Mitt Romney didn't repeat his charge that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S Signature Series: Is It Worth The Premium?The first 1,000 or so 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedans to be delivered to U.S. customers will be fully-loaded, limited-edition "Signature" cars. But as delivery dates slip due to early production snags, some owners of Signature cars--called "Sigs" within the Tesla clan--grumble that they're...
David Noland -
Tesla Free Supercharger Network Now Officially Open, Ready To UseJust under a month ago, Tesla Motors held a gala event at its Hawthorne, California design studio to mark the switching on of its proprietary Supercharger rapid charging network. On Friday, Tesla held official ribbon cutting ceremonies at four of its six initial Supercharger locations, making them...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield