Tesla News

There's probably relief in Palo Alto this morning, as Tesla Motors executives quietly give thanks that their company was not named in last night's vice-presidential debate. The startup electric-car company in Silicon Valley was explicitly cited in last week's presidential debate by candidate Mitt...

Yesterday, the California Energy Commission approved a $10 million grant to Tesla Motors which it said would help the electric automaker prepare for the launch of its second mass-produced car, the Tesla Model X Crossover SUV. Under the terms of the agreement, Tesla will have to match the $10...

If we had to pick one word to describe Tesla Motors, "audacious" would be at the top of the list. Not only did founder Elon Musk decide to build a car company, which in itself is pretty gutsy. He chose to create a car company that builds nothing but electric cars -- pricey, high-end electric cars...

There’s no denying that electric cars have lots of torque from standstill, meaning they can out-accelerate most cars in the stop-light derby to 30 mph. But what happens beyond that? Could a car like the 2012 Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA] Model S Performance beat the sporty, race-bred 2013 BMW M5 in a...

One big advantage of electric cars is reduced maintenance. With no internal combustion engine, there is no oil to change, no exhaust system, no transmission, no myriad of moving parts to break or wear out, and no air or fuel filters to clog up. With regenerative braking, brake pads last virtually...

It’s no secret that electric cars sales in the U.S.--and elsewhere in the world--aren’t as high as automakers and electric car advocates would like. The reasons given for this are many and varied: some commentators say plug-in cars are simply too expensive; others say that the lack of...

It looks like Tesla may just have done it again. Compared to Nissan's challenged public responses to hot-weather range-loss problems in its Leaf electric car, a recent move by Tesla to offer free Supercharging to early buyers of the 60-kWh version of its 2012 Model S looks like brilliant customer...

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has weighed in with his verdict on startup electric-car maker Tesla Motors: It's a "loser." So, for that matter, is another startup that's still in business, Fisker Automotive. The two car companies were lumped in with a pair of bankrupt businesses...

Last week, Tesla Motors [NADAQ: TSLA] officially switched on the first six of its planned network of Supercharger charging stations. Designed to offer current -- and future -- Tesla models the ability to recharge at a rate of around 150 miles in just 30 minutes, Tesla’s Superchargers are the...

The price of Tesla Motors shares fell 10 percent yesterday, closing at $27.66--down $3 from the previous day's ending price--due to a reduced revenue forecast. As described in a statement filed with the SEC, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] says it will have sold only 2,700 to 3,225 cars by the end of the...

It all began with a late-night tweet two weeks ago by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. In it, he announced that Tesla would unveil its much-discussed Supercharger network of dedicated quick-charging stations--usable only by 2012 Tesla Model S drivers--on September 24. Well, today's the day. And this...

Following on from Elon Musk's announcement that Tesla is set to build 80 models this week--slowly ramping up production to hit its 5,000 end-of-year target--Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced it will open ten more stores in 2012. Tesla will add 10 stores to its 14 existing sites in North...

Along with the news that Tesla expects to build 80 Model S electric cars this week, CEO Elon Musk also released a few more details of the company's plans for additional models in 2016. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has already said that it will launch the Model X crossover within the next year or so...

The 2012 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is now in a race with time. The first production Model S was delivered in June, and Tesla has cautiously been ramping up production numbers while trying to keep initial quality high. But the company has said repeatedly it will sell 5,000 of its new...

Well, that didn't take long, did it? It's not unusual to see rare and exclusive cars pre-sold to buyers before cars are delivered--the practice has been going on for decades, every time the latest supercar hits the streets. We didn't expect to see a 2012 Tesla Model S sold so soon, though--and with...

To creep or not to creep? That is the question. As many hardened electric car fans will tell you, unlike gasoline cars with automatic gearboxes, not all electric cars move forward -- or creep -- when you release the foot brake. When Tesla launched the 2012 Model S, it, like unlike the two-seat...

The MotorTrend editorial team must have spent more time behind the wheel of the 2012 Tesla Model S than any other automotive journalists to date. Not only did MotorTrend get to borrow the personal 2012 Tesla Model S Signature Sport belonging to Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a few days to test the...

At last, my number's been called. As the holder of reservation number P 717 for a 2012 Tesla Model S, I've waited more than three years after putting down a $5,000 deposit on the sleek, all-electric sport sedan. Since then, Tesla has kept my interest percolating with e-mail updates and promotional...

Back in July, we told you about Frenchman Rafael de Mestre, and his Verne-inspired attempt to travel around the world in just 80 days in his all-electric Tesla Roadster. Using some clever social media, and a few video cameras to boot, de Mestre has live blogged his trip in detail, giving us the...

Electric cars are only as green as the means by which they get their power. While producing zero local emissions and propelled using efficient electric motors, ideally that electricity would be from a renewable source, rather than by burning fossil fuels or even using nuclear. That's not always...