David Noland, Contributor
Articles
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As a long-time Tesla Model S owner—almost two years now—I was naturally eager to get behind the wheel of the new dual-motor P85D.
I’d had a couple of brief stints in 416-hp P85...
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Tesla Model S Vs BMW i3: Electric-Car Efficiency Comparison Test
The EPA has dubbed the all-electric 2014 BMW i3 the most efficient production car sold in the U.S., with an impressive 125 MPGe rating--the best of any electric vehicle. By comparison, my 2013 Tesla Model S with an 85-kilowatt-hour battery is rated at only 89 MPGe. That's a hefty 39-percent...
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Indiana Utility: Electric-Car Owners Recharge FREE, At Night
Electric-car owners know that home recharging is virtually always cheaper, on a per-mile basis, than driving on gasoline. In some cases, it's considerably cheaper. We recently reported on the sweet deal enjoyed by a Tesla Model S owner in Indianapolis, whose local utility charges just 2.3 cents per...
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Life With Tesla Model S: Tires Cost Me More Than My 'Fuel' Does
I always knew electric cars were cheap to run, but this is ridiculous. After I bought the first set of replacement tires for my 2013 Tesla Model S (at 26,000 miles), I crunched the numbers and came to a startling conclusion: I've spent substantially less per mile for my electric "fuel" than I have...
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2014 Tesla Model S: Killing 3 Versions, 2 Colors, Some Options
In an effort to simplify its assembly process and boost production rates, Tesla Motors has streamlined its 2014 Tesla Model S electric-car lineup and eliminated several variants. Specifically, the California carmaker will no longer offer its P85 and P85+ performance versions in rear-wheel-drive...
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Motor Trend Reviews Tesla P85D, Drools & Froths Uncontrollably
Been searching for stratospheric levels of soaring, over-the-top, heavens-rattling hyperbole lately? You will do no better than the recent road test of the Tesla Model S P85D, published on Monday by Motor Trend. That's the new dual-motor all-wheel-drive version of its signature electric car...
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After 20 months and 26,000-plus miles, I finally spent my first dollar on maintenance for my 2013 Tesla Model S.
Almost 2,000 of them, in fact.
The total was $1,858--the cost of four new tires and...
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Puzzling New Power Numbers For Tesla Model S: What's the Deal?
Last week, while the press and Tesla owners were entranced by the introduction of the dual-motor Tesla Model S P85D with all-wheel drive, Tesla quietly changed the listed horsepower ratings for all three single-motor versions of its Model S electric sport sedan. Since their introduction in 2012...
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Tesla Model S Dual-Motor Is Quicker, Has Higher Range Too: How Do They Do That? (UPDATED)
How can you add all-wheel drive to an electric car, making it hundreds of pounds heavier--and still increase its efficiency and range? Amid all of last week's hoopla over the blazing performance of the all-wheel-drive Tesla Model S P85D--0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, 155-mph top speed--what really...
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Life With Chevy Volt: 3 Years & 35,000 Miles Later, It's Over
It was a sad day. After three years, 34,752 miles, roughly 7,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity, and 327 gallons of gas, I said good-bye to my 2011 Chevy Volt last week. Its lease was up, and there was no one left in the family to drive it. I've been at the wheel of a Tesla Model S for the last 18...
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk's Personal Touch: Secret To His Success?
How does a car-company CEO get to be a rock star? It helps, of course, if your company makes a five-passenger luxury sedan that outdrags a Porsche 911, uses half the energy of a Prius, and has the highest crash-safety rating ever recorded. But Elon Musk has done something else to separate himself...
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2014 BMW i3 REx Vs Chevy Volt: Range-Extended Electric Cars Compared
Until recently, the Chevy Volt was the only range-extended electric car available in the U.S. I've driven a Volt for almost three years now, and it's been a splendid car--quiet, smooth, peppy, and amazingly economical. New REx on the block But now the Volt has a formidable new competitor: the new...
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It was a car company's worst public-relations nightmare.
Edmunds.com, the widely-read automotive website, bought a Tesla Model S for long-term testing in February 2013. After nine months and 11,000...
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2014 BMW i3: What A Tesla Driver Thinks Of New Electric BMW
Several reports in general news media recently have touted the new 2014 BMW i3 electric car as a serious challenger to the Tesla Model S. One writer even went so far as to label the i3 a "Tesla killer." Dream on. There's no way a frumpy-looking little 2+2 city car is going to challenge the mighty...
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Owning A Tesla Model S: New Book Offers Tips, Tricks, Inside Info (Book Review)
Regular readers of Tesla forums will recognize the name of Nick J. Howe, whose hundreds of astute comments recently earned him accolades for "best forum postings over time," according to a reader poll. A Florida chemical engineer and owner of a Tesla Model S P85, Howe has technical savvy, dogged...
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2014 BMW i3 Test Drive: No Help From Salesman For Electric-Car Buyer
Every time I visit a conventional car dealership to test-drive an electric car, I'm struck by the salesman's lack of savvy about plug-in cars. The first time I drove a Chevy Volt three years ago, the salesman barely knew how to turn the car on, and had no clue about electric cars in general. The...
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Life With Tesla Model S: New Northeastern Superchargers Now Live
As the owner of a Tesla Model S in New York's Hudson Valley, I've long lamented the puzzling dearth of Superchargers in the Northeastern U.S. But in the last few weeks, the official opening of two of Tesla's superfast (120-kilowatt) free DC charging stations in New Jersey and upstate New York--both...
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Life With Tesla Model S: Battery Safety Shield In Detail (Photos)
When I first heard last week that Tesla was offering Model S owners a free retrofit that would install its new underbody shield and deflector plates, I called my local Tesla Motors service center almost immediately. It seemed like a no-brainer. The titanium shield and two aluminum deflector plates...
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Two days ago, I described in this article a frightening incident in my Tesla Model S. Approaching a downhill intersection, I inadvertently stepped on both the brake and accelerator pedals...
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Life With Tesla Model S: One Year And 15,000 Miles Later
Well, it's now been a year since I took delivery of my dark green 2013 Tesla Model S with the 60-kilowatt-hour battery. After almost four years of waiting, those first days after delivery were euphoric. As I recall, the words "greatest freaking car in the entire freaking Universe" (or thereabouts)...
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Has U.S. Demand For The Tesla Model S Electric Car Stabilized?
Last month, Tesla Motors reported deliveries of a record 6,892 Model S vehicles during the fourth quarter of 2013. Giddy investors promptly sent Tesla shares zooming higher. But many of those cars--Tesla isn't saying how many--were delivered to Europe. And if you look closely, there are signs that...
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Life With Tesla Model S: NY-FL Supercharger Road Trip, Returning
Last week, in the middle of a prolonged and depressing stretch of winter weather in New York's Hudson Valley, I decided I had to get the hell out. Time for a road trip to a warm place. It was a perfect opportunity to test out Tesla's new East Coast Supercharger Highway, the just-completed string of...
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Elon Musk Talks Tesla Model X Details, Model S Upgrades, At Europe Q+A Sessions
Tesla Motors is notoriously stingy with information about its cars and future plans, to the great frustration of news-hungry Model S owners and fans. But in a Q & A session in Norway on February 1, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the company's CTO JB Straubel revealed several intriguing tidbits about...
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Tesla Model S: NY-To-FL Trip, Day 4, Florida Destination--Made It!
The final segment of my New York-to-Florida electric-car road trip, made possible through Tesla's new network of Supercharger stations along the East Coast, provided what I'd come for--time spent with old comrades--but it started gloomy. The grueling 380-mile day was brightened by the kindness of...
David Noland