Tesla Model S News
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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 the Model S, the upcoming Model X electric SUV, and the company's planned mass-market Model E sedan. Among the Model X highlights: The Model X will have the same wheelbase as the Model S, and its length will be within 5 cm (about 2 inches). Width will be the same too. The Model X, of course, will be...
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Cross-Country Tesla Trip? Done! How About Texas To Panama?
It was only a matter of time. Produce an electric car with enough range, and the journeys it can realistically achieve become almost limitless. There have been a flurry of coast-to-coast trips recently as Tesla opens up its countrywide Supercharger network, but perhaps the most impressive trip...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Already Among Top 10 Car Brands In Consumer Reports Survey
Image is vitally important to car brands. It's what makes people want your vehicles. A strong image leads to healthy brand perception, and that spreads. It even allows people to overlook the odd fault here and there, easing your company through rough patches. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has done much...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S Drag Races: Noisy Or Very Quiet, Your Choice (Videos)
See a drag race between a Tesla Model S P85 and a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51, or one between a Model S... and another Model S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Which State Has The Highest Percentage Of Electric Cars? No, Not CA
California has something of a reputation for being an electric car haven. The state has always been concerned about pollution, offers healthy incentives for those wishing to purchase an electric vehicle, and if you're keen to charge using solar power, there's an abundance of sun to make the most of...
Antony Ingram -
Had To Happen: High-Performance Tesla Model S From Saleen On The Way
Saleen Automotive is well-known for its high-performance tuning on familiar models like the Ford Mustang. But what car do you choose if you want to tackle an electric model? Given the Ford connection, maybe the Focus EV? Perhaps the high-selling Nissan Leaf? No--instead you go for an electric car...
Antony Ingram -
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 friends. It began with the sound of a frigid rain on the roof of Robin and Rosie's place in Ormond Beach. ( I keep outrunning the Polar Vortex, but then it keeps catching up.) MORE: Tesla Model S: NY-To-FL Trip, Days 1-2: From Home To South Carolina The Model S, plugged into a 120-Volt household...
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Tesla Model S: NY-To-FL Trip, Day 3, South Carolina To Florida
The third day of my New York-to-Florida electric-car road trip, using the newly completed string of Supercharger stations along the East Coast, brought me almost to my destination in Florida. Here's how the most recent leg of my journey went. DAY 3: Santee, South Carolina, to Ormond Beach, Florida...
David Noland -
When Is A 'Recall' Not A Recall? When Tesla Updates Over The Air, Apparently
Elon Musk might have been taking a risk by challenging the NHTSA on its recall terminology, but he does seem to have people on his side on the issue. Not just our readers either, who were particularly vocal on the subject when details of the recall emerged the other day. Former NHTSA administrator...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S: NY-To-FL Trip, From Home To South Carolina
So far, the New York-to-Florida electric-car road trip in my 2013 Tesla Model S is progressing pretty much according to plan. That's not to say I haven't learned a few things in traveling via the newly-completed network of Tesla Supercharger DC quick-charging stations. One of them would be that...
David Noland -
Tesla Grapples With Charging-Cable Troubles In Norwegian Cold
With truly Arctic temperatures hitting the U.S. and Canada over the past month, North Americans probably don't have a great deal of sympathy for their counterparts in Norway as winter finally closes in. But the Norwegian winter is causing plenty of trouble for Tesla Model S owners in the country...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S NY-To-FL Winter Getaway, Via Supercharger
It's late January in upstate New York: 8 degrees F, with cloudy, light snow drifting down. The long-range forecast predicts non-stop sub-freezing temperatures for the next eight days. I need to get the hell out of here. Time for a road trip. MORE: Tesla Superchargers Now Opening Fast, Cross-Country...
David Noland -
Just a couple of years ago, traveling cross-country in an electric car would have required a great deal of planning and a great deal of time. But with Tesla's Model S and its 265 miles of EPA-rated range in 85 kWh form, it takes little more thought than in any other vehicle. Throw in a cross-country network of free-to-use Supercharger fast-charge stations and it's a trip any Model S owner can now do. There's one such voyage going on right now, with updates appearing in the Tesla Motors forum. It's turning into quite the trip, and the two drivers, a father and daughter team, are set to reach...
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Tesla Gets Its Brand Name Back In China, Via Court Decision
With Tesla having announced the price of its Model S electric car in China yesterday, one question remained unanswered: What name would the cars actually be sold under? As of this week, the company can now legally use the brand name "Tesla" on its cars--which it had not previously been able to do...
John Voelcker -
Tesla & China: Priced At $121,000, Country Could Be Biggest Market, Musk Says
$121,000 sounds like a lot of money for the Tesla Model S, considering you can pick up the 85 kWh car in the U.S. from $80,000 or so, before incentives. And it is a lot of money, but in China, where that price tag will be attached, Tesla promises it represents good value for buyers. CEO Elon Musk...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Superchargers Now Opening Fast, Cross-Country Route Close
After a disappointing 2013, a year in which Tesla fell short of ambitious goals for expanding its Supercharger network, the company has picked up the pace remarkably. Just last week, seven new Superchargers came on line, the latest of a wave of 40 of the proprietary Supercharger DC fast-charging...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S Road Trip To Arrive In DC Over Presidents Day Weekend
Tesla owners will converge on Washington, D.C. Presidents Day weekend for some electric-car camaraderie.
Stephen Edelstein -
How Many Tesla Model S Electric Cars Have Been Built So Far?
Car production data may cause some eyes to glaze over, but the numbers are closely followed in the auto industry. Electric-car maker Tesla Motors doesn't report its exact sales, nor its precise production, so a cottage industry has sprung up to track its alleged production. MORE: Tesla's Next...
John Voelcker -
Every carmaker puts its own interpretation on news, especially at Detroit Auto Show. So it's reasonable for Tesla Motors to cast an NHTSA recall yesterday as an example of its ability to respond swiftly and effectively to update its Model S electric car to make the customer experience even better. The NHTSA recall (number 14V006000), issued yesterday, applies to 2013 Model S cars "equipped for, and delivered with, certain NEMA 14-50 (240 volt) Universal Mobile Connector (UMC) adapters." The safety concern is that while the Model S is recharging, the wall outlet, the charging cord, or the...
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Tesla To Upgrade Electric-Car Wall Chargers For Further Fire Protection
Tesla will follow up a December software update with upgraded charger connectors to prevent overheating.
Stephen Edelstein -
2013 Tesla Model S Electric Car: Consumer Reports Still In Love
After a year of driving, Consumer Reports is still enamored with the Tesla Model S.
Stephen Edelstein -
Buying A Tesla In China: Just Call It 'Te Su Le'?
Tesla Motors is selling cars in China without a Chinese name.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Updates Software To Cut Charging If Wiring May Be Bad
Recently, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has had to deal with the latest in a line of high-profile fire events involving one of its cars. While the original events were triggered as the result of accidents though, the latest was a garage fire, the cause of which is still unconfirmed. Tesla, quick to...
Antony Ingram -
Electric-Car Maker Tesla Is The Highest-Trending Car Brand On Google
For any new company, creating recognition of its product and its branding is one of the most difficult things to achieve. If internet search terms are to be believed--and as a mark of how much people are trying to find out about something, they're pretty important--Tesla Motors has certainly...
Antony Ingram