Tesla Model S News
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A recent 1,200-mile East Coast road trip in my 2013 Tesla Model S electric car proved to be something of a turning point in my view of the car. Fitted with the smaller 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack, my car's EPA range of 208 miles was not quite enough to make it between Superchargers--Tesla's proprietary ultra-fast DC charging stations--at normal Interstate speeds in cold weather. So I faced a Hobson's choice. I could extend the car's range by driving 60 mph in the slow lane, with the heat off, or loiter in the customer lounges of Nissan dealers along the way, while my car picked up the extra...
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Tesla, Irvine Fire Dept Disagree Over Cause Of Garage Fire
Authorities are currently investigating the causes of a fire in a garage in Southern California that contained a Tesla Model S. While the actual cause of the fire remains undetermined, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and the Orange County Fire Authority are publicly disputing possible causes, thought to...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla To Add Production Capacity For 35,000 More Electric Cars
Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is gearing up for increased production over the next few years with the aid of healthy tax breaks from its home state of California. It'll save the company as much as $34.7 million on the purchase of $415 million of new manufacturing equipment, says SFGate--and would allow...
Antony Ingram -
Road Trips In A Tesla Model S Electric Car: Lessons Learned
It's one facet of the American myth: Get in your car, drive away from wherever you are, take the road trip. Think crossing the country to find the California Dream. Think Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Think buddy movies. MORE: Tesla Model S Road Trip: 1,200 West Coast Electric-Car Miles More...
John Voelcker -
Life With Tesla Model S East-Coast Road Trip: Freeze In Slow Lane, Or Languish At Nissan Dealers?
After reading George Parrott's article yesterday about his effortless 1,200-mile West Coast road trip along Tesla's Supercharger Highway, I have only one thing to say. "George, you lucky bastard." You see, I too recently made a 1,200-mile journey in my Tesla Model S. And it wasn't quite so...
David Noland -
Tesla Model S Road Trip: 1,200 West Coast Electric-Car Miles
600 miles in a day in the all-electric Tesla Model S
George Parrott -
This started out as a feel-good article about another great experience I had with Tesla's extraordinary service program. But it morphed into a detective story that apparently solves the mystery of why my 60-kWh 2013 Tesla Model S still suffered a significant "vampire" power drain, even after downloading new software that was supposed to tame the beast. Almost from the beginning, the Model S has consumed a significant amount of power when turned off and parked. Last winter, shortly after purchasing my Model S, I measured this "vampire" draw at about 4.5 kWh per day--enough juice to drive about...
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UPDATE: Tesla Wins Vs Ohio Car Dealers, Amendment Defeated
Once more into the fray: Another state's car dealers are pushing for legislation to ban Tesla Motors from selling its electric cars directly to buyers. This time it's Ohio. And legislators have unexpectedly moved up a hearing on the new law to today, according to a letter from Tesla Motors...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla's Elon Musk Expects NHTSA To Clear Model S In Fires
It's been a bumpy few months for electric car maker, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. While enjoying the highs of high customer satisfaction and continued praise for the Model S electric sedan, the company has also endured high scrutiny for a trio of accident-related fires in its vehicles. CEO Elon Musk...
Antony Ingram -
Life With Tesla Model S: Even After Update, Vampire Draw Remains
The Tesla Model S, for all its technical and design artistry, has a dirty little secret: the car has a substantial appetite for kilowatt-hours even when turned off and parked. Since the Model S was introduced in 2012, this "vampire" power drain from the cars sold so far has consumed roughly 15...
David Noland -
Consumer Reports Says Tesla Model S Customer Satisfaction Highest
Tesla might have had a bad day this week, but every cloud has a silver lining. While the NHTSA rebukes it for reporting a five-plus star crash test rating and the company suffers the departure of sales supremo George Blankenship, Model S customers couldn't be happier. In fact, their customer...
Antony Ingram -
Bad Day For Tesla: Sales VP Blankenship Out, NHTSA Threat
There must be days where Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk feels his multiple burdens more acutely than others. Today may be one, because yesterday was not a good day for Tesla. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a new set of publicity rules for its crash-testing...
John Voelcker -
It's been quite a month for Tesla Motors and its CEO, Elon Musk. In the wake of three fires in Model S electric luxury sedans, a tsunami of media coverage about those fires, and a falling stock price--which may or may not be directly related--the company went on the offensive yesterday. MORE: Tesla Fires: What We Know, And What We Need To Find Out Musk posted a long message on the company's website, saying that Tesla was taking three separate actions to address the fires and the public perceptions of Model S safety. First, he wrote, the company will update the software on Model S cars to...
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Workers Burned In Industrial Accident At Tesla Motors Plant
Three workers have suffered burns in an accident at the Fremont, California assembly plant, where Tesla Motors builds its Model S electric car. According to the company, a low-pressure aluminum casting press failed on Wednesday afternoon, spilling hot metal onto the workers. All three employees...
Antony Ingram -
How Tesla May Beef Up Its Model S Battery Protection System
Unless your name is Brinks, you rarely hear the words "armor" and "car" mentioned in the same sentence. But two recent widely-publicized fires in the Tesla Model S electric car have put the spotlight on how its battery pack is protected from severe impacts underneath the car. MORE: Tesla Fires...
David Noland -
Tesla's Elon Musk: Model S Fires Overhyped, Car Is Safe
Recent fires of Tesla Model S electric cars aren't worrying the company's CEO, Elon Musk--at least publicly. In a recent CNBC interview (via Forbes), the Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] founder said reports of the fires were little more than an overreaction by the press--and that Tesla's cars are still...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Fires: What We Know, And What We Need To Find Out
There have now been three separate fires among roughly 20,000 Tesla Model S electric luxury sedans on the world's highways. The most recent one, two days ago, seems to have set off a fresh round of Internet fulmination--combined with much opining on what the news would do to the falling stock price...
John Voelcker -
Yes, A Tesla Model S Can Hit 132 MPH On The Autobahn (Video)
A few weeks back at the opening of a Tesla Motors service center in Munich, Elon Musk told a room full of fans and journalists that Tesla would offer a special tuning package for high-speed Model S driving. It makes a lot of sense--sections of Germany's Autobahn network are among the few roads on...
Antony Ingram -
For the second month in a row, the best-selling car in Norway is powered by electricity.
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From Apple To Tesla: Woz Follows The Trend, Buys Model S
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has had his eye on a Model S electric car for some time.
Stephen Edelstein -
Panasonic Will Expand Battery Cell Supply For Tesla's Rising Production
Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and technology company Panasonic have been working together for several years now, and that relationship is set to expand as Tesla seeks to meet its future battery needs. The two companies have reached an agreement for future automotive-grade lithium-ion battery supply...
Antony Ingram -
NHTSA: No Further Probe Of Tesla Model S Electric-Car Fire
The NHTSA said it will not formally investigate the fire that engulfed a Tesla Model S electric car in Washington state.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model S To Offer 'Autobahn' Tuning For Top Speed Over 130 MPH
Most countries have their own road rules and regulations and it's no surprise that driving conditions and car requirements vary greatly as a result. One such country is Germany, where some sections of freeway--or Autobahn--have long been de-restricted. In other words, they have no posted speed...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Cars To Use AT&T Wireless Internet Service
AT&T will support the many Model S functions that rely on wireless Internet connections.
Stephen Edelstein