Tesla All, page #31

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder hasn't yet signed anti-Tesla legislation

The nation's auto dealers are taking their fight against Tesla and its direct method of selling cars to consumers to the symbolic heart of the auto industry. In Michigan, a bill that would entrench the existing dealer networks and prohibit direct car sales to buyers has passed both the state's house and senate, and awaits Gov. Rick Snyder's signature. A spokesperson for Snyder says a determination on whether he'll sign the legislation has not yet been made. "Right now, the staff is doing its due diligence and studying the bill," spokesperson Dave Murray said. Snyder has until Tuesday to act on the bill. Fighting this sort of legislation is nothing new for Tesla, which has already lost such legislative fights against auto dealers in Texas, New Jersey, Maryland and other states. "We're fighting these actions as they come up," said James Chen, vice president for regulatory affairs and associate general counsel at Tesla. While Snyder's staff said the governor has not yet made up his mind, executives from Detroit's Big Three automakers and state car dealers are some of the top individual donors to his ongoing campaign to retain the governorship. Campaign records show Martha Ford has given $10,200 to the Snyder campaign, while her brother, William Clay Ford Jr., has donated $3,400. Edsel B. Ford II has also given $3,400 to Snyder, who is in a tight race against Democratic challenger Mark Schauer. Michigan car dealer magnate Paul Alandt has donated $6,800 to the Snyder campaign. His wife, Lynn Ford Alandt, daughter of Benson Ford, has donated $6,200 so far in this election cycle. Other car dealers that have given to Snyder include: Richard Garber Jr., president of Garber Chevrolet in Saginaw, Michigan; Howard Cooper, past owner of Howard Cooper Honda in Ann Arbor; Joseph Sesi, president of Sesi Motors in Ann Arbor; Michael Savoie of Savoie Chevrolet in Troy, Michigan; John Kudner of Art Moehn Chevrolet and David Fisher of The Suburban Collection, which touts itself as Michigan's largest car dealer. All have given between $2,000 and $4,000, according to election records collected by the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonpartisan archive of contributions to political campaigns.

Musk: Tesla's first battery swap station to open before end of year

For us, the lede was certainly buried in this Automotive News post about the new Tesla D models. In a casual way, AN lets us know that, Tesla CEO Elon Musk "said that Tesla plans to open its first [battery swap] station, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, within the next two months." Well, that's news, isn't it? The last time we hear anything official about the Model S swap stations, which can replace an empty battery pack with a full one in just 90 seconds, was a long time ago. Tesla first showed off the technology in June of 2013 and claimed that the first station would open in California in the fourth quarter of 2013. Since then it's been ... quiet as the electric vehicle company was busy with other projects. In fact, while Tesla was busy getting the D ready, starting to sell the Model S in a number of new countries and working on the Gigafactory as well as new models, some people were thinking that the whole battery swap stations were a hoax, despite that demonstration with journalists in attendance and a series of questions answered. Now that we're 60 days away from the first battery swap station – available, as always, in California first – we're excited to see how it actually works in the real world.

Elon Musk hints at need for franchised Tesla dealerships

The auto dealers around the US, the ones who are frantically trying to stop Tesla Motors from selling its cars directly to consumers, might just need to wait things out. The latest state to take an aggressive stance against Telsa's dealer-free policy is Michigan, but in an new interview with Autoline Daily, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that as the company grows, it may need to introduce franchised dealerships into its sales model. Currently, Tesla only sells vehicles directly to customers through a network of Tesla Stores. But that may not be enough once more vehicles – the Model X and the Model 3 – arrive and demand for the electric vehicles grows in all fifty states. According to Autoline Daily host John McElroy, when he asked Musk about future growth, Musk admitted that, "We may need a hybrid system, with a combination of our own stores and some dealer franchises." That's a big turn around from Musk's previous claims that normal dealerships can't properly sell electric vehicles and that, if necessary, Tesla would try to change the laws nationwide to allow direct sales, a strategy that has had its share of successes, including surprising support from the FTC. Still, selling a few thousand vehicles a month is a lot different than selling tens of thousands, and that's the sort of thing that Tesla's legislative director Jim Chen may have been thinking about when, in a closed-door regulatory meeting in the fall of 2013, he reportedly said that Tesla would stop its factory-direct-only policy once sales increased to some unspecified level, according to Hybrid Cars. You can see the AD video below. The Tesla news is first in the line-up. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Michigan gets into anti-Tesla legislation game

If you figured the home of the US car industry would be against messing with the age-old, franchised-dealer auto distribution system, you'd be right. Michigan, home to the Big Three US automotive companies (General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, now Fiat Chrysler), is moving towards officially disallowing companies like Tesla Motors from selling their cars directly to consumers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Tesla will naturally fight this, but it's one more challenge for the California-based automaker. Both chambers of Michigan's legislature approved bills banning automakers from selling cars to the public without doing so through a third-party franchised dealership. Tesla once again will rally against this, arguing that the uniqueness of its electric vehicles prevents third-party dealers from properly marketing the cars. Legislation like this continues to make its way through various states, with varying degrees of approval. Last month, the Georgia Automobile Dealers Association stated its intention to shut down Tesla's one state store and prevent two planned outlets from opening. Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Arizona have also taken a hardline approach to preventing direct automaker-to-public sales. Tesla has worked out compromises in other areas, for example with Pennsylvania in August. There, electric vehicles are now exempted from the franchised-dealer mandate.

Tesla talking to Slovakia about European EV plant

Ready for some far-flung Tesla news? How about a wild rumor out of Slovakia? You got it. The Slovak Spectator reports that Tesla might build a manufacturing plant there some day and is already in talks with the Economy Ministry and the Slovak Agency for Development of Investments and Trade. This was apparently confirmed to the newspaper by the EM, which also said the ministry offered Tesla an unspecified amount of investment aid (a smart move). Tesla spokesperson Liz Jarvis-Shean told AutoblogGreen simply, "This story seems quite speculative, and we don't comment on such rumors." Fair enough. We do know that Tesla is looking to open a manufacturing center in Europe, but that's unlikely to happen in the next few years, given that the CEO Elon Musk said recently that Tesla would need to sell 160,000 vehicles a year in Europe before building them there makes sense. Hard numbers of difficult to come by, but in the first four months of 2014, Tesla sold around 3,500 EVs in Europe, according to research firm JATO Dynamics. So, we have some time to cultivate some Slovakian sources.

How to get people to ignore your Tesla Model S

In a crowdfunding campaign that seems destined to fail (only $5 have been raised of a $25,000 target after two weeks), we find a master class in getting people to not care about a Tesla Model S. In short, you add a new look to a car that a lot of people think doesn't need one, apparently. Koncept Cars, a San Jose, California startup, wants to design and build "high-performance electric vehicles," according to the IndieGoGo page, which claims that the company's first project is the Koncept S Coupe. Of course, Koncept Cars isn't building the car at all, yet, it's just changing the look. Koncept Cars is asking for $25,000 in order to, "fabricate a front bumper mold, a rear bumper mold, and production of the first run of carbon fiber bumper sets." Should the next 18 days really turn around and a $50,000 level get reached, then Koncept Cars, "will be able to acquire an early model, pre-owned Model S for the coupe conversion." Long-term, Koncept Cars hopes to offer the Koncept S, "as a build package for Model S owners" and the company hopes to one day, "deliver a line of EVs that can charge through Tesla's global Supercharger network." Don't go looking for more at the Koncept Cars website because it is, well, a bit lacking. You can see more in the video below, where something appears to attack a Model S with some sort of Marvel comic ice blast. Hey, why not? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Watch Tesla unveil Model S D trim, with autopilot and acceleration demonstrations

By now, you surely have heard that Tesla has introduced autopilot functionality to its cars as well as an all-wheel-drive option. After ten days of rampant speculation leading up to the October 9th announcement, and then the dramatic reveal, pretty much everyone with an internet connection is aware that the California automaker's Model S now has a new bag of automated-driving tricks made possible by a fresh suite of sensors and software. Not to mention the ability to do a mind-boggling 3.2-second sprint to 60 miles per hour from a standstill with the P85D configuration. That all sounds pretty cool, but seeing is believing. To that end, guests were given an opportunity for a brief ride after the event to experience the most visceral aspects of the update for themselves. Going by the flurry of footage that's appeared online, they were pretty impressed. Now, Tesla has also released official video of the monster-robot-aided announcement for those who couldn't make it to the event, and we have it and a curated collection of clips from joyrides below, including one with the CEO himself at the wheel, giving an explainer to Bloomberg. Enjoy the ride(s), but beware, the last one has (enthusiastic) language that is NSFW. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Tesla Motors via YouTube Green Tesla Electric Videos

Unplugged Performance, BBS offering flashy 21-inch Model S wheel upgrade

Owners of the Tesla Model S love their cars. They love the emissions-free driving, the luxury and technology, range, looks and especially, it seems, the performance. The Model S isn't just clean, it's fast and fun. Now, Tesla owners looking to give their baby some hot shoes have an enticing new option, as Unplugged Performance has announced a set of 21-inch BBS wheels specific to the Model S. Unplugged Performance used its own experience with the Tesla Model S to identify its strengths and weaknesses to improve upon the factory wheels. The Unplugged Performance wheels use the same flow-formed manufacturing technology as the ones BBS supplies for the Ferrari F430 Challenge, providing plenty of strength. The Model S being a relatively heavy car, Unplugged Performance engineered the UP-01 to be able to support 2,145 pounds per wheel, nearly double the car's weight. Beside sheer strength, the BBS UP-01 wheels bring more to the table. Unplugged Performance designed the wheels to reduce the moment of inertia, offering better acceleration, deceleration and efficiency. The team also focused on wheel harmonics to provide a smoother ride with less vibration making its way into the cabin. The wheels are designed to work with all of the original Tesla components already on the car, such as lug nuts and tire pressure monitoring system, even the regular Model S 245/35ZR21 and P85+ 265/35ZR21 tires. Of course, the wheels need to look good, too. The UP-01 rims are coated in Asteroid Graphite that Unplugged Performance designed to go with any of the Tesla factory body colors. The wheels come with two sets of center caps: four branded with BBS and four Tesla factory center caps, to suit the driver's preferred look. The wheels also come with stainless steel wheel protectors made by BBS, which can be replaced in the case of any curb damage. The set comes with one spare wheel protector and additional ones can be purchased if needed. The wheel set is for sale at the Unplugged Performance website, priced at $3,995. Read on for more details in the press release from Unplugged Performance, below. BBS and Unplugged Performance Release Tesla Model S Upgraded Wheel Set Legendary F1 Wheel Maker BBS Partners with Unplugged Performance for Exclusive Tesla Wheel Hawthorne, CA – 10/06/2014 – Unplugged Performance, the leading Tesla-focused performance organization, announces the UP-01 wheel upgrade package co-developed and produced by world renowned wheel manufacturer BBS.

Panasonic ready to start big investment in Tesla Gigafactory

To paraphrase Dr. Evil from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, why spend a trillion when you could spend ... billions? That's what Panasonic is saying about its investment in Tesla's gigafactory, though there's a catch. The billions are in Japanese yen. Yes, Panasonic will invest "tens of billions of yen" into the Gigafactory slated for the great state of Nevada, Reuters says, citing comments from Panasonic Chief Executive Kazuhiro Tsuga. That's not exactly specific, but 10 billion yen is equal to about $92 million. We've heard Panasonic's share of the new factory could be as high as $2-3 billion, but at least now we have a starting point Whatever Panasonic's kicking in, Nevada is also ponying up a pretty penny. Last month, Tesla said it would build the factory near Reno after reaching an agreement that calls for about $1.2 billion in incentives from the state over a 20-year period. Tesla and lithium-ion battery maker Panasonic officially announced their gigafactory partnership in late July, though Panasonic wasn't talking numbers at the time. All told, the plant is expected to cost about $5 billion to build and is considered necessary for Tesla to reach the scale to build its planned $35,000 EV, the Model 3. That's because the factory is will have the capacity to produce about a half-million (no, we didn't say "billions") electric vehicles a year.

Cost to drop 691 horsepower in your Tesla Model S P85D? $14,600

Not mentioned during the much-hyped announcement event last night for the Tesla Model S Dual Motor "D" and Autopilot "A" options were how much those advancements will cost. Today, Tesla updated the Model S order page and those pesky little numbers are now available. As it turns out, opting for all of the features mentioned last night will add over $18,000 to the price of your $93,400 Model S P85. To get all of the benefits mentioned last night will add over $18,000 to the price of your Model S. Let's start by revealing the D's price. To add the second-motor to either the 60- or the 85-kWh Model S costs $4,000. That drops the 0-60 time by 0.2 seconds and ups the top speed by five miles per hour in the 60 (to 125 mph) and 30 mph in the 85 (to 155 mph). Interestingly, the overall horsepower output (according to Tesla) is 4 hp lower (376 compared to 380), but the car apparently gets the speed benefits by putting 188 hp on each axle. On the P85D, everything's different. Here, Tesla isn't just dividing the motor into two smaller versions. Instead, the old 470-hp motor is replaced by a "High Performance Dual Motor" setup that has a total output of 691 hp, 221 hp in the front and 470 hp in back. That's how you get the headline 3.2-second 0-60 time alongside the same 155 mph top speed, but the price tag jumps to $14,600 for the setup. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said last night that the tremendous drop in 0-60 time gets you 10 miles of extra range from the dual-motor setup. But if you don't need the quickness, you can go even further. Without the dual motors, an 85-kWh battery Model S can go 265 miles (EPA numbers). The standard 85D gets its range increased to 295 miles at 65 mph (according to Tesla's numbers) while the quicker P85D can "only" go 275 miles. Dual-motor Model S versions will begin deliveries in February 2015. The A option, officially called the "Tech Package with Autopilot," costs $4,250. This is the way that you can get your Model S to drive itself (on private property) and act as an active safety net to your own driving on public roads. Since all Model S EVs now come standard with a new forward-looking camera, radar and 360-degree ultrasonic sensors, the "Autopilot" part of the package would appear to be mostly a software switch. The rest of the package is rounded out by things like seven years of free navigation map updates, LED running lights, memory seats and more.