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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla firmware update videos, Mercedes S500 Plug-In Hybrid

See the Tesla Model S with Firmware 6.0 in action in new videos from Teslarati. The large software update includes improved traffic-based navigation, a calendar function, updated power management, "Location-Based Smart Air Suspension" as well as other improvements. Drivers get more route options to save energy, and more control over how the car saves energy. The car can also remember ride height settings when driving in those same locations again. Additionally, you can start and drive the car without a key, just using the smartphone app. See how it all works in the videos below, the second of which focuses on pairing with the updated phone app. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has deemed ride-hailing app Uber's carpooling service illegal. The way the UberPool service is categorized by the CPUC, charging multiple riders separate fares for a single ride runs afoul of the law. The technical details are a bit convoluted, and what supporters could deem arbitrary, but Forbes delves into the details a bit further to try to make sense of California's intentions (even considering the possibility of other ride services, such as airport shuttle companies, fueling the fire). Lyft - which operates a similar service called LyftLine - and Sidecar have also received notices from the CPUC. Read more at Forbes. China's recent enthusiasm for electric vehicles could be largely attributed to a single person, Ma Kai. After the Politburo member was named vice premier, he encouraged maintaining and increasing EV subsidies when China sought to decrease them. He also seems ready to fight for more EV deregulation to encourage more clean vehicles. Read more about Ma Kai and what he's done for China's EV legislation at Automotive News. Mercedes-Benz begins deliveries of the S500 Plug-In Hybrid this month. The high-tech luxury PHEV features energy saving modes based on driver, route and traffic, and features a haptic accelerator that can signal when the driver should ease off to save power. It's powered by a biturbocharged V6 and 85-kW electric motor. Its 8.7-kWh battery offers about 20 miles of electric driving. The S500 plug-in starts at about $146,000. Read more in the press release below. 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.

Saleen Tesla Model S announced as tuner's first EV

Saleen has made its name on building some of the meanest modern muscle cars around, which was why it was so surprising when it announced in December that its next project will go electric. Has the famed pony car modifier lost its mind? Or is it right in thinking the performance potential of the Tesla Model S is too big to ignore?
Details remain scant about the project, but Saleen promises to transform the Model S into an electric supercar. Power is getting a boost but exactly how much more than Tesla's own 416-horsepower Model S P85 is not known. Saleen has also not set a completion date for the car yet, but it promises that renderings and specs will be ready soon. The only real detail that Saleen gives about its version of the Model S is that it has "a revolutionary design all our own," so we're expecting some visual differentiation to go with its inevitable augmented power.
"I fully intend to produce one of the most compelling Tesla's to ever hit the roadway," said Steve Saleen, company founder and CEO. You can read the entire brief press release below.

Tesla Model X to outsell Model S, 'devour' premium SUV market

It's still about a year away, but the arrival of the Tesla Model X is already expected to have a major impact on the premium SUV market. According to Morgan Stanley, the all-electric Model X, Tesla's third model following the Roadster and Model S sedan, is "ready to feast" on the current crop of high-end SUVs.
Not only does Morgan Stanley expect the Model X to do well against other vehicles in its class, it's expecting the new SUV to even outpace the critically acclaimed Model S, with the X accounting for a larger share of sales by the end of 2016. The sales boost provided by the Model X should also contribute to a healthy jump in Tesla's current $250 stock price. MS is expecting Tesla shares to hit about $320, and has called it a "top pick in US autos," according to The Los Angeles Times.
As for how Morgan Stanley is expecting such strong results for a car that literally no one outside of Tesla has driven, it cites Elon Musk's company's increased access to both money and technological expertise relative to the Model S project. The firm also points to Tesla's larger investments in the Model X project so far.