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Questions bubble up about Tesla Model S sales numbers

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that releasing monthly sales numbers allows the media, "to read all sorts of nonsense into the deliveries." He said that with the company's irregular delivery schedule – 1,000 in a country one month, only a handful the next – the spikes and valleys would not give an accurate picture of the company's actual orders or demand. But, when there's no transparency, people will go looking for answers – or nonsense. Daily Kanban found only 17,819 Model S EVs were registered between January and September 2014. Case in point: Tesla Model S sales, which everyone wants to know about but no one is quite sure about. The best we can do is the quarterly delivery numbers that Tesla does release. For 2014, the official numbers released so far add up to 21,821 (1Q: 6,457, 2Q: 7,579, 3Q: 7,785). That's for the first three quarters, or from January through the end of September, and represents global deliveries. But Daily Kanban obtained global data for all sorts of electric cars from JATO and discovered that there were only 17,819 Model S EVs registered around the world between January and September 2014, a difference of 4,002. Previously, Daily Kanban quoted John Lovallo, a research analyst at Merrill Lynch, saying that Tesla might have around 3,000 Model S EVs, "in inventory or in transit," and is curious to know what's going on. While this next comparison isn't perfect because the dates don't match up, we can take a look at sales of the Nissan Leaf to see how the official and JATO numbers compare. Nissan said in the middle of January 2014 that it sold a cumulative 100,000 Leafs and then announced towards the end of November that it had sold 150,000 total. JATO's numbers show that Nissan sold 44,897, globally, between January and September. We certainly don't know if the different between JATO's number and the official Tesla figures represent a delay in how fast people register their cars or if something else is going on. We have asked Tesla for a comment and for more detailed sales numbers, but have not gotten a response. We do know that, while not ideal, monthly sales data can sometimes be quite helpful in figuring out what's going on in the industry.

Recharge Wrap-up: Will.i.am's custom Tesla, Mahindra's Formula E livery

Take a look at Will.i.am's custom Tesla Model S caught on video in the wild in Beverly Hills. The over-the-top body kit comes from Black Eyed Peas member's own so-called car company, IAMAUTO. The deep-dish wheels appear to recede into nothingness, and the placement of the handles gives away the car's suicide rear doors, which a valet opens slightly at one point in the video. Overall, the custom job gives the EV a wide, low, and extremely chunky look. The man behind the camera gets a good view from a variety of angles, though whether there is actually a good angle for this particular Tesla is up for debate. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Teslarati. 1,635 Smart cars traveled in a parade through Hamburg, Germany as part of Smart Times 2016. At the 16th such gathering of Smart enthusiasts and their vehicles, the group beat the former world record of 1,427 parading cars at Smart Times 2014 in Cascais, Portugal. In addition to meeting with like-minded fans and showing off their fuel-sipping and electric runabouts, Smart Times attendees had the opportunity to test drive new models, talk to designers and tuners, enjoy live music, and meet beach volleyball players Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst, who arrived in a golden Smart Fortwo Cabriolet. There will be yet another opportunity to set a new record next year, when the Smart community will descend upon Salou, Spain. Read more from Daimler. ChargePoint is offering 10 percent off its ChargePoint Home EV charger. In honor of National Drive Electric Week, the deal on the 32-amp charging station is good until September 18, 2016. ChargePoint Home comes in hardwired and plug-in versions with either an 18- or 25-foot cable, and is for sale on Amazon. Read more from ChargePoint. Mahindra Racing has new livery for the third season of Formula E. The livery for the team's M3Electro racecar debuted at Donington Park for the first round of preseason testing. Mahindra held an online contest called #DrivenByDesign to choose its new look, with the winning design created by Spanish artist Adria Haro Jorba. Pininfarina Chief Designer Fabio Filippini chose Haro Jorba's design, which visualizes the car's aerodynamics and makes use of India's national colors. Learn more in the press release from Mahindra Racing.

Unplugged Performance sweetens the look of your Tesla Model S for around $6,000

Tesla electric vehicles are no strangers to the tuner set. Saleen is working on a modified Model S. Brabus once offered neon for your Roadster. And new we find a number of body panel upgrades for the Model S from Unplugged Performance. Unplugged Performance has its offices right by the Tesla's Supercharger in Hawthorne, CA, and sales manager Mark Borushko told AutoblogGreen that Tesla employees often express their appreciation for what UP has done to change the look of the Model S. The upgrade parts are made in the US and were designed in-house by an ex-Ferrari guy, Borushko said. What upgrades are there? There's the front spoiler and diffuser (starting at $995), the rear spoiler and diffuser ($1,550), trunk spoiler ($895), side skirts ($1,450) and the Complete Front Fascia System ($1,000). Those prices are all for the unpainted parts. Add a few hundred bucks to each to upgrade to matching paint colors or carbon fiber parts. Borushko said that in the year that Unplugged Performance has been around, they've sold about 30 kits – meaning one of everything – worldwide. There are people who just buy just the trunk spoiler, for example, he said, but about 90 percent of UP's customers opt for the full kit. Borushko said UP will have to see if there's interest in a kit for the Model X, but there likely will be. Unplugged Performance is a part of Bulletproof Automotive, which offers upgrades for all sorts of vehicles. The Unplugged Performance phone number is the same as the one for Tesla Everything, so we're pretty sure someone over there is a big Model S fan.