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Tesla gigafactory will source materials from North America to keep things green

It's one thing for the Big 3 to get tires and engine parts from cities along the US Rust Belt. It's another thing altogether, though, for Tesla Motors to source far more esoteric materials like graphite, cobalt and lithium from Canada and the northern US. But that's what the California-based company has in mind, and it's all in the name of environmental friendliness and cost, Bloomberg News says. Tesla is looking to bring its raw-material sourcing to this side of the Pond by the time it opens its massive gigafactory that may produce as many as 500,000 vehicles annually, Bloomberg says, citing Tesla spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean. And while the raw-material price may be higher (and driven up further with the additional demand from Tesla), those costs may be offset by the fact that there will be far less transportation and logistics involved. "When all costs are considered, it should be cheaper to source most materials from as nearby as possible" - Tesla's Liz Jarvis-Shean "Transportation impacts are very significant on the heaviest raw materials if they need to be moved from halfway around the world," Jarvis-Shean wrote in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, adding that there will be additional cost savings from reduced shipping time and less transit-related working capital requirements. "In the long term, when all costs are considered, it should be cheaper to source most materials from as nearby as possible." There are geopolitical issues as well. For instance, China is shutting down some of its graphite mines because of pollution issues, while much of the world's cobalt comes from war-torn Congo, though Tesla says it gets its cobalt from the Philippines. Most of the graphite in Tesla's Model S is of the synthetic variety from Japan and Europe. Of course, Tesla's still trying to figure out where to put its gigafactory, and has said it will be in one of four states: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico or Texas. The factory will cost an estimated $5 billion and may support 6,500 jobs, so state governments are already starting to campaign to be the automaker's future production home. Regardless, Jarvis-Shean estimated that the sheer economies of scale from the gigafactory will reduce battery-pack costs per kilowatt hour for the company's "mass market" model (sometimes referred to as the Model E) by 30 percent after a full year of production.

Tesla loses fight to set up its own dealers in Texas

For a while there, it seemed like Tesla could do no wrong. But despite repaying its Department of Energy loans early, surging stock prices and even announcing a vast network of proposed Superchargers, Tesla is still in the fight of its life for how to get its cars sold.
According to Automotive News, the startup EV-maker lost its second straight battle to sell cars in dealerships that don't conform to state franchise laws restricting factory-owned dealerships. Earlier in the year, Tesla failed to get a dealer license in Virginia, and this time around, it will have to wait until at least 2015 to fight for an exemption in Texas. This means that Tesla's Houston and Austin showrooms are not actually allowed to sell vehicles. The report also adds that Tesla CEO Elon Musk could end up taking his case to the federal courts.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla's Cold Weather Blues

Cities in Oregon are looking into relocating underutilized EV chargers. With little data available at the time, and a lot of grant money to spend on installation, numerous public chargers were placed in locations that ended up being used very little. Now, some cities are considering moving certain chargers rather than building new ones. Factors to calculate - besides cost, of course - are the longer ranges of EVs being sold now, the amount of people charging at home, and the fact that many of the earlier public chargers are much slower than many of the quick chargers being deployed now. Read more at Plugin Cars. The Tesla Model S range indicator shows how much range is lost due to cold weather. Besides the green, yellow or red bars to show remaining driving range, there is also a blue indicator showing what portion of range is limited from the battery being cold. A message also states, "Less energy is available due to cold battery." The blue could indicate the amount of energy the car is reserving for thermal management of the battery, as the car works to warm the battery for optimal operation. See the discovery in the video below, or read more at Teslarati. Tony Posawatz has been appointed Non-Executive Director (NED) of Nexeon. The UK-based battery company develops silicon anode battery technology, which it says enables a "new generation" of more energy-dense lithium-ion batteries. Posowatz led the development of the Chevrolet Volt, led Fisker Automotive as CEO for a while, consults as president and CEO of Invictus iCar and has held roles in various other companies in the automotive and alternative energy fields. Posawatz follows former Nokia executive Antti Vasara, who was also named NED at Nexeon last month. Nexeon Chairman Dr. Paul Atherton says that Posowatz's experience with EV technology will "help Nexeon enormously in addressing the challenges and opportunities we face." Read more at Hybrid Cars, or in the press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Nexeon Appoints Top Automotive Expert to its Board of Directors Battery materials development company Nexeon has appointed Tony Posawatz as a Non-Executive Director (NED) with immediate effect. Posawatz is well known in the automotive industry for leading the team that brought the award-winning Chevrolet Volt from concept to production.