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Stellantis expects to hit emissions target without Tesla's help

Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday. Stellantis was formed through the merger of France's PSA and Italy's FCA, which spent about 2 billion euros ($2.40 billion) to buy European and U.S. CO2 credits from electric vehicle maker Tesla over the 2019-2021 period. "With the electrical technology that PSA brought to Stellantis, we will autonomously meet carbon dioxide emission regulations as early as this year," Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said in the interview with French weekly Le Point. "Thus, we will not need to call on European CO2 credits and FCA will no longer have to pool with Tesla or anyone." California-based Tesla earns credits for exceeding emissions and fuel economy standards and sells them to other automakers that fall short. European regulations require all car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions for private vehicles to an average of 95 grams per kilometer this year. A Stellantis spokesman said the company is in discussions with Tesla about the financial implications of the decision to stop the pooling agreement. "As a result of the combination of Groupe PSA and FCA, Stellantis will be in a position to achieve CO2 targets in Europe for 2021 without open passenger car pooling arrangements with other automakers," he added. Tesla's sales of environmental credits to rival automakers helped it to announce slightly better than expected first-quarter revenue this week. The next tightening of European regulations will soon be the subject of proposals from the European Commission. The 2030 target could be lowered to less than 43 grams/km. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Tesla Citroen Peugeot Emissions Stellantis

Elon Musk: Tesla Gigafactory location announcement coming late 2014

Tesla's Gigafactory is going to be a huge deal. So huge, in fact, that Tesla's not going to announce where it will be located until later this year. You may remember that, just a month ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that, "The No. 1 thing is we want to minimize the risk timing for the Gigafactory to get up and running." Well, apparently getting the timing right doesn't mean rushing to get things done before they're ready. 30 percent cost decrease is "probably conservative at this point" – Elon Musk The reason Tesla needs the Gigafactory, as you may remember, is to supply packs for the company's Gen 3 car, the EV that is supposed to cost $35,000 and be able to go over 200 miles on a charge. To get down to that price point, the batteries need to be cheaper, and Musk has said that the Gigafactory should reduce the per-kWh cost of a pack by "more than 30 percent." Speaking at the annual shareholder conference this week, Musk confirmed that planning for the battery plant is "quite advanced" and that Tesla is meeting daily with Panasonic, the other partner in the deal. Panasonic was originally unsure that those kinds of cost reductions could be achieved, Musk said, "but I think they are now convinced they can." In fact, he said 30 percent is "probably conservative at this point." The Gigafactory should be up and running by the "late 2016 timeframe," Musk said, right around the time the Gen 3 car will be ready for volume production. While there will still only be one Tesla Gigafactory to begin with, Musk said that Tesla might start the process in two or three states (as opposed to just one or two, as hinted earlier). "We're probably going to do two or maybe three states all the way to creating a foundation and completing the plans and getting approvals and everything," he said. Sounds like someone wants to be ready to build gigafactories #2 and #3 in a hurry if need be. We've got more from the meeting, including videos of Musk's talk, here and here. You can read Tesla's original Gigafactory proposal here (PDF).

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla's usable battery capacity uncovered, Opel Ampera-e costlier than BMW i3 in Norway

Tesla hacker Jason Hughes has uncovered the actual usable capacity of Tesla's batteries. While total capacity is used in the branding of the various versions of the Model S and Model X, the usable capacity is usually less than the "75" or "90" on the badge suggests. The outlier is the Model S 60 and 60D, and Model X 60D, which use the same battery pack as the 75 versions. They have 62.4 usable kWh, and a paid upgrade unlocks another 10.2 kWh in usable capacity for a total of 72.6 kWh – not 75 – plus a top speed of 140 mph. Hughes gathered the data from Tesla's Battery Management System software, and made a list of usable capacity for each model. Read more at Electrek. Opel has priced the Ampera-e higher than the BMW i3 and Nissan Leaf in Norway. In its first European market, the overseas sibling to the Chevrolet Bolt will start at 299,900 kroner (about $34,585). The i3 starts at 267,500 kroner ($30,850), while the Leaf costs 204,990 kroner ($23,640). Opel is launching the Ampera-e first in countries with more EV infrastructure. The automaker says the car's pricing in Norway is unique because of the country's EV incentives and market conditions, and that one shouldn't extrapolate Norway's price to other markets. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Renault has placed Gilles Normand in charge of its EV unit. After holding important roles at both Renault and Nissan, Normand will lead the French automaker's electric car business as it prepares for a period of accelerated growth. Renault enjoys a 25 percent market share of EVs in Europe, selling more than 100,000 since 2012. "I am very motivated by this new strategic challenge at a time when the Global EV market is entering into a significant growth phase," says Normand, who steps into the role on January 1, 2017. "I look forward to working with the team to continue to drive our leadership in existing and new markets, and bring exciting EV vehicles to our customers." Read more from Automotive News Europe, or from Renault.