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Tesla staring down California dealer ad probe request

Months after the confusing announcement of Tesla's lease-like financing program, the electric vehicle maker could face an advertisement probe that has been requested by the California New Car Dealers Association, Automotive News reports, which claims that consumers are being mislead by advertised monthly payments that are lower than what most people would experience.
The ordeal can be traced back to April 2, when Tesla made an announcement specifying tiered monthly payments for the three versions of the Model S assuming a 66-month term. But then Tesla revised the numbers upward overnight because, it claimed, it meant to say it offered a 63-month finance term, not a 66-month term. The automaker also claimed that factoring in the "true cost of ownership" of a Model S compared to a conventional fuel-burning car could drive monthly costs to below $500.
In May, it added an available finance term of 72 months, which, factoring in only gasoline savings, the company said could lower monthly payments to $580. But the underlying issue at hand is that the means which can potentially lower monthly payments from $1,000+ dollars (depending on the model) to under $600 can't be realized by the majority of Americans, the CNCDA says.

Recharge Wrap-up: utility sells discounted Powerwall, Nissan-Renault builds 340K EVs

Vermont electric utility Green Mountain Power is selling discounted Tesla Powerwalls to its customers in hopes of balancing the grid. The battery packs would be used not just to help customers store renewable energy for home solar systems or as backup power, but also to occasionally discharge power back to the grid when needed. In addition to this decentralized energy storage being useful to customers, it also benefits the utility by taking demand off energy generating infrastructure during periods of peak demand. The pilot project will put 500 Tesla Powerwalls in customers' homes. Learn more at Green Car Reports, or in the story from Vermont Public Radio. Together, Nissan and Renault have built 340,000 electric cars. The allied Japanese and French automakers hit 100,000 EVs in July 2013, 200,000 in November 2014, and a quarter million in June of 2015. The Nissan Leaf, which first went on sale at the end of 2010, makes up the bulk of the EVs the Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold. Renault delivered its 50,000th Zoe EV in April 2016. Leaf sales have declined in the US in recent months, due at least in part to the anticipation of the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Nissan, however, is expected to update the Leaf with a 200-mile driving range in the coming years. Read more at Green Car Reports. Students at the Bearys Institute of Technology (BIT) in Karnataka, India have built what they call the Hybrid Water Car. The car uses a system to electrolyze hydrogen from water and add it to the fuel for more efficient combustion. The system has been placed into a chopped up, lightweighted Maruti Omni. While the benefits of onboard hydrogen electrolyzers have been debated for some time, the BIT students don't plan to stop there, as their next project car will be fueled completely by hydrogen. Read more from Car and Bike. Facebook has hired Rich Heley away from Tesla. The former Tesla VP of Product Technology is making the move to the social media giant's new Building 8 research lab. Heley joined Tesla in November 2013 after working at Apple. Read more at Automotive News.

Aston Martin CEO calls Tesla Model S 'Ludicrous' mode stupid

To be fair, some would say paying as much as a quarter-million dollars for a car in itself qualifies as "ludicrous." But the CEO of Aston Martin, a company that is readying a pricier electric-vehicle competitor to the Tesla Model S, didn't mince words in discussing Tesla's newest gizmo that can propel the sedan from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds. In fact, Andy Palmer, Aston's CEO, prefers a slightly more balanced approach. Palmer was quoted in Automotive News as saying that Tesla's Ludicrous Mode was "stupid." He added that he'd rather have an electric vehicle that could last "a few laps of a decent race course" instead of one that does its best imitation of a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Palmer also took to his Twitter account to note, among other things, that the Aston's "insane mode comes as standard - no button required." Aston Martin said earlier this week that it planned to make a battery-electric variant of its Rapide Sedan. That model will have 800 horsepower as well as a 200-mile single-charge range. The car will also cost between $200,000 and $250,000, or about twice the cost of a top-of-the-line Model S. As for the Tesla, its Ludicrous mode was announced last month for the Model S and it will eventually be added to the Model X for those who are big on flipping SUVs. Tesla said that the feature cuts the sedan's 0-60 mpg time to a tidy 2.8 seconds, though the option does cost about $10,000. Which is probably about the price of an Aston Martin door handle. Featured Gallery 2015 Aston Martin Rapide S View 32 Photos News Source: Automotive News (subs req'd) Green Aston Martin Tesla Electric ludicrous mode