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Elon Musk: Tesla Model E will be 20 percent smaller than Model S [w/video]

Somewhere between a Lexus CT 200h and an Acura ILX. But a little quieter and definitely bigger than a breadbox. That's the best comparison we could come up with when trying to get an idea of how big Tesla's more moderately priced sedan will be when it hits the market sometime around 2016. Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk, speaking to the California Public Utilities Commission recently, estimated that the Model E will be about 80 percent the size of the Model S sedan. You can see the video of this below. Now we're not sure exactly what that means, but we can practice a little geometry with the Model S's 196-inch length and 77-inch width and have some fun with the possibilities. And a quick perusal of sports sedans will reveal that the Model E's footprint will be a little bigger than the Lexus in question and slightly more petite than the ILX. Either way, Musk's estimate rounds out the equation of sorts for the Model E, even though he doesn't use that name in the video below. The car will have a minimum 200-mile range, Musk said (perhaps from a 48-kWh pack?) at about half the cost. And with 80 percent of the size. As for when we'll start seeing sales of the Model E, which is supposed to start at $35,000, that deadline has migrated over the years from as late as 2017 to as early as next year and then back to 2016. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

California grants Tesla $34.7 million tax break to boost production

Tesla Motors' plans to expand just got a big boost, as the state of California has announced it will give the Palo Alto-based company a $34.7 million tax break to increase its production capacity. The EV manufacturer is being given a pass on sales and use taxes on up to $415 million worth of equipment, according to a report on the San Francisco Chronicle's website.
Tesla is currently on track to produce 21,500 cars, although the planned expansion should more than double that capacity to 56,500 units, adding 112 jobs at Tesla's Fremont factory. "I'm pleased we could take this action to encourage Tesla to expand its electric vehicle production in California, which will create green jobs and improve our air quality," State Treasurer Bill Lockyer said. The state estimates that between the additional jobs and (hoped for) increase in sales, it will recoup the costs of the tax break in more taxes.

Recharge Wrap-up: DIY Tesla charging arm, Tesla vs. Maserati smackdown

A Tesla Model S owner built his own version of an automatic charging arm. Assumingly inspired by the creepy, snake-like prototype Tesla previewed a while back, Deepak Mital's autonomous robot – which he calls the Evtron – finds the plug on his Model S and connects the cable to begin charging. Mital says he plans to open source his design once he's finished. It may not be as "sensual" as Tesla's prototype, but people are less likely to flee it in terror. See the Evtron in action in the video above, and read more at Electrek. A Maserati dealership has taken down a comparison between the Ghibli and the Tesla Model S after a thrashing from the EV community. First of all, the Tesla corner pointed out that the listed price of the Model S 60 at $89,320 is misleading, as the current model starts at $66,000 (a loaded 2015 could be optioned up to the price stated by Maserati, but to call that a fair comparison to the $69,800 Ghibli is highly debatable). Other, older Tesla specs also angered the EV supporters. After a Reddit post and a subsequent backlash toward Maserati of Kirkland, the dealership removed the comparison from its website. Read more at Electrek. A new report predicts that the EV charging system market will generate $8.02 billion by 2022. The report from Allied Market Research, titled "World Electric Vehicle Charging System Market," says that the market will see a CAGR of 30.7 percent from 2016 to 2022. In terms of region, Europe will dominate the market, and home charging systems will outpace public chargers. Forces like unstable fuel prices and government programs to reduce carbon emissions will spur EV sales, which, in turn, will boost the market for charging systems. Read more in the press release below. Electric Vehicle Charging System Market is Estimated to Generate $8.02 Billion by 2022 A new report by Allied Market Research titled, "World Electric Vehicle Charging System Market", forecasts that the world electric vehicle charging system market would generate revenue of $8.02 billion by 2022, registering a CAGR of 30.7% during the forecast period, 2016-2022. In 2015, Europe was the highest revenue-generating region owing to the increasing penetration of home and commercial charging systems in countries such as the Netherland, Denmark, UK and France.