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Tesla working on snake-like auto charger

When people complain about electric cars, the gripes usually focus on range anxiety and the hassle of waiting for a charge to complete. The physical act of plugging the vehicle into the charger is seldom that big of a concern. However, for the contingent of customers who find hooking up their model to be torturous, Tesla CEO Elon Musk appears to have a rather bizarre (but potentially cool) solution on the way. In back-to-back tweets (embedded below), Musk announced his company is hard at work on a new charger that would automatically emerge from the wall of your garage and hook up to a Model S to begin charging. To make the tech just the teeniest bit more impressive, he claims the bot works with all versions of the company's electric car ͖ not just new ones. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Musk broached the idea of automatically plugging a Model S into the charger during the Tesla D unveiling and said, "we will probably do something like that." He didn't explain much more at the time, though. There still aren't many hard details on the scheme, but the idea of having a robotic snake living in the garage is both somewhat nightmarish and amazingly cool. We can't wait to see this thing in action. News Source: Twitter [1], [2]Image Credit: Tesla Green Tesla Green Automakers Ownership Technology Electric Sedan EV charging

Tesla Roadster 3.0 package prototype announced with 400-mile possibilities

Once a car company ceases to manufacture a particular model, it is relegated to history, largely forgotten by its maker. Sure, warranties are honored and recall-worthy items are (hopefully) taken responsibility for, but post-production improvements are left up owners and the aftermarket. With the announcement of the Roadster 3.0 package, Tesla once again reminds us it is not most car companies. Following a heads-up given by CEO Elon Musk last week on Twitter, the company has now shared some details of a new upgrade it will be making available for its electric sports coupe sometime in 2015. For a yet-to-be-disclosed price, owners can opt to have their cars upgraded with a 70-kWh battery, some aerodynamically-optimized body bits and low-rolling resistance tires. Together, the enhancements should offer a 40-50 percent range improvement and give Roadsters a 400-mile range under certain conditions. Originally, it came with a 56-kWh unit and was rated for 245 miles on a charge. Tesla tells us that "this is a retrofit package currently in its prototype phase", and so it still isn't clear whether the changes will allow Roadsters to be compatible with the Supercharger network, or whether the body kit will affect the outward appearance. We do know that this automotive augmentation does not also apply to the Model S, though it does give hope that those cars will also be on the receiving end of similar upgrades in the future. The California company plans to put its 3.0 package to the test sometime early in the new year, with a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Interestingly, it says that this will not be the last time it offers improvements for its original model. You can get more details on the update below. Roadster 3.0 The Roadster 3.0 package applies what we've learned in Model S to Roadster. No new Model S battery pack or major range upgrade is expected in the near term. Battery technology has continued a steady improvement in recent years, as has our experience in optimizing total vehicle efficiency through Model S development. We have long been excited to apply our learning back to our first vehicle, and are thrilled to do just that with the prototype Roadster 3.0 package. It consists of three main improvement areas. 1. Batteries The original Roadster battery was the very first lithium ion battery put into production in any vehicle. It was state of the art in 2008, but cell technology has improved substantially since then.

BMW NA president says i3 beats Tesla EVs thanks to lighter all-around footprint

Those waiting for a full-out brawl between Tesla Motors head Elon Musk and BMW North America chief Ludwig Willisch will have to wait a bit. For the bloodthirsty, there are signs of some healthy competition and a little bit of green-car sniping between the two automakers. Willisch, speaking at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month and responding to questions about Tesla, noted (without mentioning that company by name) that the production process of the German automaker's i3 plug-in was "greener" than any other. According to Business Insider, Willisch highlighted the fully recyclable materials used to construct the i3 as well as the hydropower used at the carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake, WA. Willisch also noted that the Tesla Model S is "very heavy on the braking. Our car feels just like a normal car. That's a big difference when it comes to driving," Automotive News said in a separate report. The latter model weighs about a third less than the Tesla, though it also has an EV range about a third as big. The BMW executive did allow that the Tesla did make a good proverbial "snowplow," not for its driving characteristics but for its ability to get more people conformable with electric vehicle technology. Musk was asked about the i3 in an August conference call and laughed before noting that the i3 had "room to improve." No word on whether Musk and Willisch will be sending each other Valentine's Day cards next month.