2020 Tesla Model S on 2040-cars

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Tesla having trouble selling all over Australia, too

Australia and Texas have more in common than those super macho hats. Indeed, when it comes to Tesla Motors' attempts to sell its all-electric Model S to the public, the country Down Under and the Lone Star state continue to insist on the old-school approach to car sales. Which has never sat well with California-based Tesla. Tesla, which started sales in Australia early last month, is encountering opposition from the Australian state of Victoria. The issue, as with much of the US, is Victoria's adherence to the traditional auto distribution network where automakers sell only through third-party dealerships. That means folks visiting Tesla's showroom in the Victorian city of Chadstone not only can't buy a sedan there, but they can't even discuss pricing, says Bidness Etc. Regulators in New Jersey, Michigan and, yes, Texas have taken a similarly hard line approach to Tesla and its wishes to own its distribution network outright. All is not lost, however, as Tesla's Sydney dealership is fully operational. The automaker is looking to connect Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney via a Supercharger fast-charging network similar to the one strung across parts of North America and Europe. The Model S in Australia starts at around $82,000 US. Those curious can check out Tesla's Australia page here. Featured Gallery Tesla Model S View 24 Photos News Source: Bidness Etc. Green Tesla Electric victoria

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.

Beating Tesla's coast-to-coast time in a Model S

A Tesla Model S. A race across the country. An average driving speed of 63 miles per hour. Now which part of that doesn't jibe? A pair of drivers from Edmunds.com has set out to beat Tesla Motors' own cross-country time record by taking a Model S from Los Angeles (technically, Redondo Beach) to New York. And beat it they did, finishing the 3,332-mile route in 67 hours and 21 minutes, which was faster than Tesla's time by eight hours and 44 minutes. What's all the more impressive is that the pair had to recharge the car at Tesla's Superchargers 23 times, with an average of 38 minutes per stop, meaning that more than 14 hours were spent sitting still in recharge mode. And while the car is as fast as it is quiet, Edmunds had to curb its enthusiasm on the throttle to ensure the EV got from Supercharger A to Supercharger B and so on, hence the relatively pedestrian average driving speed of 63 miles per hour. Case in point was the 223-mile run between Las Vegas and Beaver, Utah, which was the longest stretch between Superchargers and included a 5,000-foot elevation climb. That caused the team to bring its highway speed down to about 50 miles per hour in order to avoid being stranded by the roadside. Read about how they made it over on Edmunds.