2023 Tesla Model S Plaid on 2040-cars

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CARB scrapping plan for $60,000 limit on EV rebates

In April, we heard about a discussion within the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that would have put a $60,000 MSRP limit on plug-in vehicles that would qualify for CARB's $2,500 rebates. A new report in Silicon Beat says that CARB is once again ready to give EV money to everyone, no matter what expensive car they buy. There's no question that the CARB proposal would have had an inordinate effect on Tesla Motors, the only company selling a EV expensive enough to cost more than $60,000, the Tesla Model S. Okay, the Cadillac ELR plug-in hybrid would also have been affected, but that only would have applied to a small handful of people. According to Silicon Beat, the updated CARB proposal says clearly that, "at this time staff is not proposing any significant changes to the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project as part of this year's Initial Funding Plan." CARB spokesman David Clegern told Silicon Beat that, "It's fair to say [the $60,000 limit] been removed. I never say anything is dead until after the vote, but I'm not aware of any plans to revisit it." In other words, Tesla, you're good to go. We've asked CARB for confirmation of this, but have not yet heard back.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla seeks Gigafactory architect, Uber hails carpools

Tesla is looking for an architect to help design its proposed Gigafactory battery manufacturing facility. According to the Palo Alto-based job listing, which is titled "Architect - Gigafactory," the applicant must have, among other qualifications, over five years of experience with "high-tech infrastructure and operational facilities (semiconductor, solar, battery, waste water treatment plants, etc.)." The job also includes being away from home quite a bit, as it the listing states, "This full time role requires the flexibility of traveling when needed (up to 70 percent) and doing whatever it takes to achieve project objectives." Think you've got what it takes? See the listing for yourself, here, or read more at Silicon Valley Business Journal. Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm of Juniper Networks to its board of directors. Denholm is Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Operations Officer at Juniper Networks. Denholm replaces Brad Buss as chair of Tesla's Audit Committee and a member of the company's Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees. Buss will remain a member of Tesla's board as he joins SolarCity as CFO. Denholm is Tesla's first female director. Read more at Bloomberg, or in the press release below. Uber, the company behind the now famous ride-hailing app, is introducing its carpooling service, UberPool. The service matches drivers with (hopefully multiple) passengers going to similar destinations, with users paying just a fraction of the cost of a normal taxi, or even an Uber ride. If a rider can't get matched with a driver, they can enjoy a discounted Uber ride. As the company points out in its blog, "At these price points, Uber really is cost-competitive with owning a car, which is a game-changer for consumers." UberPool is currently running a private beta program, which it plans to expand on August 15. Read more in-depth about the UberPool at Forbes, or learn more at Uber's blog. For a few reasons why this new expansion might run afoul of archaic laws (put there to keep entrenched interests in play), check out Engadget. Plug-in hybrids are encouraging an evolution of transmission technology. Companies like Schaeffler and ZF Friedrichshafen are adapting their transmissions to include electric motors within them for use in plug-in hybrids. For example, the electric motor in ZF's eight-speed powers the transmission when the internal combustion engine is shut off.

Tesla says Germany concludes Model S fire probe without further action

It was the perfect storm: three Model S fires in six weeks were enough for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to start an investigation into the two US fires in mid-November, but as it turns out, the German government was paying attention too. According to Tesla, Germany's Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), or Federal Motor Transport Authority, already has completed an investigation into the two US fires and the one in Mexico, found no manufacturer-related defects and will not take further measures.
According to a statement issued by Tesla, the automaker says it was contacted by the KBA about the post-crash fires, and it "provided the KBA with data and additional information regarding each of these incidents." The KBA subsequently sent a letter in German to Tesla saying the investigation was complete and that no manufacturer-related defects could be found. (Take a look at the letter here.)