2022 Tesla Model X Plaid on 2040-cars

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Tesla Roadster 3.0 road trip manages 340 miles on single charge

We still don't know when, exactly, it's coming, or how much it will cost, but we now confirm this: the 3.0 package for the Tesla Roadster will allow the electric sportscar to make the long-distance drive from San Jose to Los Angeles without stopping to charge. And, it could have a additional 20 miles with of range after it arrives. We know this because the California automaker has, on the anniversary of its Cross Country Rally, sent a Roadster equipped with the prototype version of the 3.0 package from its Santana Row store in San Jose all the way down to the Santa Monica Pier. In all, the two-seater clocked the voyage at 340 miles and indicated another twenty left in the "tank." According to an account of the trip on the Tesla website, the driver used cruise control to keep close to the speed limit and engaged the heater, at one point, for a 40-minute stretch. The total time is given as under six hours, with no mention of whether any stops were made for maintenance of the pilot. While the electric car company still won't say when the package will be available – we asked – it seems like the wait will probably extend for a couple more months, at least. The prototype may have been ready for its maiden voyage, but the consumer version will get more development work using data derived from this early venturing forth. Featured Gallery 2012 Tesla Roadster Final Edition View 10 Photos News Source: Tesla Motors Green Tesla Coupe Electric Performance

Tesla now has 200 Superchargers open around the world

Oxnard, California. That's where electric-vehicle enthusiasts can find Tesla Motors' 200th Supercharger station. And they should be able to find some pretty good surf nearby, too. Number 200 is located in a shopping mall near Highway 101 about 60 miles northwest of central Los Angeles and includes 10 stalls, according to Green Car Reports. Given the recent pace of European deployments, having No. 200 in the US is a slight surprise, since more than half of the 100 stations installed since April are in Europe (a lot of them are being deployed in Germany and Norway). Technically, Tesla is now up to 207 chargers, with a little over half of those in the US and the remainder in Europe and Asia. Tesla recently started providing a slightly less powerful but still valuable charging option in the form of wall chargers that can give 60 miles of charging range in about an hour. While no match for a Supercharger, that's about double the charging speed of a 240-volt charging station. As of early September, Tesla had partnered with about 110 North American hotels, restaurants and beach parking lots at deploying what it calls the Tesla Destination Charging Program. For a complete list of Tesla's Supercharger stations, go here.

Tesla to introduce all-wheel-drive Model S in 2014?

The Model X sport utility vehicle may not be the first all-wheel-drive Tesla to hit the market. According to The Verge, Tesla is working on an AWD version of its Model S sedan. Currently, the Model S is only available with rear-wheel drive, but sources in the know at Tesla reportedly have said that an AWD version could be released as early as 2014, which is the same year the SUV is expected to be launch.
There was no hint in yesterday's conference call or shareholder letter that an AWD Model S is in the mix. Furthermore, the company's attention currently is focused in other places, such as Europe, Japan and China. But, as The Verge points out, CEO Elon Musk made comments in the 2013 annual shareholder meeting on June 4 about an AWD chassis that would be released in 2014 or 2015 - without the context of the Model X. We have to wonder: were the SUV's drivetrain and chassis also developed with other vehicles in mind?
Our own Domenick Yoney from AutoblogGreen adds another peculiar twist to the Tesla story: "When I spoke to Dorian West, Director of Powertrain Hardware Engineering, at Refuel, I was given the strong impression that I shouldn't expect anything [on the AWD front from Tesla] until after the Model X comes out."