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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla details factory expansion; Ford and SunPower raise money for Sierra Club

Tesla has revealed the details of the upgrade of its Fremont, CA factory. One major change is the addition of a dedicated production space for the dual-motor P85D version of the Model S. Robots will be doing the battery installation on the Model S to save some time, and new export docks allow Tesla to get the cars out the door and on the way to their new owners more quickly. The new robots that move the cars around the factory have been named after X-Men characters, which makes our inner geeks smile. Check out the factory upgrade in the time-lapse video below and read more at Teslarati or at the Tesla Motors Blog. A program in Beijing for privileged registrations for EVs hasn't had much success. Of the 1,424 lottery winners, only about 30 percent went on to register an electric car despite a two-month extension of the deadline to do so. Buyers are likely discouraged by the lack of charging infrastructure, which the city hopes to ameliorate with the addition of 1,000 new charging stations by the end of the year, and by requiring new and renovated developments to set aside parking specifically for EV charging. Read more at Green Car Reports. The UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies suggests that laws designed to protect dealers and consumers are stymieing the adoption of EVs. Laws like the ones certain states have in place that block or otherwise restrict Tesla's direct-to-consumer business model are not helpful for companies that want to introduce new products to the market. They prevent companies from passing on savings to customers for whom they would likely make the difference in a purchasing decision. One possible solution would be to allow exemptions to certain selling restrictions for a certain number of vehicles sold. "This could give automakers the degree of control needed to work out kinks with early customers, develop scalable processes for supporting PEVs, and ensure that effective dealer performance standards are in place before handing the reins over to wholly independent retailers," according to UC Davis ITS. Read more at the UC Davis website. Volkswagen says its environmental program, called "Think Blue. Factory," is meeting the automaker's own sustainability targets. The main purpose of the program is to move toward eco-friendlier carmaking at each of its plants worldwide.

Tesla Supercharger Network Now Covers Majority Of Americans

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced via twitter Sunday that Tesla has officially expanded its Supercharger network across the county. The Supercharger network contains 71 stations, according to Autoblog, and Musk estimates that 80 percent of Americans are within 200 miles of at least one of them. Notably, that includes Texans who are barred from buying Tesla products in their home state. The Supercharger can charge a Model S EV to half its full power in 20 minutes, providing enough charge to get to the next filling station. All for free. The Supercharger is considered such a leap forward in green technology that it was voted 2013 Technology of the Year by AOL Autos. Critics of electric vehicles often cite a lack of recharging infrastructure as one of the major hurdles companies face when bringing the cars to the market. Tesla is tackling this problem head-on, and wants to continue expanding the network to 100-percent coverage, according to Clean Technia. With the release of the more affordable Tesla Model E on the horizon, the Northern California-based company is surely hoping that the expansion of the Supercharger network will put "range anxiety" to bed once and for all. Related Gallery Electric Cars And Hybrids Don't Have To Be Frumpy Green Tesla Alternative Fuels Fuel Efficiency Green Driving Electric supercharger network

Weekly Recap: The divergent paths of Tesla and Fisker

There's no doubt that Tesla is downshifting while Fisker has been grinding its gears. But it wasn't always that way.
In the wake of Tesla's recent success, it's easy to forget that there were once two California electric carmakers with bright futures.