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NTSB Faults Driver & Autopilot In Fire Truck Crash

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Published on September 5th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

NTSB Faults Driver & Autopilot In Fire Truck Crash

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September 5th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

On the morning of January 22, 2018, a 2014 Tesla Model S rammed into the back of a parked fire truck that was responding to a prior accident. The fire truck was parked in the left hand travel lane of a highway at the time. The Tesla was operating in Autopilot mode at the time of the collision.

On September 4, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings after an investigation of the crash. As reported by CNBC, a statement by the NTSB read as follows: “The probable cause of the Culver City, California, rear-end crash was the Tesla driver’s lack of response to the stationary fire truck in his travel lane, due to inattention and over reliance on the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system; the Tesla’s Autopilot design, which permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task; and the driver’s use of the system in ways inconsistent with guidance and warnings from the manufacturer.”

Known Knowns & Known Unknowns
From data recovered from car after the collision, Tesla told the NTSB that Autopilot had been active for 13 minutes and 48 seconds before the crash and that the driver’s hands weren’t on the steering wheel for the majority of that time, according to a report by Transportation Topics.

A witness to the crash, which occurred on the 405 freeway in Culver City, California, reported seeing the Tesla speed into the fire truck without braking. “I could see the driver and I saw his head leaned far forward as he appeared to be looking down at a cell phone or other device he was holding in his left hand,” according to a written statement released by NTSB. “The driver’s positioning struck me as odd and concerning because it was clear to me he was very focused on his phone and wasn’t watching the road ahead at all, even though he was quickly approaching the stopped fire engine.”

The NTSB found no indication that the Tesla driver had been texting or making a call at the time, but couldn’t determine whether the phone was being used for other purposes.

Tesla says the car was sending warnings to the driver prior to the crash, reminding him to place his hands on the wheel, but the driver claims he was holding the bottom of the wheel at the time. He says a large vehicle in front of him was blocking his view of the road ahead. That vehicle swerved suddenly to avoid the fire truck and the Tesla driver did not have enough time to react and take evasive action himself. He says he was looking forward at the time, which contradicts the written witness statement.

Tesla Responds
Tesla issued the following response to the NTSB report:

“Tesla owners have driven billions of miles with Autopilot engaged, and data from our quarterly Vehicle Safety Report indicates that drivers using Autopilot remain safer than those operating without assistance. While our driver-monitoring system for Autopilot repeatedly reminds drivers of their responsibility to remain attentive and prohibits the use of Autopilot when warnings are ignored, we’ve also introduced numerous updates to make our safeguards smarter, safer and more effective across every hardware platform we’ve deployed.

“Since this incident occurred, we have made updates to our system including adjusting the time intervals between hands-on warnings and the conditions under which they’re activated.”

The Autopilot Debate Heats Up
Mike Ramsey, senior automotive research director for Gartner, a global consulting firm, tells CNBC, “When an investigative authority concludes the design of something you made has contributed to a serious accident, that is bad news for an automaker. Tesla has not always been super clear about Autopilot.

“They say in the fine print this was designed as a Level 2 system, and you’re supposed to keep your hands on the wheel. But then they will also talk about and demonstrate this system as if it’s a driverless car. This creates an environment where drivers wink and say we know it’s not supposed to be used this way, but we’ll just drive with our hands off the wheel.”

Ramsey warns that Tesla could face a recall of its Autopilot-equipped cars if vehicle safety authorities, including the National Highway Safety Administration, agree with the NTSB’s conclusions and decide that flawed Autopilot design can cause serious accidents. Such a recall would be a serious blow to Tesla’s plans to deploy a fleet of robotaxis in the near future.

Is Autopilot Safe?
One of the main reasons Tesla is such a strong advocate for semi-autonomous driving technology is because of Elon Musk’s belief that it can save lives. There are more than 40,000 highway fatalities on US roads every year and many more than that around the world. The Tesla quarterly Vehicle Safety Report seems to bear out the company’s claim that driving a Tesla on Autopilot is safer than driving a conventional car.

Part of the problem is surely attributable to human failings. Despite all the warnings from our parents, we still break arms and legs falling out of trees or jumping off the garage roof using an umbrella for a parachute.

It only takes a few minutes watching “America’s Funniest Home Videos” to realize what a bunch of idiots we are. No matter what warnings Tesla may give, a certain percentage of drivers will ignore them if for no other reason than that’s what people do. If we want a risk-free world, we should probably let machines take over completely and not allow people to drive cars at all.

If I could have a word with Elon Musk, I might encourage him to dial his claims about what Autopilot can do back a notch or two. Not that Elon, the ultimate risk taker, would give a moment’s thought to anything I might say. Still, despite all the company’s protestations to the contrary, it does seem to suggest that Autopilot has more functionality that it really does.

There is also a question why cars operating in Autopilot mode seem to have difficulty identifying really large trucks in their path and reacting appropriately. We might like to entertain the idea that Teslas can drive themselves, but they can’t. Not yet, anyway. Yet we see videos of Tesla drivers asleep at the wheel or sitting in the back seat reading the newspaper.

Perhaps the problem is that Elon Musk can’t admit to himself how human people are. They can buy small weights on the internet and drape them over the steering wheel to simulate a hand on the wheel so they can play Donkey Kong on their cell phone while the car drives itself. The fault, dear Elon, may not be in your machines, but in the people who use your machines. Even you, with all the resources at your disposal, have not yet figured out how to overcome simple human foibles.

About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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Tesla Model S At The Nürburgring — Elon Musk Says Lap Time Will Be Set Next Week

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Published on September 6th, 2019 |

by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Tesla Model S At The Nürburgring — Elon Musk Says Lap Time Will Be Set Next Week

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September 6th, 2019 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Elon Musk has picked up the gauntlet thrown down by the Porsche Taycan — the Tesla Model S will record a lap time at the Nürburgring Nordschleife at some point next week. Will the Model S beat the Taycan’s 7:42 lap time?

EVs & the Real Competition
In my recent articles on the Taycan, I’ve tried to emphasize that it’s a welcome addition to the range of electric vehicle (EV) options. Given that 97.5% of auto sales are still burning fossils, all EVs are (or should be) competing with fossil fuel vehicles (FFVs), and not so much with other EVs. It has been a difficult line to tread, since the broader media have long tried to play EVs off each other (“Tesla Killer” being the lazy and most commonly employed designation) and even some manufacturers have played this card to some extent.

Although Porsche has been mostly mature with the Taycan’s marketing, there has been an undercurrent of trying to emphasize characteristics that appear to one-up the specs of some of Tesla’s offerings. The Fully Charged video of the Taycan’s repeated acceleration runs, released around a month ago, fell into this same trap, framing the Porsche against Tesla. The test itself (if not the content of the video) was organized by Porsche, so make of that what you will.

Apart from anything else, since the Taycan is priced way higher than any other mass-produced EVs on the market ($151,000 and up), the idea that it “competes” with Tesla’s sedan models is unfounded.

Although the 97.5% of the market is where we should be focused, some degree of perceived competitiveness between EVs is understandable, likely inevitable, and even potentially a good thing. EVs are inherently more capable in almost all domains than combustion vehicles, especially in outright performance. Competition between EVs can potentially accelerate their overall rate of improvement to reach levels that quickly leave combustion vehicles in a cloud of their own smog. This will bring forward the point at which EVs are widely recognized by the general public as the superior technology, and the better choice. Heaven knows that we’ve seen some EV offerings from legacy automakers that are not-as-good-as-they-should-be. Whatever encourages them to up their game should be welcome.

Elon Takes the Bait
It seems that Elon Musk is not immune to a bit of provocation. Who knew? With the Porsche Taycan being formally launched earlier this week, on top of the accumulation of a slew of promotional videos by Porsche over recent weeks (highlighting various more-or-less-practical aspects of the Taycan’s performance), Musk has finally cracked responded. He will send the Tesla Model S to the Nürburgring Nordschleife sometime next week to attempt a competitive lap time.

The previous generation of the Model S Performance was not designed to be optimized for the kinds of sustained peak performance that a few racetrack enthusiasts or long-duration, high-speed, Autobahn cruisers might have wished for. The vehicle simply reduced power on those rare occasions when pushed hard under these kinds of conditions. Of course, this was almost never an issue for most owners, who would at most subject their car to an occasional traffic-light grand-prix, and perhaps some spirited canyon driving. Even for typical sessions at the drag strip, queuing up for a few runs per hour, the car could put in a sufficient performance without any issues. In short, the car was reliably capable of more than enough real-world roller-coaster performance to delight the vast majority of owners, whilst just a few gearheads wished for a bit more sustained peak performance.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance was designed with improvements in sustained peak performance, with improved cooling design, more efficient motors (and perhaps more efficient cell chemistry), and a track mode that, amongst other things, manages pre-cooling to optimize modest-duration track sessions. This has been enough to allow the Model 3 Performance to set very competitive lap times at several popular circuits.

In April 2019, Tesla updated the Model S Performance (and other variants of Model S and Model X) with the “Raven” powertrain, partially borrowed from the Model 3. Tesla stated in the announcement that, amongst other things, it brings “improved lubrication, cooling, bearings, and gear designs” as well as “[significant] power and torque increases.”

However, as yet, owners and reviewers have done precious little rigorous real-world testing (or at least, publicized testing) of what these improvements allow in terms of sustained track and high-speed performance.

With the plan to send the Model S to the Nürburgring, Elon Musk seems ready to show what the Model S is now capable of.

Necessary Ingredients for a Decent Lap Time
We’ve already done an extensive analysis of the Taycan’s 7:42 Nordschleife lap time, finding that the Taycan is very fast through the twisty sections, clearly beating out combustion peers (and its Panamera sibling) over the first half of the circuit. Only on the high-speed sections, particularly the long back straight, does the Taycan give up its advantage.

Worth repeating one key point of that article here: the Nordschleife has an absurdly long back straight (1.78 miles, 2.86 km), allowing crazy high speeds (around 200 mph, 320 km/h) that make overall lap times here unrepresentative of a vehicle’s relative performance in real-world spirited driving. To put it briefly, vehicles with (unrealistically) high top speeds can gain an advantage over better handling vehicles with more modest top speeds. The track’s atypical characteristics also mean that Nordschleife performance is not even representative of what will occur on the vast majority of race tracks, which are typically much shorter, have much lower peak speeds, and are more twisty and technical in character, elevating vehicles that corner and handle well, over top speed specs.

Putting those important provisos to one side, the Model S Performance should be a close match to the Taycan on the Nordschleife. Elon Musk would presumably not have lined up the lap attempt if he knew the Model S couldn’t put in a roughly comparable performance. Unless perhaps in a fit of pique? But even for Elon, this seems unlikely.

Since Tesla long ago stopped releasing detailed tech specs for its vehicles, we actually have very little solid data on the peak power output and torque of the current “Raven” powertrain. The previous version of the Model S is sometimes quoted as 568 kW and 931 Nm, but I’ve seen no definitive data for the Raven — these figures may well have increased. Certainly the Raven’s quarter-mile time has marginally improved over previous versions.

Despite having larger dimensions and more interior space than the Taycan Turbo S, the Model S Performance is actually a slightly lighter vehicle (around 2260 kg vs. 2295 kg). If the above kW figures for the previous generation are correct (or improved upon), the Tesla has a slight power advantage (568 kW or more, vs. 560 kW). This gives the Model S Performance an approximate 3% advantage in power-to-weight ratio over the Taycan Turbo S. Again, the Raven powertrain may have improved this further.

The top speed of both vehicles is very similar (just over 160 mph). Even acceleration is similar, though with the Tesla favoring lower-end acceleration, and the Taycan (partly due to its 2-gear setup on the rear motor) favoring the upper end. The crossover point between the two in acceleration ability could be anyway between roughly 60 mph and 100 mph. Since the NordSchleife is a relatively high-speed circuit, with many sections well above 100 mph, on paper the Taycan’s high-end acceleration bias should be favorable, but the relative accelerator (and traction) responsiveness of the two vehicles (e.g., coming out of corners) is also a factor, and as yet an unknown.

The comparative center of gravity between the two is also an unknown, and this influences cornering speeds. This may also favor the Taycan (said to have a lower CG than the 911), but we just don’t know for sure. The Taycan Turbo S does have real-wheel steering, which should also give it an advantage in this area. Torque splitting response across all 4 wheels also helps cornering ability, and although Porsche has emphasized the Taycan’s much better performance over its FFV vehicles in this area, we still don’t know how its stacks up against the Tesla. The Taycan also has an adjustable rear spoiler (albeit of modest size) and other aero tricks, which should help with cornering grip and thus speeds, in the mid-to-high speed curves.

On paper, the Taycan does appear to have significantly stronger brakes than the Model S (420 mm ceramic rotors up front, vs. the Model S’s 355 mm steel rotors). This should hand the Taycan a significant advantage, and the Tesla will likely suffer on the Nordschleife with just 355 mm rotors.

Tires are an unknown. The Model S is at least sometimes supplied with Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tires, but Tesla could readily offer a more track-tuned tire variant. The Taycan’s spec sheet didn’t mention much more than basic information on tire dimensions and broad category (104Y XL type) — chime in the comments if you know more. What’s important for official lap times to be legitimate is that tires, brakes (and other equipment and specs) used on the track are readily available to customers as factory-fitted and road-legal options. The use of custom equipment, specifically fitted to artificially boost lap performance over the standard vehicle, are not viewed with approval.

This brings us to a potential advantage for Tesla. Since Porsche has already r..

Tesla Model 3 Buyers In China Can Rejoice Thanks To Sales Tax Exemption

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Published on August 31st, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Model 3 Buyers In China Can Rejoice Thanks To Sales Tax Exemption

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August 31st, 2019 by Steve Hanley

No one knows what is going to happen with the “easy to win” tariff war initiated by America’s putative president over a year ago, least of all him. What we do know, however, is that China has agreed to grant all Tesla vehicles an exemption from the 10% purchase tax that all new car buyers normally pay.

According to Reuters, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the exemption on August 30. The change marks an important concession amidst trade tensions with the United States. On average, the exemption will lower the cost of buying a new Tesla by 99,000 yuan, or about $13,957, according to a post on Tesla’s social media WeChat account.

All 16 variants of the Tesla Model S, Model X, and Model 3 offered for sale to Chinese customers are listed in a document detailing the exemption on the MIIT website. No reason was given for the decision to exclude the cars from the tax, but it does come at a time when Tesla is expanding in China by building a new factory in the Free Trade Zone outside Shanghai.

Leading up to the start of production at that factory, Elon Musk has visited China several times. He has publicly praised China in the midst of tensions with the United States and thanked the Shanghai and national governments for their support.

Musk has met with senior leaders, including China’s Vice President Wang Qishan and the transportation minister. He has called national leaders “very thoughtful” and alluded to China’s “amazing” progress in sustainable energy, transport, and space exploration. “This year they did more orbital launches than the USA for the first time,” Musk tweeted last December.

Craig Irwin, an analyst for Roth Capital, tells Reuters, “It is pretty clear Tesla is committed to China, with the investment in the Shanghai Gigafactory. Those relationships probably helped Tesla lobby for a successful exemption from the tax. Now we need to closely watch the build out of the Shanghai Gigafactory and Model 3 volume ramp in China.”

While Tesla does not disclose sales by country, consulting firm LMC Automotive estimates the company sold 23,678 cars in China in the first seven months of this year, which is nearly double the number it sold in 2018.

Also on Friday, Tesla announced it is raising the price of the cars it sells in China by 2% to offset the weakening of the yuan in recent weeks. The long range dual motor Model 3 is now 439,900 yuan ($61,467), up from 429,900 yuan ($60,070) previously. But the net effect is that, after the purchase tax exemption, Tesla will cost a Chinese customer considerably less to buy this week than it did last week. Tesla stock was up 4% following the exemption announcement.

Tesla is clearly betting heavily on China, which only makes sense since its new car market is the largest in the world and its electric car market accounts for approximately half of global electric car sales. It’s true that sales are not quite as robust this year as they have been in previous years, but there will still be more than 22 million new cars sold in China this year, even in a down market, with perhaps 8% of those being plug-in car sales.

With its close ties to the national and local governments, Tesla should be well positioned to sell as many cars in China as it can manufacture. We’ll keep you informed via our regular China EV sales reports.

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Walmart Sues Tesla Over Rooftop Solar Fires

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Published on August 22nd, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Walmart Sues Tesla Over Rooftop Solar Fires

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August 22nd, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Update: This story may not be as straightforward as initially presented:

We’ve reached out to Tesla to ask for further commentary.

Another update (full linked document also available here):

As a 3rd update, read our new piece on this story, which is basically Part 1 of this subject: What’s The Real Reason Walmart Is Suing Tesla?

Back in 2010, Walmart was one of the first major companies to get involved with the solar power revolution. It teamed up with SolarCity, the rooftop solar company started by Elon Musk’s cousins Lyndon Rive and Peter Rive, to install rooftop solar arrays on 224 of its stores.

To date, seven of those rooftop installations have caught fire, causing millions of dollars in structural damage and lost sales. Unable to resolve their differences, Walmart has now sued Tesla, claiming the company, which purchased SolarCity in 2016, has been guilty of a long list of failings ranging from negligence to incompetence to mopery on the high seas.

Image courtesy SEIA/Solar Means Business report

The SolarCity Mess
We are accustomed to thinking of Tesla as a well managed company with a clear road map to the future in place. Yet it has floundered repeatedly with the solar end of things since acquiring SolarCity, a decision many analysts said at the time was little more than a bailout for a pair of cousins whose company was about to sail over the brink of viability into the ignominy of bankruptcy.

According to a reporter at Business Insider who has a long history of negative Tesla stories, the complaint by Walmart says Tesla has no explanation why the rooftop systems caught fire, adding that Tesla had no accurate drawings of the solar panels, no procedures in place to deal with the issue, and no employees trained in how to inspect or fix them. In fact, its own employees had to show Tesla employees where there were cracks and temperature issues involving the solar panels.

Tesla says its inspections found 157 areas that need repair or replacement at all 224 stores. Walmart claims the total number of defects is far higher. “On information and belief, the actual conditions are worse than as documented by Tesla, based on Tesla’s history of deficient and incompetent inspections, including Tesla’s reliance on untrained, unqualified, and unsupervised personnel to install and maintain the systems,” Walmart said in its court filing.

According to CNBC, Walmart alleges in its claim that Tesla bought SolarCity to “bail out the flailing company” and mentions SolarCity 46 times throughout the lawsuit. The complaint further alleges that SolarCity created a culture that tolerated defects because of its desperate need to keep cash coming in the door and that Tesla has failed to address that issue.

Lastly, it also accuses Tesla of filing reports that said it had made repairs to Walmart’s roofs when it had not. As part of the relief sought, Walmart is seeking to terminate its solar roof contract with Tesla and force Tesla to remove all the rooftop systems it has installed on the roof of Walmart stores.

Were Investors Told?
The suit raises a lot of “he said, they said” issues that will get thoroughly hashed out in court. But the most important threat to the company comes from what Tesla may or may not have told its investors — both stockholders and bondholders — about its financial exposure as a result of the Walmart situation. Business Insider asks a number of cogent questions:

Did Tesla ever disclose the loss of Walmart’s business to shareholders?
Did Tesla ever disclose the loss of Walmart’s business to SolarCity bondholders?
Is Tesla concerned about possible class actions related to SolarCity roofs now?
Does Tesla have insurance that would cover a lawsuit like that?
Have other customers (homeowners or businesses) experienced fires like this?

CleanTechnica is often accused of being a Tesla fanboy site. It’s true that we do write a lot of articles that are laudatory of the company and its chief executive. Yet, it’s possible our hero has the proverbial feet of clay. He does have a penchant for over-promising and under-delivering, for moving fast even when yellow caution lights are flashing.

Confusion Abounds
Plenty of outside observers have suggested Elon Musk bullied the board of directors for both Tesla and SolarCity to approve a merger without completing the due diligence such a decision required. Since the merger, Tesla has altered its solar business model multiple times, first dismantling the door-to-door sales model SolarCity followed, then announcing a major link-up with Home Depot that was quickly cancelled, and also rolling out a splashy reveal of the Tesla Solar Roof nearly two years ago.

In the meantime, Gigafactory 2, the Tesla solar factory in Buffalo, New York, seems to be drifting along and doesn’t get the attention, fanfare, or revolutionary output figures many expected. Even deliveries of the company’s Powerwall residential home battery are way behind schedule. But for the company’s success in utility-scale battery storage, the SolarCity piece of the Tesla puzzle seems to be running poorly and is a huge hit to Musk’s aura of invincibility.

It’s not hard to argue that Tesla could have pursued its energy storage ambitions without taking on the debts of SolarCity. The latest debacle with Walmart could be a serious black eye for the company, one that could cause a loss of confidence in Tesla and its leadership at a critical time for the company.

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Tesla Scouting New Factory Locations In Germany

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Published on August 26th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Scouting New Factory Locations In Germany

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August 26th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

German newspaper Rheinische Post reported on August 25 that representatives from Tesla have been scouting locations for a possible European factory in the state of North Rhine–Westphalia, which is located in western Germany and shares a border with the Netherlands and Belgium. NRW is that nation’s most populous state and home to three of its major cities — Düsseldorf, Köln, and Bonn. An extensive network of roads and railways connect the region to the rest of Europe.

Screenshot from Google Maps.

Unnamed officials of NRW say initial inspections have already taken place. Although, precisely where in the state is not known. Representatives of the government and of Tesla have declined to elaborate further on the subject.

Just north of NRW is the state of Lower Saxony, which also shares a border with the Netherlands and is a little bit closer to the Scandinavian countries which — particularly in Norway — have embraced the transition to electric cars.

The newspaper also quotes Bernd Althusmann, economics minister for Lower Saxony, as saying Tesla has expressed an interest in his state as well, particularly the port city of Emden and the area known as Emsland. More than a year ago, Elon Musk tweeted the Germany was a strong contender for Tesla’s first European factory.

With Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai on pace to begin building cars before the end of this year, it makes sense for Tesla to turn its attention to Europe. Several European cities, provinces, and countries have been vying for Musk’s attention for years, including Spain, France, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, and more. The cost of shipping cars from California to European destinations must be quite high, and not all of that cost can be passed on to consumers.

Europe is also experiencing a surge in new battery factory construction. Tesla is planning to utilize battery cells made by LG Chem in Nanjing for its Chinese vehicles, so it is logical to assume it would consider using cells made by an outside supplier for any European-built cars.

It will be interesting to find out where Tesla ultimately decides to build its first European factory and why. But no matter the location, the company is clearly not worried about finding enough customers for its cars. Lack of demand? Forgetaboutit!

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The Tesla/Walmart Rooftop Solar Fire Spat — Part Deux, & Enter Amazon

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Published on August 26th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

The Tesla/Walmart Rooftop Solar Fire Spat — Part Deux, & Enter Amazon

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August 26th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Last week, we ran two stories about a dispute between Tesla and Walmart over fires that have occurred on the roofs of Walmart stores with Tesla rooftop solar systems. For our trouble, we were accused of being Tesla lovers, Tesla haters, and possibly accomplices to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

The story behind the story has turned into a massive public relations disaster, not only for the two companies but for the broader clean energy revolution. There’s nothing the fossil fuel industry likes better than being able to point and say, “See? Those newfangled solar panels are a threat to society and should be banned!”

Apparently, the glare of the media spotlight got a little too intense for both companies. A few days after the flareup between them began, they issued a joint statement meant to bridge the troubled waters their dispute has created. Here is the statement in its entirety as supplied to CleanTechnica by a spokesperson for Tesla.

“Walmart and Tesla look forward to addressing all issues and re-energizing Tesla solar installations at Walmart stores, once all parties are certain that all concerns have been addressed. Together, we look forward to pursuing our mutual goal of a sustainable energy future. Above all else, both companies want each and every system to operate reliably, efficiently, and safely.”

Walmart’s suit is still pending in New York state court according to Tech Crunch, but the parties have decided to lower the temperature of their rhetoric in order to create an atmosphere where reasonable discourse may have a chance to take place.

So, Is This Over?
Not Quite
Now Amazon has stepped into the fray, telling Bloomberg that its warehouse in Redlands, California, also experienced a fire on a roof where a SolarCity/Tesla solar system was installed. Gizmodo reached out to Tesla about the Amazon claim and got this response from a spokesperson:

“All 11 Amazon sites with solar from Tesla are generating energy and are proactively monitored and maintained. Last year, there was an isolated event that occurred in an inverter at one of the Amazon sites. Tesla worked collaboratively with Amazon to root cause the event and remediate. We also performed inspections at the other sites, which confirmed the integrity of the systems. As with all of our commercial solar installations, we continue to proactively monitor the systems to ensure they operate safely and reliably.”

That statement is all well and good, but Amazon tells Bloomberg it currently has zero plans to install any more Tesla systems at its facilities. It may add more rooftop systems, but they won’t be from Tesla — as things stand now.

Say what you will, Tesla’s solar panel business is facing some troubles, and Amazon was more than willing to pile on the bad news. In my opinion, it all makes Tesla’s the decision to purchase SolarCity in the first place seem unwise, at least in retrospect.

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Tesla Will Obtain Battery Cells From LG Chem For Chinese Model 3 Production

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Published on August 23rd, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Will Obtain Battery Cells From LG Chem For Chinese Model 3 Production

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August 23rd, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Tesla has said all along it will work with multiple battery suppliers for the electric cars it manufactures in China, beginning with the Model 3 later this year and including the Model Y later. Both cars will use advanced 2170 cells like the ones manufactured for Tesla by Panasonic at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.

According to Bloomberg, Tesla has agreed to source at least some of those battery cells from LG Chem. The Korean company will manufacture the cells at its production facility in Nanjing, about 200 miles west of Shanghai where Tesla’s new Gigafactory 3 is under construction. Although work on the new factory was not begun until January 3, Tesla expects Model 3 production to begin there before the end of this year.

Bloomberg adds that Tesla is still in talks with CATL. Anonymous sources say the two companies are discussing technical specifications and that LG Chem was more flexible in meeting Tesla’s technology requirements. There are also rumors that Panasonic may be in the mix somewhere down the road. Representatives for Tesla, LG Chem, and CATL all declined to speak on the record with Bloomberg. LG Chem is now the world’s second largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries and intent on further increasing its market share.

Politics & Production
Tesla is wise not to put all its battery eggs in one basket in China, where politics have an outsized impact on commerce. Two years ago, China refused to allow Hyundai and Kia to import any cars with batteries made by LG Chem in South Korea, according to Business Korea. It was only after the companies agreed to power their electric cars with battery cells manufactured by CATL that the ban was lifted, according to the report.

Because of the need to switch suppliers, the Hyundai Kona Electric is only now becoming available in China. And the move by Chinese authorities was no doubt instrumental in LG Chem’s decision to build a battery factory in China.

Why would authorities slap Hyundai and Kia around while smiling benevolently on Tesla? President Xi Jinping does not return our phone calls, so we can’t be sure, but clearly Tesla enjoys some special status with the Chinese government. For whatever reasons, no other foreign manufacturer seems to enjoy such a close relationship.

The Trouble With Tariffs
As Donald Trump and Xi Jinping play “mine’s bigger than yours” in their ongoing tariff fight, China announced today it will reimpose a 25% tariff on cars imported from the US on December 15. According to CNBC, the new tariffs will impact Mercedes and BMW the most. Both German companies export US-made cars to China. Ford will also suffer, as will Tesla with regard to its Model S and Model X vehicles, which are manufactured exclusively at the factory in Fremont, California.

In response, the unstable lunatic in Washington, DC, sent the stock market into a selling panic by tweeting an “order” for all US companies to cease doing business in China forthwith. The Dow shed 600 points as soon as the tweet appeared.

The question now for Tesla is how will the new tariffs affect the cars built in the Chinese factory in Shanghai beginning later this year? According to CNET Road Show, the first cars will be knockdown kits made in Fremont and shipped to Shanghai for final assembly. Tesla does something similar with its factory in Tilburg in the Netherlands.

No one knows the answer to that question at the moment. Is a knockdown kit assembled in Shanghai subject to the new tariff? It’s simply too early to answer that question authoritatively. Given Tesla’s special relationship with the Chinese government, we can only hope the cars exiting Gigafactory 3 will be exempt from the new tariff. It is to be hoped the business community will give the puling potentate of Pennsylvania Avenue the fickle finger of fate and ignore his insane order completely.

What Do We Know?
We know that Model 3 cars will begin rolling out the door at Gigafactory 3 before the end of this year, God willing and the creek don’t rise, and that those cars will have battery cells manufactured in Nanjing by LG Chem. We know that battery cells from CATL or Panasonic might be used in locally produced Model 3s and upcoming Model Ys at some point in the future. And we know that the tariff situation is a muddled mess at the moment. When we know more, you’ll know more.

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Sandy Munro States Tesla Has A 10-Year Lead Over US Automakers

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Published on August 21st, 2019 |

by Kurt Lowder

Sandy Munro States Tesla Has A 10-Year Lead Over US Automakers

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August 21st, 2019 by Kurt Lowder

Get your popcorn and snacks ready! Sandy Munro has another hour-long interview about the ongoing transition to electric vehicles. There is always so much packed into these videos. Munro just has a knack for cutting right to the chase and explaining engineering, manufacturing, and business to the layperson. In the interview, Munro is joined by Mark Ellis, who is a Senior Associate at Munro and Associates.

The interview was conducted by Sean Mitchell of allthingsev.info. Congrats to Sean for landing this huge interview. Sean occasionally collaborates with a few of our other favorite YouTubers, a platform which has become increasingly useful for getting important information to the public. (Although, it does come amid a lot of noise, but I digress.)

Sean took care to timestamp the video, which is really helpful if you want to watch the video in segments. At the 5:13 mark, Sean asked what traditional manufacturers are doing right. At first, Munro hesitated and passed the buck to Sean. Sean explained that US auto manufacturers are just outsourcing everything important with perhaps the exception of FCA. FCA has been late to the game but appears to earnestly be trying to play catchup.

After collecting his thoughts, Munro interjects and just blatantly states, “you know, really and truly, all the domestics are way behind!” For emphasis, Mark Ellis echos, “WAY BEHIND.” Bear in mind, these gentlemen have extensive experience in the industry and have broken down and analyzed many EVs. Their consulting business is focused on helping manufacturers to innovate and lower costs.

On more than one occasion, Munro claims the issue with the major automakers is the number of executives with MBAs, who have a tendency to believe in outsourcing as much as possible. Maybe this a key reason why we see so many executives leaving Tesla, because at Tesla they are actually focused on innovation and not just paying some contractor or supplier to do the hard work.

We will have more on this interview in the coming days, but I hope business schools across the country are taking note. Since watching this interview, I find myself constantly thinking about this classic clip from the movie Office Space:

About the Author

Kurt Lowder I am a jock turned wannabe geek. I fell in love with science later in life thanks to the History Channel show the “Universe.” Having taught middle school science, I strongly feel Astronomy should be taught every year because nothing excites students more than learning about the cosmos. I became an avid cleantech fan because it gives me hope about the future. My wife, my dogs, and I live simply because we love to travel the world backpacker style.

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Tesla Slashes Model Y Prices To Reflect Last Few Model 3 Cuts — Detailed Look

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Published on August 17th, 2019 |

by Paul Fosse

Tesla Slashes Model Y Prices To Reflect Last Few Model 3 Cuts — Detailed Look

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August 17th, 2019 by Paul Fosse

From Tesla Design Studio

Tesla had made several pricing changes to the Model 3 since the Model Y was unveiled, and the company hadn’t updated the pricing and configurations in the Model Y Design Studio to reflect that until yesterday. Tesla raised base prices on the Model 3 when it started including Autopilot by default, but more on the low-end models like the Standard Range Plus (SR+).

Tesla then dropped prices on the Model 3 after the tax credit was reduced (again), but more for the high-end models like the Performance and All Wheel Drive. The company changed the color prices to charge $750 for black (which was free) and offer pearl white for free instead (it was previously $1,500).

My Model Y Order from April 2019

My order from April.

I didn’t order the Model Y at the unveiling on March 14th, because I really like my Model 3 and am not “suffering” waiting for the car like I felt I was waiting for the Model 3 (1st world problem to be sure). But when Elon started to talk about the cars being appreciating assets and how he will be raising prices as Tesla releases more Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities, I figured that I should put down a deposit. Since then, the overall prices have gone down, not up, for my fully loaded configuration.

Same configuration today in the Design Studio

Since I happened to order a white car and also ordered the performance model that has gone down the most in the Model 3, that’s a $4,000 drop. This isn’t reflected yet on my Tesla account, but I’m sure they will update it as the car gets closer to delivery.

Price Changes Since Model Y Launch

Original prices from unveiling.

Below, I’ve tried to show how the various models have changed prices since the unveiling and how the prices compare to the Model 3.

You can see all of the Model Y prices went down $2,000 since the unveiling. I can’t make any comparisons of the new Standard Range price because the price is no longer in the design studio. Don’t fear that it has been discontinued, though, it is still mentioned on the first page. Assuming Tesla honors the $39,000 price from the unveiling, it will be only $10 more than the Model 3, but it is likely that the Model 3 will change in price many times between now and 2021. I can’t compare the Long Range RWD to the Model 3 because that configuration is no longer available. The AWD Model Y is a reasonable $4,010 more than the Model 3 and the Performance Model Y is $5,010 more than the comparable Model 3. The pricing is reasonable, but not overly aggressive. I think Tesla is anti-selling the Model Y a bit to avoid hurting Model 3 sales.

Toyota Crossover Pricing Comparison

Captured from Cars.com

I’m not planning to do a full comparison of the Model Y to the RAV4 for a while, but I thought I would see how Toyota prices the RAV4 in comparison to Tesla prices. I noticed several differences.

First, Toyota only charges $1,400 extra for all-wheel drive vs $4,000 that Tesla charges. That makes sense because Tesla’s AWD includes the reliability and performance advantages of a second motor taking your 5.5 seconds 0-60 mph time to 4.8 seconds. The RAV4 time is almost double at 8.0 seconds. Even the Highlander with the V6 engine with 45% more horsepower is only a little less slow at 7.2 seconds.

The other difference is Toyota’s crossover is only $1,050 more than a comparable Camry. The Highlander is $9,280 more than the comparable Camry. It isn’t a perfect comparison because the RAV4 at 181 inches is 11 inches shorter than the Camry at 192 inches, while the Highlander in also 192 inches long. I expect the Model Y to be a couple of inches longer (maybe 187) than the Model 3, which is 185 inches long, but it should have comparable room to the Highlander, not the RAV4, since those cars use several inches of length for their gas engines. Tesla is putting a 3rd row option in the car to allow one model to compete with both smaller crossovers like the RAV4 and bigger crossovers like the Highlander.

Conclusion
It’s good that Tesla updated the pricing of the Model Y to be more consistent with the Model 3. I think it gets confusing if they are not fairly comparable. I’m reasonably sure that Tesla is still anti-selling the Model Y to avoid hurting its second half Model 3 sales. An optimistic take on this price adjustment is that Tesla is getting ready to start production early in 2020 and needs to have the prices updated so it can build the configurations with the most demand. I’m confident that the Model Y will have very high demand because of 2 simple facts: First, consumers around the world like crossovers more than sedans. Second, there are no crossovers available today that can match Tesla’s performance until you get to about double Tesla’s cost of ownership (think Porsche Cayenne or Mercedes GLE).

If you plan to get a Tesla with Full Self-Driving, today is a great day to order the Model 3, Model S, or Model X with Full Self-Driving because the price was supposed go up a $1,000 yesterday, but hasn’t yet!

Use my Tesla referral link to get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging on a Tesla Model S, Model X, or Model 3 (you can’t use it on the Model Y yet), here’s the link: https://ts.la/paul92237 (but if someone else helped you, please use their link).

About the Author

Paul Fosse A Software engineer for over 30 years, first developing EDI software, then developing data warehouse systems. Along the way, I've also had the chance to help start a software consulting firm and do portfolio management. In 2010, I took an interest in electric cars because gas was getting expensive. In 2015, I started reading CleanTechnica and took an interest in solar, mainly because it was a threat to my oil and gas investments. Follow me on Twitter @atj721 Tesla investor. Tesla referral code: https://ts.la/paul92237

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An Inside Look At The Components That Go Into A Tesla Solar Roof Installation

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Published on August 8th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

An Inside Look At The Components That Go Into A Tesla Solar Roof Installation

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August 8th, 2019 by Kyle Field

July ushered in the start of the real action for our Tesla solar roof, as the installation kicked into high gear. The first materials arrived at the house and the team prepared to install the solar roof on our new home. Before we get into the installation, let’s talk about the components that make up of one of Tesla’s solar roofs.

Image credit: Tesla

Many of the components and processes used in installing a Tesla solar roof are from the traditional roofing industry, which makes sense. The solar roof still fundamentally has to perform all of the same functions of a normal dumb roof before its ability to generate power matters. It also includes many of the same components as a traditional bolt-on solar system, with rooftop wiring, inverters, safety devices, and the like.

Underlayment
A Tesla solar roof installation starts with the installation of a waterproof underlayment. Tesla uses Firestone’s CLAD-GARD SA-FR, a standard roofing underlayment for metal roofs. This product provides a waterproof foundation for any roof while also providing a skid-resistant surface for the installers to walk on while installing the more complex parts of the roof. This is the white material in the photo above.

Metal Framing
After the underlayment goes down, Tesla’s crew frames up the roof with metal. A metal trim wraps around the entire roof edge as well as along every peak and valley in the roof structure. In the valleys of the roof, the metalwork provides the drainage for any precipitation and debris. Up at the peaks of the roof, it provides protection, funneling any precipitation onto the tiles or surfaces below, which ultimately escort it off the roof.

Tesla solar roof with copious amounts of metal work framing the roof. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

Tesla makes all of its own metal products for the solar roof, so all of these components are specific to the Tesla solar roof. Word on the street is that these are all currently made in the Bay Area, but that likely won’t be the case as Tesla ramps up production after locking in the design of version 3 of its solar roof tiles.

Roof Tiles
The star of the show in the solar roof install is obviously Tesla’s solar roof tiles. These come in two flavors: 1) tiles with solar cells sandwiched between two pieces of tempered glass that produce power, and 2) glass tiles. Roof tiles with solar cells in them are called PV Tiles and are the fundamental building block of any Tesla solar roof. They arrive on site in pre-wired, pre-mounted bundles of 3 tiles in a row, called PV Modules.

A pallet of Tesla PV Module roof tiles. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

Each PV Tile has a production capacity of just over 8 watts each, translating to 25 watts for a full 3-tile PV Module. Assembling the tiles together into PV Modules at the factory has multiple benefits, with the first and foremost being a reduction in the amount of effort and time that’s required to install a solar roof. This helps Tesla deliver a faster turnaround time, means less time for a customer’s home sitting there without a roof, and keeps labor costs down.

Using PV Modules also reduces the number of on-site wiring connections that need to be made, allowing Tesla to control the quality of more potential points of failure in the roof system at the factory. PV Modules come with the joints between the three tiles pre-sealed, resulting in what is surely a higher quality, more consistent seal that what can be guaranteed with a field installation. Each PV Tile comes with its own set of built-in c-clip mounts and stand-offs that hold the top of the tile off of the roof, transferring any weight from above to the roof surface below while also serving to set the correct angle to allow water to run down the roof.

Tesla calls the non-producing tiles Roofing Tiles, which are simply made from a single sheet of tempered glass. These come from the factory as single tiles as well as bundled into Roofing Modules comprised of 3 glass tiles. Tesla uses these on sections of the roof that are not wide enough for a block of solar tiles and for use along the seams of the roof. To ensure a clean fit at the seams, Tesla’s team simply cuts the tiles to match the angle of the seam they will butt up against.

A cut Roofing Module with mounting bricks in the background. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

Mounting Bricks
Tesla has packed an impressive amount of functionality into each single PV Module, and the mounting bricks are the other half of the system that makes it easy for Tesla’s installer to secure the PV and Roofing Modules to the roof. Tesla’s mounting bricks come in standard and drained configurations.

Tesla solar roof installation. Image credit: Chuck Field

Standard mounting blocks allow the tile below it to mount to it, but also allow the panel above it to clip to it, thanks to a healthy dose of industrial grade plastic hook and loop. The trailing edge of the panel above the mounting brick has another strip of this fabric, resulting in a very secure bond. Check it out in the video below:

Drained mounting bricks include a channel that helps water drain in the proper direction between each of the PV Modules or where they butt up against a Roofing Tile or Roofing Module. They still allow adjoining modules to mount to them with their c-clips, but with the added benefit of funneling water down the roof.

A Tesla solar roof tile clipped onto a drained mounting block. Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica

The Electrical System
Each PV Module is connected to the solar roof wiring string via standard solar MC connectors that come pre-installed from the factory. These strings then connect down through the roof via a series of electrical pucks mounted and sealed to the roof. Tesla is required to install a Rapid Shutdown Device (RSD) within 5 feet of every solar array, so they are typically installed up in the rafters near the roof.

The wiring in an array of Tesla solar roof tiles. Image credit: Tesla

On the inside of the house, the pucks sprout bare wires that connect to one of a handful of these Delta Rapid Shutdown Devices, shown as a small grey box to the right of the rooftop wiring in the image above. Outputs from the RSDs are fed down to a pair of Delta inverters that convert the DC power from the roof down into the AC power that all the electrical goodies in the home want.

From there, the wiring configuration varies depending on whether Powerwalls are being installed or not. We are installing two Powerwalls, so we’ll talk through the essential loads wiring configuration. For our house, we do not have anything running on gas, so all our appliances, cooking, and heating are electric. Add to that two electric car chargers and a spare for guests and our loads were just too large to cram into a single 200 amp electrical sub-panel.

After all the load calculations were done, we opted to pull a few of the larger, less critical loads off of the Powerwall battery backup and just backup the “essential” loads in our house. The image below shows a single, undersized inverter and diminutive supporting boxes. Every single one of these boxes/devices in our system is twice as large as shown here, with the exception of the Tesla Powerwall (though, technically, we do have two of those).

Image credit: Tesla

The two Powerwalls provide backup power to everything on our 200 amp sub-panel, while the remaining loads in our home — our electric oven and two of our car chargers — will be relegated to the 400 amp main panel.

The Tesla Backup Gateway provides communication to the Tesla Mothership and can automagically disconnect the home from the grid in the event of a power outage. Doing so engages the Powerwalls to provide power to all of the essential loads in the sub-panel, while being replenished by the rooftop solar system when the sun is out.

That’s an overview of the components in a Tesla solar roof system. We’ll dive into the system more in future articles, so stay tuned for a first look at this hot new clean tech.

Related Exclusive: Why Tesla’s Solar Roof Is A Bargain, 53% Of The Price Of A Roof + Electricity — CleanTechnica Analysis

About the Author

Kyle Field I'm a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

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