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Tesla Model 3 = 67% of US Electric Vehicle Sales in 2nd Quarter

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Published on August 10th, 2019 |

by Zachary Shahan

Tesla Model 3 = 67% of US Electric Vehicle Sales in 2nd Quarter

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August 10th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

I prefer comparing the Tesla Model 3 to its gasoline competitors, but it’s also logical to compare the Model 3 to other electric vehicles. In the old days, these were simply called “EV sales reports,” but the US electric vehicle market is so unbalanced at the moment that it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room — there’s the Model 3, and there’s everything else.

In fact, even that is unbalanced, as the Model 3 accounts for 67% of US electric vehicle sales, according to 2nd quarter sales data and estimates.

The reason for the dramatic divergence in sales is up for interpretation. One reason might be that the majority of people who want an electric car don’t see anything that beats the Model 3 — or at least not for anywhere near its price point. Another reason might be that the Model 3 is the only electric vehicle that blatantly and commandingly outcompetes all of its gasoline competitors in ways that normal consumers care about. Another possibility is that word of mouth about the Model 3 has gotten around so much that it’s clearly the new “it” product for certain portions of the population. Or, more practically, consumers in a more mainstream wave of EV adoption have simply learned about the many benefits of the car.

In any case, the story in EV world is that the majority of EV sales are Tesla Model 3 sales. Tesla’s more expensive models (the Model S and Model X) held the #2 and #3 spots in the 2nd quarter, while the Chevy Bolt and Nissan LEAF were the only other models to score over 3,000 sales in the quarter. (GM’s and Nissan’s top electrified models used to see more than 3,000 sales a month.) The Audi e-tron, BMW i3, and Volkswagen e-Golf each had over 1,000 sales in Q2 — approximately as many Model 3s as Tesla sells in 2–3 days in the USA.

The charts can tell the rest of the story.

A handful of electric models are not included here because the parent companies don’t release sales data for them. Those include the Honda Clarity EV, Hyundai Ioniq EV, Hyundai Kona EV, Kia Niro EV, and Fiat 500e. However, if I plug in estimates from InsideEVs, they’re so insignificant that the Model 3 retains its 67% share of the market.

I hesitate to beat a demolished piñata, but it’s perhaps worth noting that many of the electric models in these charts were at various times deemed “Tesla killers” by certain members of the media. It appears there was a miscalculation in those forecasts.

If you prefer a fun chart over a static one, below is an interactive chart in which you can toggle between Q1 and Q2 sales.

If you are interested in buying a Tesla Model 3 (or Model S or X) and need a referral code to get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging, feel free to use ours: http://ts.la/tomasz7234

About the Author

Zachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself (and other species). He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the president of Important Media and the director/founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada.

Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG, & ABB — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in these particular companies and feels like they are good cleantech companies to invest in. But he offers no professional investment advice and would rather not be responsible for you losing money, so don't jump to conclusions.

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Fully Charged Tests Porsche Taycan’s Performance

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Published on August 9th, 2019 |

by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Fully Charged Tests Porsche Taycan’s Performance

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August 9th, 2019 by Dr. Maximilian Holland

Fully Charged’s Jonny Smith was given a unique opportunity to test the Porsche Taycan’s performance consistency, and was able to confirm its ability to handle repeated acceleration runs without running into thermal limits. The Taycan looks to be similar to the Tesla Model 3 Performance in this respect, but will come in at around twice the price of the Tesla. The Taycan is competing in a different segment, and will certainly appeal to Porsche enthusiasts and other well heeled consumers looking to make the switch to the technology of the future.

Fully Charged’s test drive was curated by Porsche and designed to highlight the Taycan’s relative strengths. Jonny Smith was clear enough: “My job here today is to prove Porsche’s repeatability of high performance.” In other words, to see whether the vehicle could accelerate repeatedly without hitting thermal limits.

Porsche has noted that whilst even the top-of-the-line Taycan (444 kW, 600 ps) will not match the outright acceleration of the Tesla Model S Performance for 0–62 mph times, instead, its engineering focus is on battery and motor cooling that will allow comparatively strong acceleration at speeds over 100 mph (161 km/h), and thus meet expected Autobahn performance, crucial for the home market.

They emphasize repeated acceleration runs, not that this has any practical use. It doesn’t. Instead, it correlates with sustained high-speed driving and Autobahn use patterns that are unnecessary outside of Germany but are symbolically crucial in the home market. This also allows Porsche to troll Tesla, since the Tesla vehicles are — perfectly sensibly — not primarily tuned for Autobahn performance, but instead offer other performance priorities that have broader global appeal. Trolling the clear market leader — Tesla — is a well established marketing practice when trying to establish a new product, and therefore Porsche actually gives kudos and acknowledgement to Tesla’s achievements in the EV space.

Porsche claims that the most powerful Taycan variant — featured in the video — will achieve 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) acceleration in “under 3.5 seconds” and 0–124 mph (0–200 km/h) in “under 10 seconds.” What’s very encouraging is that this suggests that the Taycan will actually have better acceleration times to 124 mph (200 km/h) than its top-of-the-range, and much more expensive ($188,000), Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S E-Hybrid sibling. This is a strong indication that Porsche is serious about its EV strategy, and not just playing politics, unlike some of the other German luxury brands.

The price for the high-end Taycan version featured in the video was unconfirmed, but is rumoured to be over $130,000 (before sales tax) in the US, around £120,000 in the UK (including taxes), and perhaps €130,000 in Germany (including taxes). Expensive, but much less than the top-end Panamera. The version tested will apparently be badged as the “turbo” variant. Yes, Porsche appears to be keeping its traditional ICE-era labels for the Taycan variants.

Screeenshot from Fully Charged’s video — Fully Charged/YouTube

The least expensive Taycan variant, that will likely appear later on, is rumoured to cost around $90,000 before options. That’s similar to the Tesla Model S Performance (see more below). It is also rumoured to have power significantly lower than the “turbo” variant featured in the video. The base Taycan may perhaps have 322 ps or 376 ps, rear drive only, and a smaller 80 kWh battery, compared to the 90 or 95 kWh pack, and AWD of the “turbo.”

By way of comparison, since Porsche obviously wants to “go there,” the Tesla Model S Performance costs $92,600 before taxes in the US (€102,700 in Germany, including tax) and will do 0–100 km/h in 2.6 seconds. That’s of course a quantum leap faster than the Taycan. Tesla makes no claims for the 0–200 km/h time, but independent testing has recorded 0–201 km/h (0–125 mph) in 10.5 seconds. This suggests the Tesla would likely have better acceleration than the Taycan at all speeds up to ~110 mph (177 km/h), and less acceleration thereafter.

The internal space of the Taycan is actually a closer match to the Tesla Model 3 than the larger Model S. The Model 3 Performance costs €55,400 in Germany ($55,000 in the US) and completes 0–100 km/h in 3.4 seconds (similar to the Taycan Turbo). The higher 0–200 km/h acceleration in the Model 3 requires around 14 seconds, which is a good bit down on the Taycan’s 10 seconds.

It’s tempting to compare the Taycan with the Teslas in this way, and Porsche has certainly set up the Taycan, and this testing day, to emphasize its comparative strengths relative to Tesla’s vehicles. However, I’d argue that the Taycan will be a much lower volume vehicle, significantly more expensive, and is actually going to be competing with and pulling buyers from fossil-burning alternatives, rather than competing with Tesla per se.

For those who might wish to compare the Taycan’s performance specs with the Teslas’, a key question is, what acceleration range is more relevant to most prospective owners globally? Would most buyers around the world prefer better performance in the range of 0–60 mph, and 0–100 mph? Or would most people prefer relatively strong acceleration at speeds above 100 mph (161 km/h)?

Design Parameters Only Relevant for the German Market?
The answer to the above question should be clear for most people. With few exceptions, only in Germany are speeds above 140 km/h (87 mph) legally allowed on public roads. Although a few drivers in other places will sometimes drive somewhat over their national speed limits, most outside Germany will almost never realistically drive much above 100 mph (161 km/h). Having high acceleration at speeds above 100 mph is therefore not something that gives owners much practical benefit, anywhere outside of Germany.

Screenshot from Fully Charged’s video — Fully Charged/YouTube

The exception is for the small percentage of folks who might occasionally want to push their car around a track. Even here, though, most of the tracks that keen amateurs drive don’t see speeds much above 100 mph (161 km/h) sustained for more than a very few seconds. Rates of acceleration at speeds above 100 mph therefore don’t have much influence on lap times. It’s typically more relevant to have good rates of acceleration from slow corner speeds of 40 or 50 mph, back up towards 60, 80, or 100 mph (161 km/h).

The Laguna Seca circuit in California, with a length of 3.6 km, only has one straightaway on which a high-performance sports saloon will (briefly) exceed 180 km/h (112 mph). Even the legendarily extreme Nurburgring Nordschleife, with its exceptional 20 km length and 73 to 154 corners (depending on how you count them), only has 8 sections (mostly very short) where the very fastest performance saloons will touch speeds above 200 km/h (124 mph).

Thus, even for the small percentage of performance saloon owners who might want to track their personal vehicle occasionally, acceleration up to speeds of around 100 mph (161 km/h) is much more relevant for overall performance than acceleration at speeds beyond that. How does the Taycan maintain relatively strong acceleration at higher speeds? It uses 2 forward gears. All Teslas (apart from a few early Roadster prototypes) only use a single forward gear.

Jonny Smith did not report detailed results of the repeatability of acceleration, but did note that he completed 30 acceleration runs, and didn’t mention any noticeable throttling of performance. Porsche’s account of the test is slightly more reserved. They say that Jonny did 26 successive runs of 0–200 km/h (0–126 mph) acceleration. The average time for each run was “just under 10 seconds” and the variance between fastest and slowest runs was just 0.8 seconds. That’s impressive consistency over many repeated runs, as well as impressive acceleration through to higher speeds.

Screenshot from Fully Charged’s video — Fully Charged/YouTube

Whilst the Model 3 Performance, with its efficient cooling circuits, could likely demonstrate consistent acceleration several times without encountering thermal limitations, 26 successive times has not been documented, so far as I’m aware. The number of times anyone could conceivably want to do this in practice is of course much less. Porsche’s point was to try to troll Tesla, whilst actually its design decision was influenced by something germane. (See what I did there?)

The Autobahn Use Case
Ahh, the exoticism of the Autobahns.

The actual practical design brief of the Taycan is its sustained high-speed performance, absolutely essential to acceptance in the home market, especially at this price point. Porsche says that (likely largely thanks to the two forward gear setup) the top-end Taycan will be able to sustain cruising at its top speed of 162 mph (261 km/h) for as long as is practically required on the Autobahn.

In practice this likely means designed to run at top speeds for periods of up to around 10 minutes or so, since inevitable traffic means having to back off from high speeds at least this frequently. Even at night, it’s actually very rare to get runs of more than 2 or 3 minutes at these kinds of speeds (covering ~13 km) without needing to slow a bit to safely pass haulage trucks, similar commercial traffic, or other road users (most Autobahns are two lanes only). Nonetheless, the ability-in-principle to sustain prolonged high speeds is an understandable and indeed necessary design goal to give a comfortable feeling to German consumers used to occasional fast cruising in sport sedans and coupes. This is Porsche’s home market, after all.

Screenshot from Fully Charged’s..

Tesla Battery Guru Jeff Dahn Claims New Lithium-Ion Cell Outperforms Solid-State Batteries

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Published on August 9th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Battery Guru Jeff Dahn Claims New Lithium-Ion Cell Outperforms Solid-State Batteries

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August 9th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Tesla watchers know that Jeff Dahn and his team at Dalhousie University near Halifax, Nova Scotia, are world leaders in lithium-ion battery research. For years, Dahn worked exclusively for 3M, but when that arrangement ended, Tesla swooped in and signed a contract for Dahn to work for the Silicon Valley car/tech/energy company.

Credit: Jeff Dahn, et al./Nature Energy

For years, the Holy Grail of battery research has been making solid-state battery cells that replace the liquid electrolyte in conventional cells with solid materials. Solid-state batteries are believed to be cheaper to produce, have higher energy density, and have a longer lifespan than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Well, if someone can crack the final code for commercially viable cells.

In addition, solid-state batteries are less like to catch fire or explode if they get too hot. That in turn means electric car manufacturers can make simpler, less costly cooling systems for their battery packs, driving down the cost of EVs. It also reassures the public their shiny new electric cars aren’t going to explode in the garage, as recently happened to the owner of a Hyundai Kona EV in Canada.

Research published by Dahn and his team in the journal Nature Energy on July 15 reveals they have created new lithium-ion pouch cells that may outperform solid-state technology battery. Here’s the abstract of that research report:

“Cells with lithium-metal anodes are viewed as the most viable future technology, with higher energy density than existing lithium-ion batteries. Many researchers believe that for lithium-metal cells, the typical liquid electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries must be replaced with a solid-state electrolyte to maintain the flat, dendrite-free lithium morphologies necessary for long-term stable cycling.

“Here, we show that anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells with a dual-salt LiDFOB/LiBF4 liquid electrolyte have 80% capacity remaining after 90 charge–discharge cycles, which is the longest life demonstrated to date for cells with zero excess lithium. The liquid electrolyte enables smooth dendrite-free lithium morphology comprised of densely packed columns even after 50 charge — discharge cycles. NMR measurements reveal that the electrolyte salts responsible for the excellent lithium morphology are slowly consumed during cycling.”

Those pesky dendrites are the bane of lithium-ion batteries. They are little projections like stalagmites in caves that can poke through the insulating layer inside individual cells, leading to short circuits and potential fires. Eliminating them would be a big step forward, particularly for use in electric vehicles.

Is Tesla on the verge of replacing the cylindrical cells in its battery packs with Jeff Dahn’s pouch cells? Not just yet. There is a lot of research and testing left to do before they becomes suitable for commercial production, but they may signal an important step forward for energy storage in the years ahead.

Below is a video of Dahn when he won the prestigious National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada award in 2017. Here is a fellow who knows what he is talking about. If he says pouch cells can outperform solid state cells, we should pay heed.

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 Granted New Patents For Curved & Textured Solar Roof Tile Manufacturing

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Published on August 9th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Granted New Patents For Curved & Textured Solar Roof Tile Manufacturing

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August 9th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla was just granted a new series of patents that shed some light on the techniques it will use on its upcoming curved and flat solar roof tiles. These design techniques will presumably be employed as Tesla moves towards the first commercial version of Tuscan-style solar roof tiles, which are expected to move into mass production a bit later than the Tesla solar roof tiles that have just been installed on my roof.

Curved Solar Roof Tile Design
The first of the three new patents, US 2019 245 478 A1, details a few of Tesla’s strategies for implanting flat solar cells into the curved solar roof tiles that look like more traditional Spanish roof tiles. From the filing, we can see that Tesla is planning to actually embed the flat solar cells into the curved bell shape of the tiles. To do this, Tesla has developed a tile that is rounded on the exposed surface, but flat on the inside to accommodate flat strips of solar cells.

According to the filing, the tiles will be comprised of, “a transparent front cover having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface comprises at least one portion that is convexly curved, wherein the second surface comprises a plurality of flat facets, and wherein the flat facets are arranged to follow the contour of the at least one convexly curved portion of the first surface.”

Taking this approach could allow Tesla to build solar cells into more surface area than would be possible on a flat roof made of solar roof tiles, but with the tradeoff that only a portion of the cells would be directly facing the sun at any point in time.

The filing discusses a curved solar roof tile design that supports both pre-wired solar modules as well as solar roof tiles that make the electrical connection to the home electrical circuit through a special connector with the adjoining panels (806 and 808 in the graphic below). Devising a system where solar roof tiles could effectively be installed as easily, quickly, and reliably as traditional roofing tiles could drastically lower the incremental cost to install a solar roof system.

The reliability of the methodology has to be a key concern for a solar roofing system that isn’t just bolted into an existing roof, but that must function as both a roof and an electrically connected solar system simultaneously for the life of the home.

Tesla Solar Roof Tile Manufacturing
Tesla’s ambitious move into building-integrated photovoltaics challenged the existing mindset that solar was something to be bolted onto the outside of homes, to live outside the envelope of the home. Instead, Tesla sought to recreate the aesthetic of traditional roofing tiles with four primary form factors: textured, smooth, Tuscan, and slate.

A new patent filing (US 2019 241 455 A1) from Tesla gives us some insights into how Tesla plans to produce some of these tiles, including a few options for different manufacturing techniques. The first technique details a stamping approach, where flat solar roof tiles are stamped between a flat bottom mold and a textured surface mold.

The technique could conceivably be used for rounded Tuscan tiles, and might even be the best approach for such a tile, given the round surface on top and the complex angled flat interior surfaces. It is easy to imagine this technique being used to produce one of Tesla’s slate solar roof tiles.

The second method shows a method where glass is pressed between two rolling surfaces, each with its own texture.

The patent filings come as Tesla puts the finishing touches on version 3 of its solar roof tiles. To date, only textured solar roof tiles have been installed on any customer homes. Tesla’s sales team told CleanTechnica reader jjn1056 that the Tuscan tiles might be available in December or January, but as with many things Tesla, that has to be taken for a grain of salt until they’re actually bolted down and on the roof.

All images from the patent filings as listed on PatentSwarm.

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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Tesla Software V10: Everything We Know

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Published on August 7th, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

Tesla Software V10: Everything We Know

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August 7th, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Originally published on EVANNEX.
By Denis Gurskiy, EV Bite

Tesla’s V10 software update was teased recently thanks to a flood of information flowing from Elon Musk’s Twitter feed. According to Musk, the timeframe for V10 “depends on how release to owners with early access goes, but hopefully wide release by end of August.” Early access members have been given an early August release date.

Cuphead is soon coming to Tesla via software update V10 (Source: Tesla)

In a separate response, Musk stated that Tesla’s V10 software update would come “maybe August, not more than a few months.”

Obviously, we have to remember that “Tesla Time” is a thing and just because Elon says he anticipates an update coming in a month or so, it does not necessarily mean that it will arrive anywhere near the allotted timeframe. Let’s not forget that Advanced Summon was supposed to be ready in “~6 weeks” almost 10 months ago. Regardless, it’s something that most Tesla owners have grown accustomed to, so I’m sure many are prepared to wait.

Tesla’s last major update, software update 9.0, introduced a lot of cool new features, including Navigate on Autopilot. That said, what might V10 bring to the table? Summarizing in a single tweet, V10 should include “several games & infotainment features, improved highway Autopilot, better traffic light & stop sign recognition & Smart Summon.”

If you want a closer look at everything mentioned so far, keep reading.

Netflix & YouTube Streaming
According to Musk, V10 will include an “ability to stream YouTube & Netflix when car is stopped coming to your Tesla soon! Has an amazingly immersive, cinematic feel due to the comfy seats & surround sound audio.”

Netflix could be coming to your Tesla (Source: Tesla, edited by Chanan Bos | CleanTechnica)

This should prove to be a useful feature when parked at a Supercharger and you’re looking to binge watch your favorite shows/videos. While the vertical orientation of the display in the Model S/X does not make it the most ideal for media consumption, it sure beats your phone. Musk would later go on to say that once Tesla gets regulatory approval for full self driving, they’ll enable video streaming to work even while the car is in motion.

In a followup tweet, Musk stated that “some” of the streaming services will require that the owner has a premium connectivity package. Tesla premium connectivity is included in all Model S and X vehicles. Model 3 owners with the premium interior could receive one year free while the partial premium interior does not. The package is expected to cost about $100 per year.

Improved Stop Sign & Traffic Light Recognition
Needless to say, the recognition of stop signs and traffic lights is an extremely important task necessary on the path to “full self-driving” (FSD). With the upcoming V10 software update, Tesla is introducing an improvement in Autopilot’s ability to recognize stop signs and traffic lights. As discussed in its most recent earnings letter, Tesla has been running this feature in “shadow mode” — carefully analyzing driving situations and comparing what the system would do to what the driver does in the real world.

In response to a question about whether Tesla’s FSD will require the recognition of traffic signs and stop signs, Musk stated that it “will recognize & read all signs for FSD. Focused on traffic lights & stop signs right now. Most are very easy. Difficulty is millions of corner cases.”

Smart Summon
Smart Summon will be great to showcase Tesla’s progress towards FSD, as the vehicle will actually be driving itself with no driver inside. For those who aren’t aware, Smart Summon allows you to summon your Tesla to your location within around 150 feet of where you parked. For instance, say you go to the supermarket and park your car. If want your Tesla to meet you at the curb on your way out, you simply go into the Tesla app and summon the car. In turn, your Tesla should successfully make its way to you. Here’s recent video footage of Smart Summon in action.

Examples of Smart Summon in action (YouTube: ALL Electric)

“Yeah, we’ve been working on curbs a *lot*. Concrete seams too. So glamorous,” Musk explained over Twitter. Once internal testing and validation demonstrates it’s ready, Tesla could make the Smart Summon feature available (via V10) for all Tesla owners. And it could easily turn out to be the most talked-about V10 feature even though it’s been readily available to early access members for a few months now.

Text Messages Read Aloud
As an added safety feature, Musk confirmed that Tesla’s upcoming V10 software update will add the option to have your text messages read aloud so that you don’t have to look at your phone while driving.

“Joe Mode”
Those who travel with children might appreciate another new feature planned for V10. Musk confirmed a feature known as “Joe Mode,” which will decrease the sound your Tesla makes when it executes an auto lane correction. This should help Tesla owners who don’t want warning sounds to wake up their sleeping kids. Keep in mind that Musk is “hoping” this makes it into V10 but it is not confirmed.

Cuphead & Other Unity-Based Games
Cuphead and other Unity-based games will finally make their way onto the Tesla display with the upcoming v10 software update. For those who don’t know, Cuphead is a fairly challenging platformer with a style of art that recalls a vintage cartoon look from the 1930s. Musk stated that Cuphead will be able to run at 60 frames per second to ensure as smooth a gaming experience as possible.

Cuphead is coming to your Tesla (YouTube:IGN)

While most were aware of Cuphead (along with the announcement of Fallout Shelter), a followup tweet piqued even more interest. First, for clarification, Cuphead was built with a game engine known as Unity. Unity is a very popular choice of engine for game developers and there happens to be a sizable number of games using it. In response to a question regarding the porting of more Unity-based games, Musk stated that the “Unity port is done, so [we’re] finessing the controls now. Mostly limited by local storage. Will allow additional game storage via USB. Whatever’s most fun!”

Emoji Support (maybe)
For those who want emojis in their Tesla, Musk stated that, while it’s currently not in this upcoming V10 software update, he’ll “try” to make it happen.

Minecraft & Roblox (whenever)
Ever the meme-master, Elon Musk knows what people want: Minecraft and Roblox. In a response to the Cuphead announcement asking for “minecraft rn elon,” Musk appealed to the masses by stating that, yes, they are working on Minecraft. And not only that, Roblox is being given priority as well.

Pretty soon there won’t be a reason to leave your Tesla at all.

About the Author

Guest Contributor is many, many people. We publish a number of guest posts from experts in a large variety of fields. This is our contributor account for those special people. 😀

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Tesla Ramping Up Production Of V3 Solar Roof Tiles To 1,000 Systems/Week By End Of 2019

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Published on July 30th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Ramping Up Production Of V3 Solar Roof Tiles To 1,000 Systems/Week By End Of 2019

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July 30th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Image credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed on Twitter that the company is working to ramp up the production of its solar roof tiles to a rate of 1000 per week by the end of the year. Rollout of the solar roof tiles has been slower than the company expected back when they were first revealed in a 2016 event at the Universal Studios backlot in Southern California.

We still don’t know much about version 3 of Tesla’s solar roof tiles, but there are a number of areas the company could improve them to drive higher adoption, lower cost, or better payouts. The early builds of the solar roof tiles had relatively low efficiencies at ~18%. Improving this to a higher percentage using better solar cells could see this number climbing as high as 23%, which would generate more power and result in faster payouts for homeowners if all other factors remained the same (like purchase price).

Musk originally showed off four versions of the solar roof tiles, but to date, only the textured solar roof tiles have been installed on the homes of customers. Building out the three remaining configurations of the product in the smooth, slate, and tuscan finishes would open up the product to new customers living in homes that are better suited to one of the other finishes.

Since that time, Tesla moved production out of the initial development space and into its Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York, and started down what turned out to be a long road of product development. The ultimate goal was to reimagine both the roofing business and the solar business and nail the sweet spot between the two with a solar roof tile that installed faster than a traditional roof, was far more durable than your average roof, and churned out solar.

The early images and videos of the roof tiles showed them looking more like LEGO blocks, with the solar roof tiles delivered and installed in pre-wired blocks of three. LEGOs are quick and easy to put together and Musk and his team at Tesla aspired to do the same with an easy-to-install, long-lasting, solar-generating Tesla-branded glass roof.

Image credit: Tesla

Later in the process, we learned that Tesla had been refining the design of its solar roof tiles, with a new version 3 of the roof tiles that could be the mass-market build. This new announcement comes just weeks after the announcement of version 3 of the solar roof tiles and shows a renewed focus from the company on the non-battery side of Tesla Energy.

Installations of the earlier versions of the solar roof have trickled out of the company, but have failed to truly deliver on the promise of Tesla’s early solar roof tile vision of a solar roof tile for the masses. On the cost front, views into early installations of the solar roof show a favorable payout compared to the cost to install a traditional roof and solar panel-based system. (That’s a link to a full, real-world analysis conducted for a new home.)

Tesla Solar Roof Tile production at the Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo. Image credit: Tesla

Prospects for Tesla’s solar roof continue to look favorable, as the cost of the roof tiles themselves will continue to fall as Tesla ramps up production. Looking beyond the current low production volumes to a future where Tesla is producing 1,000 systems per week, an inevitable installation and permitting hell awaits. There is truly no rest for the team at Tesla as it continues to push to create new markets, new vehicles, and new products in its quest to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.

If you’re in the market for a Tesla, feel free to use my Tesla Referral code for your purchase: http://ts.la/kyle623. Doing so gives the buyer (that would be you) and me 1,000 miles of free Supercharging credit and allows us to cover Tesla even better in the future.

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Captain Sully Tweet Presents Opportunity For Tesla

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Published on July 27th, 2019 |

by Jennifer Sensiba

Captain Sully Tweet Presents Opportunity For Tesla

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July 27th, 2019 by Jennifer Sensiba

Screenshot of Sully’s Tesla tweet

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, commonly known as “Captain Sully,” famous for safely landing a crippled airliner in the Hudson River, recently tweeted about Tesla’s Autopilot. While this looks bad, it does present a good opportunity for Tesla — if Tesla responds intelligently.

“Tesla announced the launch of so-called ‘full self-driving’ features that are largely unregulated as soon as this year,” Sullenberger wrote in his tweet. “This should concern everyone who will share the same streets as a driver or pedestrian.”

At first glance, this definitely looks bad for Tesla. It questions the whole concept of FSD and implies that it’s unsafe, or could be unsafe. And it does it in two sentences.

I want to briefly cover why Sullenberger’s tweet matters for Tesla’s image and explore a way that Tesla could turn this into an opportunity to not only look good to the public, but make real improvements to safety.

Why Sullenberg’s Tweet Matters
“Captain Sully” is a household name. People know who he is. People trust him. The public at large thinks what he has to say about safety matters, and, most importantly, they’re right!

Safely landing the Flight 1549 was just the icing on the cake of an extremely successful career. It should be noted that Captain Sullenberger wasn’t just any pilot who happened to get lucky and land the plane in the Hudson. After years of success as a decorated USAF pilot, he spent 30 years as a commercial pilot. During all of this, he became a well-known instructor and expert in the aviation safety community. He was involved in numerous accident investigations, served on advisory boards and committees, co-authored papers with NASA scientists, and did many other things to push the state of the art forward in air transportation safety.

Regarding Flight 1549, Sullenberger said, “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.” While he admits to being terrified by the experience of landing that plane, and suffering emotionally afterward like any human being would after such an experience, listening to the radio traffic of that day shows just how right he was about the importance of education and training. He remained calm as long as he needed to and took care of business.

Where the rest of us would be screaming, praying, or otherwise losing our damned minds, Sullenberger was calmly saying things like, “we can’t do it” and “we’re gonna be in the Hudson” in the same way one of us would tell our spouse, “Honey, I’ll be home in 5 minutes.”

Just to drive this home a little further — when they made a movie about Flight 1549, Sullenberger was portrayed by Tom Hanks. In a 2013 poll, Reader’s Digest found Hanks to be the most trusted person in America. When Hollywood is looking for somebody to play the good guy, especially when the movie is based on a true story, they go for Tom Hanks. He’s even going to portray Mr. Rogers from “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” in an upcoming film.

You know if they make a movie about you and Tom Hanks plays you, you’ve arrived at public trust level 99. Sullenberger is just that trusted. What he says matters to people, as it should.

How Tesla Can Turn This Into An Opportunity
The next time Elon Musk (or e^eyepie, Elon Tusk, or whatever he’s jokingly calling himself today) gets on Twitter, he needs to invite Captain Sully to come visit Tesla.

Actually, it needs to be more than just a visit. They need to pay for his consulting services today and worry about the price later.

Sullenberger is a safety expert, especially when it comes to transportation. Hiring him to step in as a consultant won’t be cheap, and it will be even less easy. He’s not the kind of person who would take the money and put his stamp of approval on something without demanding it actually be safe. He’s probably going to demand that other experts take a look. Most importantly, that’s a good thing. Having somebody take a hard look at Autopilot, demand positive changes, and make the product safer is a win for Tesla, a win for the public, and a win for the future of humanity.

If Tesla can get the “Captain Sully Stamp of Approval,” whatever that looks like, it would be a big win not just for the company’s image, but for the safety of the product itself.

Elon, if you’re reading this, you know what to do.

About the Author

Jennifer Sensiba Jennifer Sensiba is a long time efficient vehicle enthusiast, writer, and photographer. She grew up around a transmission shop, and has been experimenting with vehicle efficiency since she was 16 and drove a Pontiac Fiero. She likes to explore the Southwest US with her partner, kids, and animals.

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Tesla Gigafactory 1 Production Increase Translates To 81% More Powerwall Deployments

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Batteries

Published on July 26th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Gigafactory 1 Production Increase Translates To 81% More Powerwall Deployments

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July 26th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Image courtesy Tesla

Tesla’s energy business (Tesla Energy) often ends up playing second fiddle to the admittedly more exciting automotive business, but that doesn’t mean it’s not growing. In Q2, Tesla increased deployments of its 13.5 kWh Powerwall 81%, according to the Q2 2019 investor letter, to a record 415MWh.

Tesla said in the letter that the sharp increase in Powerwall deployments means they have now been installed at more than 50,000 sites around the world. A Tesla spokesperson confirmed that Powerpack installations also increased in Q2 in parallel to the increase in Powerwall deployments.

The update is some of the first tangible evidence we have that the company is getting better at balancing battery cell production at its Sparks, Nevada Gigafactory 1 with downstream demand in both its automotive and energy businesses. The automotive side of the business continues to grow like gangbusters, nearly doubling the existing deployed fleet every year, and now Tesla Energy is getting in on a bigger piece of the Gigafactory 1 pie.

It is this exponential growth that makes the cell production and downstream demand such a challenge. The company has increased its battery cell production capacity at Gigafactory 1 to around 28 gigawatt-hours, according to CEO Elon Musk on the Q2 2019 earnings call. That figure has the factory bumping up against its original target production capacity of 35GWh a year. (The target has risen much higher since then.)

Tesla Grohmann Automation equipment. Image courtesy Tesla

GF1 production expansion came not only from Panasonic’s side of the business in cell production, but also at the module level, where a new module line designed by Tesla Grohmann Automation “enabled a step change in energy storage production.”

The solar side of Tesla’s Energy business continues to dwindle, with solar retrofit deployments of traditional solar panel systems declining to 29MW in Q2. Tesla made some headway in streamlining the sales process for its energy products in parallel to automotive sales, but the company has yet to deliver on the promise of scaled production and adoption of solar.

The Solar Roof is perhaps the ultimate golden egg for Tesla. Some of us believe (and some don’t) that the Lego-esque snap-together roof replacement that just happens to generate solar energy is the future of rooftops everywhere. Deployments of the Solar Roof are growing, according to reports from numerous Tesla employees, but we have yet to see concrete financials from the company in support of this progress. Also, there is no apparent solution underway for dropping sales of rooftop solar panel systems. Presumably, Tesla needs to find more ways to capitalize on the synergies between its automotive business and its solar power system business.

Do you have any other thoughts on the Tesla Energy portions of this technology company out of Silicon Valley?

If you’re in the market for a Tesla, feel free to use my Tesla Referral code for your purchase: http://ts.la/kyle623 . Doing so gives the buyer (that would be you) and me 1,000 miles of free Supercharging credit and allows us to cover Tesla even better in the future.

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7 Top Takeaways From Tesla’s Q2 Conference Call

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Published on July 25th, 2019 |

by Matt Pressman

7 Top Takeaways From Tesla’s Q2 Conference Call

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July 25th, 2019 by Matt Pressman

Originally posted on EVANNEX.

To recap the second quarter, Tesla issued its shareholder letter and held its quarterly conference call with Wall Street analysts. The news, as always, is a mixed bag. While improving over its $702M loss in Q1, Tesla still missed Wall Street’s expectations, posting a Q2 loss of $408M. Traders can expect a bumpy ride in the short term. That said, there were some highlights worth considering for those long-term TSLA investors.

1. Biggest Bank Balance Ever
Tesla generated $614 million of free cash flow in Q2. Combine that with the $2.4 billion raised in a public offering of equity and convertible bonds and the company ended the quarter with $5 billion in the bank — the highest level in Tesla’s history. “This level of liquidity puts us in a comfortable position as we prepare to launch Model 3 production in China and Model Y production in the US,” explained Elon Musk.

Photo by Cynthia Shahan | CleanTechnica

2. Record Deliveries of Model 3
Tesla produced 87,000 cars in the quarter and delivered a record 95,200 of them in Q2, generating about $6.3 billion in revenue. “Tesla is expanding at an exponential rate,” Musk said. And demand continues to be strong. The company noted, “Model 3 [was] once again the best-selling premium vehicle in the US, outselling all of its gas-powered equivalents combined.”

Model 3 takes off. Image by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

3. Less Emphasis On S & X
As focus moves to Model Y and Tesla’s Pickup, S and X sales have slowed. Musk believes many have been on the sidelines awaiting a refresh. “There may be a false expectation in the market that there’s, like, some big overhaul coming for S and X … like some radical redesign coming, which is why I emphasized publicly that this is not the case,” Musk explained. “The Model S and X today are radically better” than prior versions of the car.

Editor’s note: I have heard frequently for several quarters about expectations for a big Model S & X interior refresh. We never published about this because we never received solid evidence of it. However, it has seemed to me that many Tesla followers have been treating it as a given since at least sometime in 2018. I personally do not think a short tweet shooting down the rumor and a couple of notes on conference calls is enough to extinguish the expectations. I think Tesla needs to more explicitly and “loudly” explain that there is no big refresh coming. I’d package the information in a blog post about how much the S & X have changed over the years and how much better a 2019 Model S is than a 2015 Model S (something I can attest to from personal ownership experience). —Zach Shahan

4. China Gigafactory Progress
According to Tesla, the Gigafactory in Shanghai “continues to take shape,” and remains on track to begin production of a “Model 3 line with capacity of 150,000 units per year.” The company also said, “Given Chinese customers bought well over a half-million mid-sized premium sedans last year, this market poses a strong long-term opportunity for Tesla.”

Inside Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory. Image courtesy Tesla

5. JB Straubel Transitions
CTO JB Straubel will be “transitioning” to an advisory role after more than 15 years at Tesla. “I’m not going anywhere,” Straubel said during the call, adding he’ll work closely with Drew Baglino, vice president of technology, who’s slated to take over the roll. “I want to thank JB for his fundamental role in creating and building Tesla,” Musk said. “If we hadn’t had lunch in 2003, Tesla wouldn’t exist, basically,” Musk added.

6. Service and Supercharger Growth
Tesla stated, “we added 101 vehicles to our Mobile Service fleet and opened 25 new store and service locations… [and] Supercharger capacity has grown to roughly 1,600 charging locations worldwide.” Musk said, “Service scales not just with new production, but as the whole fleet” expands worldwide. And as demand grows, Tesla’s CFO Zach Kirkhorn explained a larger “focus on service and supercharging, as opposed to a retail presence.”

Tesla Model S, Model 3, and Model X charging at Tesla Supercharger in Florida. Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

7. Tesla Model Y is on Track
Prep for Model Y production in Fremont is already underway according to Tesla. The company highlighted, “a significant overlap of components between Model 3 and Model Y, [therefore] we are able to leverage existing manufacturing designs in the development of the Model Y production facilities.” The outlook? Tesla stated, “Due to the large market size for SUVs, as well as higher ASPs, we believe Model Y will be a more profitable product than the Model 3.”

About the Author

Matt Pressman is all about Tesla. He’s a TSLA investor, pre-ordered the Model 3, and loves driving the family's Model S and Model X company cars. As co-founder of EVANNEX, a family business specializing in aftermarket Tesla accessories, he’s served as a contributor/editor of Electric Vehicle University (EVU) and the Owning Model S and Getting Ready for Model 3 books. He writes daily about Tesla and you can follow his work on the EVANNEX blog.

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Tesla Files Patent Application For Die-Cast Unibody Machine

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Published on July 23rd, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Files Patent Application For Die-Cast Unibody Machine

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July 23rd, 2019 by Steve Hanley

We don’t know who Matthew Kenneth Kallas is, but he must have spent a lot of time playing with Mattel die-cast model cars in his formative years. Now he works for Tesla and is listed as the inventor of US Patent Application #15874348, described as a “Multi-Directional Unibody Casting Machine For A Vehicle Frame And Associated Methods,” according to PatentScope. Feast your eyes on the illustration below to get a sense of what Kallas has in mind.

Credit: US Patent Office via PatentScope

This one may be a little hard to wrap your head around unless you are a mechanical engineer. Basically, using die casting technology to make the unibody frame of an automobile — a process that has been done using metal stampings for 50 years — could eliminate many of the steps in the traditional assembly process, saving time and cutting costs.

Today, a collection of stampings is welded, riveted, and bonded into a completed unibody structure in a process that can involve dozens if not hundreds of steps. If the number of steps could be reduced, the entire process could become much more efficient. Here’s more from the patent filing:

“[H]igh-pressure die casting is a metal casting process that has been in use for over a hundred years. Die casting typically includes forcing or injecting molten metal under high pressure into a mold cavity. The mold cavity is formed using two die portions which have been machined into a shape of the desired casting. Depending on metal material type being used, a hot or cold chamber die casting machine may be used, as well as squeeze casting methods, in addition to over-molding, where alloy is casted over/around existing substrates in order to achieve higher structural properties of an end product.

“One die portion is called a ‘cover die portion’ and the other die portion an ‘ejector die portion,’ and where they meet ‘the parting line.’ Conventionally, the cover die portion includes a sprue or shot hole configured to allow molten metal to flow into the dies from an injector fluidly coupled to the sprue or shot hole, and is attached to a stationary platen of a casting machine. The ejector die portion typically includes ejector pins and/or a plate to push the casting out of the ejector die portion (e.g., after solidification and the dies open), and is attached to a movable platen of the casting machine.

“Typically, in the context of vehicle frame manufacturing and the die casting process, multiple die casting machines are each used to cast different components of a vehicle frame. For example, a single die casting machine cell in a factory may be dedicated to casting a single frame component. These components from each casting machine are then assembled or secured together (e.g., via welding) by factory workers or robotic systems to form a vehicle frame (e.g., a unibody vehicle frame).

“Because die casting generally involves higher capital costs relative to other casting and manufacturing processes including assembly of many individual components (e.g., due to high costs of casting equipment and metal dies), there remains a need for an improved die casting machine and associated methods thereof, particularly as related to casting a vehicle frame to reduce work required to achieve a final assembled product.

“The present disclosure describes embodiments of die casting machines and methods thereof that may reduce build time, operation costs, costs of manufacturing, factory footprint, factory operating costs, tooling costs, and/or quantity of equipment. Such casting machines may reduce a number of casting machines or actual castings required to cast a complete or substantially complete vehicle frame (e.g., to less than six, less than five, less than four, less than three, less than two, or one casting machine(s)).

“The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and assembling a vehicle frame, and more particularly to a multi-directional die casting machine for casting a vehicle frame and associated methods thereof such multi-directional casting machines may be suitable for casting a unibody vehicle frame, and more specifically for an electrical vehicle unibody frame. In some embodiments, multiple portions of the vehicle frame may be integrally formed or casted without the need for further assembly and attachment (e.g., welding, rivets, etc.).

“This may reduce a number of castings and/or steps for manufacturing or casting a substantially complete vehicle frame. For example, the die casting machine as described herein may reduce a number of casting machines or actual castings required to cast a complete or substantially complete vehicle frame (e.g., to less than six, less than five, less than four, less than three, less than two, or to one casting(s) or casting machine(s)). Accordingly, this may reduce costs associated with manufacturing including, but not limited to, factory operating costs, tooling costs, time, and other equipment and labor costs.”

Among other things, Tesla is interested in disrupting the world of manufacturing by going back to first principles and finding ways to make better products in less time for less money. Elon Musk calls it “building the machine that makes the machine.” The lessons learned from the Fremont factory and Gigafactory 1 in Nevada are already being applied to Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai.

There’s a reason why Tesla will be able to manufacture Model 3s in China less than a year after it broke ground on its new factory, while the Lucid factory in Arizona will need twice as long to begin series production. It’s hard to keep track of how many ways Tesla is ahead of other auto manufacturers.

One has to wonder how making a die cast unibody structure impacts the cost of repairs (or if repairs are even possible). Die cast metal tends to be fairly brittle and not easily reshaped or repaired. No doubt Elon and his minions have already thought of that and have a plan in place, one that will shock and amaze the “business as usual” crowd.

Keep in mind that just because a company files a patent application does not mean the item being patented will ever be used in actual production. Lots of ideas get patented just to establish a timeline of who thought of an idea first and who has exclusive rights to it in the marketplace. Will Teslas ever be manufactured using this die-cast unibody method? Nor necessarily, but they might, and that’s the important part.

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