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Musk: Tesla Supercharger Network Will Expand Greatly In Europe In 2019

5 H BY MARK KANE 100% of European coverage in 2019? According to the latest Elon Musk announcement on Twitter, Tesla is going to greatly expand its European Supercharging network. The goal is to cover all countries from west to east, and from north to south. Currently, a high density of Superchargers was achieved only in… Continue reading Musk: Tesla Supercharger Network Will Expand Greatly In Europe In 2019

Tesla Model 3 now in the running for IIHS Top Safety Pick+

2018 Tesla Model 3 Long-Range RWD
Most cars these days perform really well on crash tests.

Where they fall down in ratings from the IIHS is usually in either headlight performance or underperforming active safety features.

The IIHS confirmed on Wednesday via Twitter that updated headlights on the Tesla Model 3 received the Institute's highest “Good” rating, as first reported last week on TorqueNews.

The car's active safety systems—the adaptive cruise control and active lane control included with Autopilot—also received the Institute's top Superior rating for such systems.

That means the two primary obstacles to the car becoming an IIHS Top Safety Pick have been met.

The IIHS has still not crash-tested the Model 3, so it has not yet earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating. If the car were to receive a lower rating in one of the IIHS crash tests: moderate- and small-overlap front tests, a side test, or a roof-strength test, or measurements of its head restraints, it would jeopardize the Top Safety Pick+ rating, which the Institute gives only to cars that perform well in all its tests.

DON'T MISS: IIHS: Self-driving systems aren't that, and aren't ready for prime time

When the IIHS first tested the Model 3's headlights back in May, its headlights earned only an Acceptable rating—not high enough to win the Model 3 a Top Safety Pick+. (No Tesla has yet earned a Top Safety Pick+ designation. The Model S scored the second-highest “Acceptable” rating on the Institute's difficult small-overlap front crash test, and its headlights were rated Poor—the lowest rating. The Model X has not been rated.)

Since then, Tesla has improved the Model 3's headlights to reach farther down the road and produce less glare, both of which improved their rating.

The new rating applies to Model 3s made since June. So far, Tesla hasn't found a way to give the car new headlight reflectors via an over-the-air software update.

Would a Porsche Taycan Turbo confuse the Mission for sports-car brand’s electric car?

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Porsche Taycan production
The Porsche Taycan—since way back in its early 2015 Mission E Concept days—has been discussed by Porsche in two distinct ways.

On one hand it’s a Tesla rival, capable of meeting higher standards of performance than the Model S or Model 3. And on the other hand it’s at the lead of a big part of Porsche’s future, as it sees all (or nearly all) of its cars eventually becoming electric.

At the center of Porsche’s intent to one-up Tesla—outside of the Nürburgring bragging rights that might not matter to many Tesla fans—has been its 800-volt electrical architecture, and the faster 350-kw CCS-format charging that it allows without added bulk. Porsche Turbo Charging, as it’s been called along the way, allows an 80-percent charge in as little as 15 minutes, and the capability will be included in all Taycan production models.

DON’T MISS: Porsche Mission E to be called Porsche Taycan

Up until now Turbo Charging seemed like a healthy jab at Tesla and its Supercharger network, and a term that would be smart to place all over charging hardware and marketing materials while the advantage is theirs. However, it may never become a true shot at the bow.

Porsche is big on heritage and continuity, and a hint on model positioning for the production 2020 Porsche Taycan suggests that on the way to the future, the sports-car maker may not be willing to give up all of its internal-combustion past—perhaps especially its “Turbo” badge.

In correspondence from a “Porsche Global Brand Ambassador” at the automaker, The Drive’s Alex Roy was informed of initial pricing from the low $90,000 range up to over $130,000 (in line with what has previously been said). But what accompanied that was that there will be three models, Taycan, Taycan 4S, and Taycan Turbo.

Although this is a single correspondence, and the person who wrote the e-mail might have accidentally included Taycan Turbo—a “legacy automaker” stumble like the oil-change notices that were widespread for early Nissan Leaf owners—it’s crafted in a way that doesn’t leave a lot of room for that confusion.

CHECK OUT: Audi e-tron GT electric sports car is its take on Porsche Taycan

Porsche executives have said previously that the Taycan (Mission E) would borrow some pieces of existing Porsche model nomenclature. However, the term Turbo was not one we expected to see. When contacted by our colleagues at Motor Authority, Porsche Cars North America confirmed that no official pricing or information has been announced.

Porsche Mission E concept, 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show

As of earlier in the year, Porsche said that it was still working on how to present its high-power charging technology for North America. With one each at its 189 U.S. dealerships, several at each of its Experience Centers (LA and Atlanta), and a few more 350-kw CCS stations through Electrify America and EVgo, it’s likely that there will be more than 200 stations capable of charging the Taycan at its peak rate around the time the vehicle is launched.

READ MORE: Porsche already has a prototype that will charge faster than its 350-kw Taycan

Porsche currently has a number of models that are turbocharged yet don’t bear the Turbo badge, so it’s already using the badge to denote top-performance versions rather than everything that uses exhaust-fed forced induction.

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Tesla Model 3 headlights, Porsche Taycan Turbo, expiring tax credits: Today’s Car News

Porsche may be planning electric “Turbos.” Expiring electric-car tax credits hit U.S. automakers and benefit imports in contrast to Trump policies. And our Twitter followers are not optimistic about climate talks. All this and more on Green Car Reports. After Tesla updated the headlights on the Model 3, the IIHS retested them and gave the new…

Tesla Model 3 Performance Price = 50% of BMW M3 Price in China

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Published on December 18th, 2018 |

by Zachary Shahan

Tesla Model 3 Performance Price = 50% of BMW M3 Price in China

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December 18th, 2018 by Zachary Shahan

If the BMW 3 Series seems to be in trouble in the US due to the Tesla Model 3, it appears it might have a much bigger problem in China. The Tesla Model 3 Long Range is already at the top of the price range of a BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and lower-trim options should eventually arrive to compete with those models’ lower-trim options.

Additionally, at the highest end, the Tesla Model 3 Performance crushes the prices of the BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 — as in, it’s approximately half the price of those premium-class competitors.

Don’t let the prices fool you, though — the Tesla Model 3 offers superior performance. As our friend Vincent, who shared all of this info with us, points out, the Tesla Model 3 Performance is even quicker than the BMW M4.

As Vincent shares, the prices of midsize luxury sedans in China (in USD) are as follows:

Audi A4 — $43,000–60,000
BMW 3 Series — $42,000–72,000
Mercedes-Benz C-Class — $46,000–72,000
Tesla Model 3 Long Range — $72,000

As far as the performance versions, you get:

BMW M3 — $162,000
BMW M4 — $184,000
Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 — $173,623
Tesla Model 3 Performance — $81,160

Here are the original tweets about these comparisons:

In addition to those comparisons, Vincent highlighted that prices for the Tesla Model S and Model X dropped notably in the past week:

Taking into account huge fuel and operational savings from driving a Tesla Model 3 rather than a BMW or a Mercedes, as well as the many extra benefits of an electric car and especially a Tesla, I have to agree with Vincent’s comment that “I can’t find a reason to buy BMW … sorry, just can’t.” However, same goes for Mercedes, Audi, etc.

Expect a good first quarter for Tesla in China.

If you’re looking to buy a Tesla, appreciate my work, and need a referral code, here you go: http://ts.la/tomasz7234

Images via Tesla

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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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Tesla’s New Christmas Easter Eggs Stink

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Published on December 18th, 2018 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla’s New Christmas Easter Eggs Stink

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December 18th, 2018 by Kyle Field

Tesla continues to drop easter egg bombs on owners, and this time, they stink. Well, they would if Tesla had Smell-o-Vision, but thankfully they don’t (yet?) and simply add to the ambience of the in-car experience.

Tesla has delivered on the promise of new easter eggs with a Fart Mode that allows owners to choose from a variety of options of fart sound effects and what they want to use them for. Who wouldn’t want their $100,000 car to make fart noises when they turn the blinkers on? Actually, that might be a fun setting for Valet Mode…

The new easter eggs come with the latest version of Tesla’s firmware (v48.12), delivering on Elon’s promise to bring some toilet humor and a romance mode to the in-car experience with a future update. As it turns out, Romance Mode came in the form of a new fireplace easter egg that turns waiting at a Supercharger for the car to charge into a more intimate experience. Just add flowers and some window shades and who knows what could happen.

The new easter eggs continue Tesla’s trend of adding fun perks to the car that take things to the next level. Romance Mode also kicks on the heat and puts on mood-making music. You’d be surprised what a bit of Barry White or Marvin Gaye could do to set the mood.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the new perks would be coming, but now that they have arrived, I’m left wondering why. They feel a lot like memes that people scroll through on social media. Sure, it’s fun to talk about and fun to see, but do I really want it pinned to my car in perpetuity? Nah.

If you enjoy the content here on CleanTechnica and are looking to purchase a new Tesla, feel free to use my referral link (here).

Source: Teslarati

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. Tesla referral code: http://ts.la/kyle623

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Elon Musk Pledges Tesla Superchargers For All of Europe Next Year

Tesla/Tag Hartman-Simkins Big Promise Electric car maker Tesla will expand its network of Superchargers to provide service for all of Europe by the end of 2019, CEO Elon Musk tweeted Wednesday. If the plans come to fruition, the vast expansion will represent not just a coup for Tesla but also for the growing global infrastructure that supports… Continue reading Elon Musk Pledges Tesla Superchargers For All of Europe Next Year

Seat develops a new system that protects cyclists

The safety of a vehicle includes ever more demanding tests. It is not enough that the car protects its occupants in the event of a collision, but it is also essential that the driver has an assistance system to protect the most vulnerable on the road. To that end, the newSeat TarracoIt incorporates a system… Continue reading Seat develops a new system that protects cyclists

Volkswagen unveils mobile charging station for electric vehicles

Volkswagen unveiled this Thursday, December 27 a preview of its mobile charging station designed for its electric cars. “The latter can be configured flexibly and independently of the power supply whenever it’s needed,” says a statement from the German brand. For example at major events, to meet specific needs. It has a charging capacity of… Continue reading Volkswagen unveils mobile charging station for electric vehicles

Elon Musk lays out ambitious plan for Tesla Supercharger network in Europe

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making some audacious promises again for the company’s network of electric fast chargers, known as Superchargers. This time, he’s aiming for 100% Tesla Supercharger coverage in Europe by next year. In response to a question on Twitter, Musk said Tesla’s Supercharger coverage will extend to 100% of Europe in 2019.… Continue reading Elon Musk lays out ambitious plan for Tesla Supercharger network in Europe