Tesla – Page 2296 – I wish I had more to offer

Tesla Model Y gets CARB certification, hinting at deliveries and range

The Tesla Model Y has received its CARB certification ahead of the launch and it hints at the potential range, which could have increased from the one originally announced last year. It could also mean that deliveries are imminent. Ahead of starting deliveries of a new passenger vehicle, automakers have to clear red tapes from… Continue reading Tesla Model Y gets CARB certification, hinting at deliveries and range

Comma Ai continues to impress with its aftermarket driver assistance tech

Sponsored Links Way back in 2016 I flew out to Las Vegas to check out Comma Ai’s driver’s assistance system crammed into an Acura. At the time, it was being developed as a self-driving add-on for vehicles. But times have changed and nearly every automaker and startup has since dialed down their autonomous expectations. With… Continue reading Comma Ai continues to impress with its aftermarket driver assistance tech

GM planning Super Bowl ad for all-electric Hummer truck

General Motors Co. is expected to advertise a Hummer electric pickup truck during the Super Bowl, officially resurrecting the polarizing, gas-guzzling behemoth brand as an eco-friendly off-roader. The fully electric Hummer vehicles would be built at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant and hit roads in late 2021, The Detroit News has reported. The Hummer will be in showrooms around the… Continue reading GM planning Super Bowl ad for all-electric Hummer truck

Tesla Powerwall 2 Update — Nearly 2 Years Later

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Published on January 4th, 2020 |

by Bob Borsh

Tesla Powerwall 2 Update — Nearly 2 Years Later

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January 4th, 2020 by Bob Borsh

Greetings from Vermont on New Year’s Day 2020 (at time of writing). Looking back into my archived articles here on CleanTechnica, it appears I have not had anything published since November 20, 2018. My first article regarding our rooftop solar + Tesla Powerwall 2 system was published on April 21, 2018.

A lot has happened in the last year, most notably that I took a new position as a travelling Construction Manager. My wife and I had decided that with the children now adults out on their own and her full retirement from the daily grind scheduled for March 2019, what better way to spend the latter part of my professional career than travelling the country supervising the installation and commissioning of food processing plants.

My travels in 2019 took me first to Honolulu, Hawaii (real tough duty for a New Englander in January and part of February), and then to downtown Chicago, where I participated in the building of the largest Starbucks in the world. There were long days and weeks and months needed to complete the build on time for a November 15 grand opening, but it was definitely the most interesting project I was ever involved in. I was able to walk to work for 9 months for the first time in my 40-year career. So, there was no need to have a car or even entertain driving myself anywhere in the area — a definite way to work towards net zero energy consumption. We used public transportation exclusively during our stay there. We had no way of calculating our kWh apartment usage since our place included utilities.

The “bad” news is my 2016 Tesla Model S was a 6000 lb paperweight for the duration. We returned home on November 24 and have been here for the month of December for the holidays. As I write this, I am awaiting to hear when and where we will be headed next.

The main purpose of this article that I wanted to share with the CleanTechnica community is the fact that the electrical energy use at our home in Vermont, although fully occupied by a friend for the duration of our absence, had net positive generation for the calendar year. See the attached screenshot from the Tesla app as well as the monthly spreadsheet at the bottom. Would that have been possible had I been charging the Model S for my former daily 200-mile round trip commute, as I was doing May through October 2018? Possibly, seeing that our generation and power returned to the grid far outpaced our usage.

The other aspect of our solar installation plus one Powerwall 2 is the seamless and worry-free operation of backup power system for the home should a grid outage occur. As shown, we’ve had a total of 72 such events and 28 backup hours since going online in early April 2018. Some of those have been as little as a few minutes while others have been up to several hours in one 24-hour period.

Some of you who have read my other articles may remember my rationale for adding solar to our home. In my opinion, regardless if you are staying long term in your home or not, a solar installation is still a good idea. Especially how much costs have come down and the fact that many utilities provide programs to help offset the costs.

Since the average American moves 11 times in their lifetime, odds are you will not see a full payback on your investment while living in that home. To be perfectly honest, after living in downtown Chicago for the better part of 2019, my wife and I have entertained the idea of living in an urban environment in the future once again. However, that does not mean looking back we wouldn’t have installed our system or purchased an electric vehicle. Resale values should be good on all of these products.

I look forward to your comments and observations going forward. I have yet to receive my new assignment for 2020, so we are home at least through the first week of the year, and then, who knows? I do intend to drive and use the Model S on my next assignment, so I hope to be writing more articles about where we are, solar installations, EV involvement, etc. Happy New Year to all!

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About the Author

Bob Borsh is one of those individuals convinced he was born with petroleum products in his bloodstream. Hooked on anything with an engine from his earliest memories, he’s been working hard in recent years to flush the petrol and replace it with electrons. Raised in New Jersey, he and his family have lived in Woodstock, Vermont, in a home he designed back in the early '90s. With a degree in mechanical engineering, he has worked in construction and project management his entire career. An owner of a 2016 Model S 75D, he has also had Tesla Energy install an 8.125 kW solar array and a Powerwall 2 at his home, which has been operational now since 9 April 2018.

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Tesla Model S Crashes Into 50-Ton Truck Full Of Explosive Content

A Tesla Model S crashed into a huge 50-ton semi-truck that was full of explosive material at the time. Miraculously, nobody was injured. The Tesla is totaled, but the occupants are fine. This again proves just how safe Teslas truly are. See video and images of the wreckage here. The big truck was stopped on… Continue reading Tesla Model S Crashes Into 50-Ton Truck Full Of Explosive Content

German Taxi Operator Plans To Add 50 Tesla Model 3s To Its Fleet

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Published on January 4th, 2020 |

by Johnna Crider

German Taxi Operator Plans To Add 50 Tesla Model 3s To Its Fleet

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January 4th, 2020 by Johnna Crider

One of the perks of owning an electric vehicle is that you don’t have to buy gas. Taxi Norman, out of Dusseldorf in Germany, knows this and has already put into service a couple of Tesla Model S vehicles. The company is now planning to add 50 Tesla Model 3s to its fleet.

Many people who use Uber or Lyft never really consider taxis, but every major city in the world has a n extensive taxi network — often numerous independent operators. German cities have many small operators.

Taxi Norman believes that switching from diesel vehicles to electric vehicles will not only be environmentally friendly, but also profitable. One of their older vehicles costs around 6,000 euros per year in gas and maintenance. A Tesla would only cost around 35 euros per vehicle per month (420 euros per year).

Taxi Norman currently has approximately 150 vehicles, only 2 of them being Tesla Model Ss. The 50 Tesla Model 3s planned for purchase should each cost around 45,000 euros.

“The car has only been driving this morning, and the driver has already received a tip of 15 euros because the customer simply thought it was great to drive in an electronic car.” — Erol Norman, Managing Director, Taxi Norman

The fact that Taxi Norman, in German auto country, is integrating electric vehicles into its fleet from an American car company is a strong message to legacy automakers. It is essentially a demand that they need to wake up before they no longer have a spot in this new auto world — an all-electric one.

As of 2012, there were around 233,900 taxi drivers in the United States. This number is no doubt much higher if you include Uber and Lyft drivers as well. Imagine if every taxi company in the United States added 4 Teslas or other electric vehicles to its fleet. Imagine them replacing their entire fleet and going completely electric. I believe that by the time 2029 rolls around, this will either have happened or be happening.

Tens of thousands of Teslas could be sold each year in the US just for use in taxi services. However, the more important thing is that taxis drive a lot of miles and spend a lot of time idling. So, a Tesla taxi cuts a lot more pollution than a Tesla used as a normal consumer car.
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About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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China will not cut new energy vehicle subsidies in July, minister says

FILE PHOTO: China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology Miao Wei speaks at the annual session of China Development Forum (CDF) 2018 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China will not cut subsidies for new energy vehicles (NEV) again in July, Miao Wei, its minister… Continue reading China will not cut new energy vehicle subsidies in July, minister says

A New Type Of Tesla Jewelry For Vehicle Access

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Published on January 10th, 2020 |

by Johnna Crider

A New Type Of Tesla Jewelry For Vehicle Access

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January 10th, 2020 by Johnna Crider

I love jewelry. I love creating it and I love wearing it and looking at it. I love seeing the works of other artisans who get creative, but I never expected to be writing about jewelry or the art of making it for CleanTechnica — as I usually save that for my blog. Nonetheless, this story about a Tesla owner and his wife definitely needs to be shared.

Jewelry is used for many things. Gemstones and jewelry have been a part of humankind since history was passed down orally. The ancients would create talismans made of feathers, bones, shells, and pebbles — pebbles that were, in fact, gemstones. In these ancient times, jewelry had one main use — as amulets for protection against bad luck and illness. Many gems and minerals have these legends, like Tiger Eye being seen as a stone of protection while traveling. Legends, lore, and jewelry are often intermingled with one another. The oldest piece of jewelry found so far was dated at around 25,000 years of age. It was a simple necklace made of fish bones found in a cave in Monaco. Jewelry has had many meanings across the vast stretch of time, whether for practical use or religious use.

Speaking of the versatile uses of jewelry, one Tesla owner and his wife have created another use for a handmade work of wearable art that would be a great way to not get locked out of your vehicle if your phone died.

This ring is a key for access to a Tesla Model 3. It’s made with resin by hand. It also has the RFID chip from a Tesla Model 3 key card inside. The ring can be made with any color.

This would be a great backup for those who use their phones to access their car in case of their phone dying. You can even have the ring made with 24K gold inlay for only $150. And for those who buy the ring, there is a how-to video on how to pair it with your Tesla.

Photos courtesy Tesla Trip

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About the Author

Johnna Crider Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge artist, gem and mineral collector, and Tesla shareholder who believes in Elon Musk and Tesla. Elon Musk advised her in 2018 to “Believe in Good.”

Tesla is one of many good things to believe in. You can find Johnna on Twitter

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No, A Tesla Did NOT Start The Fire That Destroyed 300 Cars In Norway, And Other Nordic News

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Published on January 10th, 2020 |

by Steve Hanley

No, A Tesla Did NOT Start The Fire That Destroyed 300 Cars In Norway, And Other Nordic News

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January 10th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

The internet has been buzzing with news of a gigantic car fire in a parking garage at Stavanger airport in southwestern Norway. The car park (“parking lot” for Americans) holds 3000 cars. Sometime around 3:30 pm on January 8, a fire broke out, and by the time it was contained 6 hours later, 200 to 300 cars had been destroyed and a portion of the garage had collapsed.

Then a funny thing happened: A representative of Gjensidige, a Norwegian insurance company, let it be known that an electric car fire caused the conflagration and referred to electric cars as “fire bombs.” Not long after those intemperate remarks, a rumor started that a Tesla was at fault. Those of us at CleanTechnica were curious about the truth of that claim, so we reached out to regular reader Are Hansen who lives in Norway to see what he could find out.

Diesel, You Say?
Within a few hours, Are got back to us with an article published by Elbil, the Norwegian Electric Car Association, that set the record straight. It says the local police have determined the fire began in a 2005 Opel Zafira diesel-powered car. The owner had just returned from vacation and noticed smoke coming from under the hood when he tried to start it. A second attempt to start the car resulted in flames that completely engulfed the Opel before spreading to other automobiles parked nearby.

Christina Bu, Secretary General of the Norwegian Electric Car Association, had harsh words for the Gjensidige representative. “Of course one should fear a fire in the parking garage, with the serious consequences of major car fires. But that fear should apply to all cars — since all cars burn. Therefore, it is very unfortunate when the communication manager at Gjensidige creates the impression that electric cars are unsafe fire bombs.

“On the contrary, it is very difficult to start a fire in an electric car battery with external heat sources, and any fires in the electric car develop slowly. One should also not create the impression that the fire department can do nothing if an electric car catches fire,” she said.

And yet the myth that electric cars are prone to burst into flames at any moment persists. Clueless people spreading misinformation don’t help the situation.

Another report from Elbil adds that diesel- and gasoline-powered cars are four times more likely to catch fire than electric cars. We’ve presented similar findings in the past. The principle advice Elbil gives electric car owners is to make sure the wiring used to recharge their cars at home is properly sized for the task and installed by a qualified electrician.

Dramatic Increase In DC Fast Chargers

Credit: Elbil

Last year at this time, there were 25 charging stations rated at 150 kW available in Norway. Today, that number has increased 8 fold to 226. The number of 50 kW chargers has grown 29% to 1,366 and the number of Tesla Superchargers has gone up 37% to 770. In total, there are 13,786 public EV chargers in Norway to service about 270,000 electric cars.

Thanks to generous government policies that favor electric cars, Norway has more EVs per capita than any other country, and the size of its public charging infrastructure is increasing fast enough to keep pace with the number of electric cars on its roads.

Related: More Than 150 Gas Car Fires Per Day — Can We Please Get Serious About Electric Car Battery Fires?
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Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his homes in Florida and Connecticut or anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. You can follow him on Twitter but not on any social media platforms run by evil overlords like Facebook.

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Tesla Semi: new update on test program, improvements, and timeline for electric truck

Tesla has sent a letter to Tesla Semi reservation holders to update them on its test program for the electric truck, as well as plans to improve it, and a slightly updated timeline. When unveiling Tesla Semi in 2017, Tesla started guiding the start of production in 2019. However, Jerome Guillen, Tesla’s President of Automotive… Continue reading Tesla Semi: new update on test program, improvements, and timeline for electric truck