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Tesla Model Y Transformer, Easter Eggs, & Halloween Magic

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Published on October 9th, 2019 |

by Johnna Crider

Tesla Model Y Transformer, Easter Eggs, & Halloween Magic

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October 9th, 2019 by Johnna Crider

It’s October, which means that for most people that fall is in full swing. Leaves crunch underfoot as the scents of apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg mingle to warm our senses as the temperatures dip. I did say for most people. Those of us in the South are still experiencing higher than average temperatures, so we can only sip our pumpkin spice lattes and apple ciders wrapped up in thick blankets if we have the air conditioner on full blast.

October also means a really fun holiday where all the monsters come out and dazzle in their cute, creepy, sexy, scary, and hilarious glory. Monsters aren’t the only ones coming out, though — so are superheroes such as the Tesla Model Y Transformer. Simon Mahan’s son, Jonah, is ready for the North Texas Tesla Owner’s Frunk or Treat event (and the potential zombie apocalypse), and Jonah isn’t the only one.

As you can see, Halloween also isn’t just for humans and pets. Many Tesla owners are taking part in the fun tradition and are dressing up their Teslas. We already know what Jennifer Street is dressing her Model 3 as: Toothless from Dreamworks’ How To Train Your Dragon — and she even got a shoutout from Dreamworks on her Model 3’s costume!

Jennifer is also creating a lot of cute Halloween Tesla-inspired artwork that makes you want to gorge yourself on candy corn while drinking hot apple cider.

Jennifer is also taking part in the North Texas Tesla Owners’ Halloween Frunk or Treat event, and she’s not the only Tesla owner doing this. Although her Toothless Tesla has come along beautifully and isn’t quite finished, below is a quick photo of her progress. It should be finished by October 24th — just in time for Halloween.

The North Texas Tesla Owners group shared a couple of other fun Tesla costumes with me to share on CleanTechnica:

Spooky Summon
Many Tesla owners are also getting creative with Smart Summon as a Halloween prank, which CleanTechnica is officially coining Spooky Summon. I’m not sure what is creepier, seeing a Tesla with no driver or one with a skeleton driving.

Also, as Eli Burton from My Tesla Adventure discovered, Tesla has created a Halloween Easter egg and it had him just a bit confused. To activate this Easter egg, change your Tesla’s name to Patsy. A creepy ghostlike foot drops onto the screen and does what feet don’t normally do — it farts. Eli thought it could be an Addams Family reference, but I was also a bit baffled. I even did a Google search and probably confused’s Google’s AI, which was all too happy to give me links to farting foot porn.

A quick view of Eli’s YouTube comments reveals the answer — It’s not really a Halloween Easter egg, but a Monty Python Easter egg. Craig Hamnett explained, “Google ‘Monty Python Patsy’ — he’s a dumb character in the series. The foot is the ‘Foot of Cupid’ and is seen in the opening credits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Eric Idle was extremely involved with Monty Python and owns a Tesla.”

I’ve never seen Monty Python (please don’t scold me, y’all!), and it’s definitely on my to-do list, but I am more inclined toward Criminal Minds and CSI and that type of things. There’s just something about a good “whodunnit” that makes one feel thrills and excitement, especially as the good ultimately wins against the darkness of mankind.

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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Tesla Buys Hibar Systems In Another Effort To Make Its Own Batteries

It seems that Maxwell and Jeff Dahn were only part of the strategy. Tesla is clearly pushing to produce its own batteries. The company has always tried to control all aspects of its production. After buying Maxwell Technologies and making a research partnership with Jeff Dahn for a 1-million miles battery, it has reportedly bought… Continue reading Tesla Buys Hibar Systems In Another Effort To Make Its Own Batteries

Tesla-Panasonic relationship hits hard times as Tesla moves to make its own batteries

A new report paints the Tesla-Panasonic relationship as hitting some hard times and it happens just as Tesla is moving to manufacture its own battery cells. A new Wall Street Journal report is citing sources within Panasonic that describe a tumultuous relationship with Tesla, which has become an important partner for the battery manufacturer. Over the… Continue reading Tesla-Panasonic relationship hits hard times as Tesla moves to make its own batteries

Tesla Vehicle Efficiency Leads Industry Thanks To Tesla Vehicle Design Culture

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Published on October 5th, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

Tesla Vehicle Efficiency Leads Industry Thanks To Tesla Vehicle Design Culture

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October 5th, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Originally posted on EVANNEX.
By Charles Morris

More range! More range! That’s the mantra that has replaced the “More power!” of the internal combustion engine (ICE) era. How much range is enough? All we know at this point is that car buyers want more. Tesla, always attuned to consumer desires, upped the stakes once again in April, increasing the range of Model S to what Road & Track colorfully calls “a bladder-busting 370 miles.” The interesting thing is that the company achieved this 35-mile increase without increasing the size of the battery.

Tesla’s Model S charging at a GreenWay charging station in Wroclaw, Poland. Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica | Tesla Shuttle

As Tesla explains, its engineers were able to boost range by making incremental improvements to several parts of the powertrain: “All Model S and X vehicles now benefit from Tesla’s latest generation of drive unit technology, which combines an optimized permanent magnet synchronous reluctance motor, silicon carbide power electronics, and improved lubrication, cooling, bearings, and gear designs to achieve greater than 93% efficiency. Pairing a permanent magnet motor in the front with an induction motor in the rear enables unparalleled range and performance at all times. The net effect is a more than 10% improvement in range, with efficiency improvements in both directions as energy flows out of the battery during acceleration and back into the battery through regenerative braking.”

More range is bound to make the appeal of Tesla’s world-leading electric vehicles even greater. However, the real story here is not about range, but efficiency. At the moment, EV designers are focused on maximizing range, but if at some point the market decides that there’s such a thing as “enough range,” designers could leverage greater efficiency in the powertrain to make battery packs smaller, giving their vehicles more space, better performance, and/or lower prices. Efficiency also offers a direct benefit for consumers — it translates into lower electric bills.

Tesla Model X Powerwall in a garage, via Tesla.

Tesla’s EVs are some of the most efficient on the market — to give one example, the Model S Performance full-size sedan is substantially more efficient than the tiny smart EQ fortwo. When it comes to the vaunted “Tesla killers” — Audi’s e-tron and Jaguar’s I-PACE — the larger Tesla Model X simply blows them away on efficiency. As Road & Track explained in a recent article, Model X is so much more efficient that it offers 91 more miles of range than the Audi and 121 more than the Jag, even though the Tesla’s battery pack is only slightly larger.

As R&T sees it, the reason the legacy automakers’ latest and greatest EVs can’t match Tesla’s aging models comes down to inefficiency, not only in their powertrains, but in their corporate cultures. Tesla’s culture is one of continuous improvement — in the eight years that Model S has been on the market, its efficiency has increased by 25 percent, from 89 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) to 111 MPGe. Tesla has improved the vehicle’s motors, air suspension, tires, and even its wheel bearings.

Tesla Model S Supercharging, by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica.

Another policy prized at Tesla is open communication between departments, in contrast to the “silos” that so many employees of traditional corporations complain of. As R&T explains, Tesla’s newer wheel bearings are more expensive than the old ones, but they may have added as much as 15 miles of range at far less cost than adding battery capacity. The newer Teslas also use Brembo monobloc brake calipers. “Because they can be made to retract the pads from the spinning rotors faster and more reliably than sliding calipers, monoblocs reduce friction — enough to provide up to 20 miles of increased range,” writes Road & Track’s Jason Cammisa. “The additional stopping power, credibility, and better pedal feel are just added bonuses.” Are the Brembos expensive? Very — but on a per-mile-of-range basis, they’re still cheaper than batteries, and Tesla figured that out because the brake team communicates with the battery engineers, and they cooperate to continuously improve the company’s vehicles.

Related: Our Interview With Tesla President Jerome Guillen, Part Deux

Featured image: Tesla Model 3 deliveries in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica.

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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Press: No Traffic Jams in the City: ZF Makes Local Public Transport Smart and Low on Emissions

To offer a more sustainable and attractive alternative to individual mobility, an increasing number of local public transport networks are providing broad and interconnected services that include traditional means of transport such as buses and trains alongside ride-sharing options or e-bike rental stations. Electric solutions for the entire vehicle spectrum For example, the technology company… Continue reading Press: No Traffic Jams in the City: ZF Makes Local Public Transport Smart and Low on Emissions

Workhorse Partners with USOG to Launch Pilot Programs for Drone Delivery of Medical Supplies

The HorseFly system conforms to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) standards for UAV operation in the United States. Workhorse and USOG will be operating these pilot programs in compliance within all FAA rules and regulations and are also subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a 1996 Federal law that restricts access… Continue reading Workhorse Partners with USOG to Launch Pilot Programs for Drone Delivery of Medical Supplies

Arm joins with GM, Toyota to find common ground on car chips

FILE PHOTO: The GM logo is pictured at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Ramos Arizpe, state of Coahuila, Mexico October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril SAN JOSE, Calif. – (Reuters) – Arm Holdings, the British chip technology firm owned by Japan’s Softbank Group Corp, is joining with automakers General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp… Continue reading Arm joins with GM, Toyota to find common ground on car chips

NIO Inc. Provides Third Quarter 2019 Delivery Update

Delivered 4,799 vehicles in the third quarter 2019, consisting of 4,196 ES6s and 603 ES8s Delivered 2,019 vehicles in September 2019, including 1,726 ES6s and 293 ES8s Cumulative deliveries of ES8 and ES6 reached 23,689 SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NIO Inc. (“NIO” or the “Company”) (NYSE: NIO),… Continue reading NIO Inc. Provides Third Quarter 2019 Delivery Update

Denmark proposes banning gas and diesel cars, UK might ratchet up timeline

The banning of diesel (and potentially gasoline) cars in mainland Europe and the UK appears to be accelerating as a Denmark-led coalition of 11 countries proposed an EU-wide ban on the sale of diesel- and gasoline-powered cars by 2040.

This is not the first time Denmark has called for a ban on internal combustion engine sales. A year ago, it proposed an internal deadline of 2030, but EU rules prohibited unilateral action. Denmark scrapped the plan, but echoes of it remain in this year'r proposal.

Danish Climate and Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen told Reuters that if the EU would not adopt the plan union-wide, he'd like the regulations softened so that individual countries could set their own timetables. Jorgensen hopes that more members will follow those in Denmark's existing alliance, which includes Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and five others.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Brexit divide, the UK government is exploring plans to accelerate its own bans. A new timetable being floated is even more ambitious than Denmark's, calling for an end to new ICE sales by 2035, says Driving.

The original timeline, announced in 2017, largely mirrored Denmark's new proposal to the EU. The existing UK plan makes allowances for hybrid vehicles, so it would not be a blanket ban on anything with an internal combustion engine.

Similar notions have been floated stateside. In 2017, a California legislator introduced a bill proposing a 2040 deadline for the elimination of new gasoline and diesel vehicle sales. Recently, California's authority to set its own emissions standards has become the target of the Trump administration, which is attempting to revoke the state's autonomy in regulating vehicle emissions and has even threatened to withhold federal highway funding in an ongoing power struggle that is likely to make its way to the Supreme Court.

Tesla Model 3 = 6th Best Selling Car In USA In 3rd Quarter*

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Published on October 6th, 2019 |

by Zachary Shahan

Tesla Model 3 = 6th Best Selling Car In USA In 3rd Quarter*

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October 6th, 2019 by Zachary Shahan

The Tesla Model 3’s #6 position in 3rd quarter US car sales* seems both shockingly high and surprisingly low at the same time. No, this is not a trick — I’m serious.

On the surface, I consider the Model 3’s US sales shockingly high because the car has by far the highest base price of any car in the top 10. The Honda Civic’s base price is $21,650, the Toyota Camry’s base price is $24,295, the Toyota Corolla’s base price is $19,600, the Honda Accord’s base price is $23,870, the Nissan Altima’s base price is $24,100, and the Tesla Model 3’s base price (online) is $38,990. The smallest separation in price there is more than $15,000, and the Model 3 clearly sits in a very different class that’s out of the financial reach of many households.

On the other hand, as I’ve pointed out extensively, in many circumstances the Model 3’s total cost of ownership over just 5 years could be close to or even lower than the Camry’s, Accord’s, etc. What do you get for that similar 5 year cost of ownership? A tremendously better car. The Model 3 has better safety scores (the best in history), has much better tech (infotainment and semi-autonomous driving tech are far ahead of any competitors’ tech, let alone that of these mainstream models), offers a much better driving experience, is much quicker, is cleaner, and genuinely looks like a higher class car (yes, I think that’s an objective judgement). In that light, it’s surprising the Model 3 isn’t yet the top selling car in the country. However, the vast majority of the public doesn’t know about the Model 3, its benefits, or how competitive it can be on a total cost of ownership basis.

With those initial thoughts out of the way, let’s jump to the numbers.

As you can see, my estimate for Tesla Model 3 sales* put it confidently in the 6th position, 8,000 units below the #5 Nissan Altima and more than 30,000 units behind the #4 Honda Accord (about 10,000 units per month lower). It was just 2,500 units above the #7 Hyundai Elantra in the 3rd quarter.

For the full first 9 months of the year, the Model 3 drops to #9. In the 1st quarter of the year, Tesla shipped most of the cars it produced overseas and was suffering from a US sales wave that saw a peak in deliveries at the end of 2018 followed by a crash in the beginning of 2019. Finishing in 9th place in the first three quarters results in the same narrative, though. The result seems both shockingly high and surprisingly low at the same time.

*Tesla reports quarterly sales and does not break them out by country or region. Eventually, we get registration data from Europe, China (educated estimates at least), and Canada and can then make a more solid estimate of US sales for the quarter, as well as monthly sales estimates. However, it’s a bit early for all of that since we don’t have September numbers from most countries yet. Even our data-loving friend and contributor Jose Pontes of EV Volumes didn’t want to venture out too far on a limb and provide an early estimate that he might have to walk back. That said, looking at previous months’ data, September figures from the Netherlands and Norway, and deeper historical data, I feel comfortable estimating Model 3 sales between 40,000 and 50,000 in the US in the third quarter. For this report, I’ve settled on 43,000.

If you’d like to buy a Tesla Model 3 instead of a Camry, Accord, Civic, or Corolla, and you’d also like to get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging in the process, feel free to use my referral code: https://ts.la/zachary63404.

About the Author

Zachary Shahan Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director and chief editor. He's also the CEO of Important Media. 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, Canada, and Curaçao.

Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA] — after years of covering solar and EVs, he simply has a lot of faith in this company and feels like it is a good cleantech company to invest in. But he offers no investment advice and does not recommend investing in Tesla or any other company.

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