Cabin Fever Every Tesla Model 3 is equipped with a mysterious camera that faces the inside of the cabin, mounted just above the rear view mirror. Tesla claims the camera is completely inactive, but the car company seemingly has big plans in store for it. According to a Wednesday tweet by CEO Elon Musk, the… Continue reading Elon Musk: Camera Inside Teslas is “Meant for Robotaxi” Mode
Tag: Tesla
Nissan shows Ariya EV, their upcoming Tesla Model Y competitor
Nissan has shown a closer-to-production version of their upcoming electric crossover based on the IMx concept earlier today at the Tokyo Motor Show. The new vehicle is called the “Ariya”, and while Nissan is still calling it a “concept,” it seems to be one only in name, as the car is expected to reach production soon. Today’s… Continue reading Nissan shows Ariya EV, their upcoming Tesla Model Y competitor
EVgo Announces 40% Growth in Its California Fast Charging Network
“EVgo is enabling electric for all by building our fast charging stations in the places where EV drivers live, work and shop,” said Cathy Zoi, EVgo’s CEO. “EVgo’s California network will grow by 40% this year, and today, 80% of California EV drivers live within a 15-minute drive of one of 300 EVgo reliable and convenient fast… Continue reading EVgo Announces 40% Growth in Its California Fast Charging Network
Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand plans battery EV launch in 2020
FILE PHOTO: Toyota Motor Corp’s Lexus brand logo is displayed at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan, November 2, 2015. REUTERS/Issei Kato TOKYO (Reuters) – Toyota Motor’s (7203.T) Lexus will launch its first all-battery electric vehicle next year, as the luxury brand races to market a battery-operated car amid growing competition to develop… Continue reading Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand plans battery EV launch in 2020
To go big on EVs, Japanese car makers think super-small
TOKYO (Reuters) – As global automakers race to put long-range electric vehicles on highways amid stricter emission laws, Japanese rivals are taking a niche approach and steering towards cheaper, pint-sized runabouts to make costly battery technology more accessible. FILE PHOTO: Toyota Motor’s logo is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October… Continue reading To go big on EVs, Japanese car makers think super-small
Zoox cofounder Jesse Levinson says there’s ‘no chance’ Tesla will launch fully self-driving cars next year, despite Elon Musk’s claims
When asked if there’s “any chance” that Tesla will have fully self-driving cars ready next year as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has claimed, Zoox cofounder and CTO Jesse Levinson had a one-word answer: “No.” Speaking with transportation reporter Mark Matousek on stage at Business Insider’s IGNITION: Transportation event in San Francisco Tuesday, Levinson said that… Continue reading Zoox cofounder Jesse Levinson says there’s ‘no chance’ Tesla will launch fully self-driving cars next year, despite Elon Musk’s claims
Both Tesla And CATL Are Considering ‘Cell-To-Pack’ Manufacturing
Is this the wave of the future? Until now, battery-pack production has followed the same basic procedure. A company that specializes in making battery cells like Panasonic or LG Chem makes the individual cells and then the automakers take those cells and package them into a battery pack. In other words, the cell production is… Continue reading Both Tesla And CATL Are Considering ‘Cell-To-Pack’ Manufacturing
Elon Musk: Tesla Solar and Powerwall could increase your home value
Tesla CEO Elon Musk tentatively said that adding solar and Powerwall to your home could increase your home value and he is probably right. Over the last few months, Tesla has been trying to revamp its solar business. More recently, Tesla launched a new solar rental service under which homeowners can get a solar panel system… Continue reading Elon Musk: Tesla Solar and Powerwall could increase your home value
Ford generates headlines with proactive EV charging strategy
Ford is currently selling only one plug-in vehicle, the Fusion Plug-in Hybrid (formerly the Fusion Energi). The company’s Focus Electric and C-MAX Energi seem to have been swept away in the recent sedan massacre. However, the company is planning to introduce a “Mustang-inspired electric crossover” in 2020, and is working on an electric pickup truck.… Continue reading Ford generates headlines with proactive EV charging strategy
Tesla takes you behind the scenes at its crash-test lab
Tesla has earned a strong reputation for occupant safety. And in a video posted Tuesday by Tesla, the California carmaker shows that, as with every other automaker, there's physical testing and probably a degree of trial and error involved.
The brief look at its in-house crash-testing regimen covered computer simulations all the way through to the crushing of real-life metal and the analysis that inevitably follows. And it shows both the computer-simulated crash testing procedure along with providing an up-close look at Tesla's physical crash-testing facility and the systems behind it.
The company keeps it electric in the lab, too; two Model S Performance drive units to propel its test models into crash barriers.
The video shows Teslas undergoing both front- and rear-end crash tests, and we also get to see a crashed model on a rotisserie for post-collision evaluation.
Tesla has been criticized on multiple occasions for overstating the crashworthiness of its cars. The company was accused of misusing methodology from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to assert that the Model 3 was the safest car the federal agency had ever tested.
Tesla Model 3 crash
NHTSA issued a statement in response, saying: “A 5-star rating is the highest safety rating a vehicle can achieve. NHTSA does not distinguish safety performance beyond that rating, thus there is no 'safest' vehicle among those vehicles achieving 5-star ratings.”
In September, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Model 3 a Top Safety Pick+ rating, which is the highest rating it can bestow on a 2019- or 2020-model-year vehicle. It joins the Audi E-tron in achieving that honor.