Tag: Tesla

NHTSA to Tesla: Stop claiming your cars are the safest

Federal officials told Tesla again in October to stop advertising the Tesla Model 3 as the having “the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by NHTSA,” federal documents revealed.

The notice surfaced Wednesday by nonprofit PlainSite. The response runs 79 pages, with another 450 withheld at Tesla's request.

In its letter, NHTSA Chief Counsel Jonathan Morrison called the statement “misleading” and said it forwarded the issue to the FTC's consumer protection bureau because it wasn't the first time Tesla violated NHTSA guidelines for advertising and communicating the results of NHTSA's tests. In 2013, NHTSA took issue with Tesla's advertising of safety scores for the Model S, saying the car had earned 5.4 stars on NHTSA's rating system. NHTSA does not award more than 5 stars.

NHTSA test of 2019 Tesla Model 3 AWD

In the letter, Morrison takes issue with four statements that Tesla made in a blog post last October announcing the Model 3's safety scores:

– “Model 3 achieves the lowest probability of injury of any vehicle ever tested by NHTSA”

– …”NHTSA's tests also show that it has the lowest probability of injury of all cars the safety agency has ever tested.”

– “The agency's data shows that vehicle occupants are less likely to get seriously hurt in these types of crashes when in a Model 3 than in any other car,” and,

– “But when a crash happens in real life, these test results show that if you are driving a Tesla, you have the best chance of avoiding serious injury.”

The issue is that NHTSA doesn't rank cars according to safety, and its front crash tests only compare cars of similar weight.

Tesla Model 3 NHTSA test

The agency has a five-star safety rating system, awarding more stars to cars that perform better in its battery of safety tests. The Model 3 earned five stars across the board, for having low risk of injuries to left- and right-seat front passengers in front crash tests, and left-side front and rear passengers in two left-side crash tests simulating being hit by another car and hitting a pole on the side of the road. The Model 3 also received five stars in NHTSA's dynamic rollover-propensity test. Last month, NHTSA finished testing the all-wheel-drive Model 3 Long Range Dual-Motor, which earned the same five stars across the board, earning the entire Model 3 lineup the same across-the-board five-star rating.

All of that puts it at the top of the top tier of NHTSA's safety ratings, but it doesn't guarantee the lowest overall risk of injury in a crash, because NHTSA doesn't rank those cars.

“This is not the first time that Tesla has disregarded the Guidelines…We have therefore also referred this matter to the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection to investigate whether these statements constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices,” the letter said.

The IIHS, which gives similar ratings on a slightly different set of crash tests, has not yet finished rating the Model 3.

In the letters, Tesla lawyers argued that it had independently calculated the risk of injury in federally tested vehicles with public data and determined that Tesla's claim that it had the lowest probability of any car on the road. Lawyers also argued that with more cars rated at five stars in federal crash tests, it would be important for manufacturers to distinguish between models.

“Tesla's statements are its own, are based on sound public data, and do not contravene NHTSA's guidelines.” Tesla Deputy Counsel Al Prescott wrote Oct. 31, 2018.

Green Car Reports reached out to Tesla for comment on this story, but did not receive a response before publication. The disputed blog entry remains on Tesla's website.

NHTSA vs Tesla, Honda Clarity PHEV, EV sales, electric conversions: Today’s Car News

The NHTSA sent Tesla another letter asking it stop using misleading safety claims for the Model 3. Honda focuses sales of the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid in California. New forecasts peg 2037 as the year EV sales will overtake gasoline worldwide. And readers are still in favor of electric-car conversions in our latest Twitter poll. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

For the second time, the NHTSA told Tesla to stop making claims regarding its cars' performance in NHTSA crash tests, this time regarding the Model 3. Now the agency said it has forwarded its complaint to the Federal Trade Commission to investigate unfair and deceptive trade practices.

Honda confirms that it is focusing new sales of its Clarity Plug-in Hybrid in California, because it says that's where the buyers are.

A new report from normally EV-optimistic Bloomberg NEF forecasts that electric car sales will surpass those of gas cars worldwide in 2037, but it will take many more years for them to become the majority of cars on the road.

In response to our Twitter poll last week, readers said EV conversions of older cars are still relevant today, even in the face of new long-range models that are available from many major automakers.

After announcing last week that new 2020 Kia Optima Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid will come standard with automatic emergency braking, the company recalled more than 11,000 2019 Optimas for a defect in the system.

Finally, add Bugatti to the ranks of boutique supercar-makers considering building an electric SUV. Out of four potential follow-ups to the Chiron, Automobile Magazine reports that the electric SUV is the leader.

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Tesla faced U.S. agency scrutiny last year over Model 3 safety claims

(Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) received a cease-and-desist letter last year from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for making misleading statements over safety ratings of its Model 3 cars, according to documents seen by Reuters. FILE PHOTO – A 2018 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle is shown in this photo illustration taken… Continue reading Tesla faced U.S. agency scrutiny last year over Model 3 safety claims

Tesla considers raising prices in China from September: sources

FILE PHOTO: People visit a Tesla booth during the media day for the Shanghai auto show in Shanghai, China April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc is considering lifting its prices in China from September amid yuan-related uncertainty, two people familiar with the matter said. The people declined… Continue reading Tesla considers raising prices in China from September: sources

Beyond The Bus: Proterra Repackages Its Electric Transit Tech To Power Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles – Forbes

Proterra is working with Daimler’s Thomas Built Buses unit to supply battery-powered models for schools. Proterra Proterra, a maker of electric transit buses that may be heading for an IPO, has set up a new division to sell its batteries, motors and other components for use in commercial trucks, sanitation vehicles and a range of… Continue reading Beyond The Bus: Proterra Repackages Its Electric Transit Tech To Power Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles – Forbes

250 kW Tesla Model 3 Supercharging Demonstrated In Las Vegas: Video

Charging is now becoming so quick that it’s almost comparable to refueling. As the first few Tesla V3 Superchargers are online, we can now watch reports on whether charging is really as quick as Tesla says (180 miles of range in 15 minutes). The VegasModel3 recently had the opportunity to test the station in Las… Continue reading 250 kW Tesla Model 3 Supercharging Demonstrated In Las Vegas: Video

Tesla brings back free Supercharging to juice high-end sales of Model S and Model X

Tesla announced Saturday it is bringing back free Supercharging on its high-end Model S and Model X.

We've heard that before.

What makes this time different is that the company isn't just offering the incentive on a few cars or in a limited amount. Instead, the company will offer free lifetime Supercharging to all buyers who purchase a Model S or Model X. It doesn't have to be a car in inventory, and no referral fee is needed. The only catch is that it only applies to the original owner of the car and isn't transferable when owners sell the car.

Free, lifetime Supercharging was originally included as standard equipment with every Tesla when charging was rare and buyers were skittish about charging.

Tesla began phasing out free Supercharging at the end of 2016 but has brought it back several times along the way for those with referral codes, as a sales incentive, on certain cars, and for limited amounts, such as 400 kilowatt-hours.

From the beginning, CEO Elon Musk said free Supercharging was designed to give Tesla drivers confidence to take their cars on road trips but was not meant to provide free power for everything a Tesla driver might want to do. In an earnings call last year in the midst of losses for the company, Musk said free Supercharging was “not really sustainable,” and said Tesla would end the practice. Still, it was revived a few times as limited offers on all of its models.

Tesla Supercharger station V3, Las Vegas

Last month, some owners on the Tesla Motors Club reported that the company was disabling free, unlimited Supercharging on early used cars that previously had lifetime free Supercharging, after Tesla bought them back to resell as certified used cars.

Now the free, unlimited Supercharging is designed to boost sales of Tesla's older and more expensive models, which have dropped in half as the Model 3 has ramped up to full production.

As the company struggles to generate steady profits even with full production of the Model 3, Tesla is counting on sales of its higher-profit Model S and X to get it there.

Green Car Reports reached out to Tesla for comment on this story, but did not hear back before publication.

Battery supply shortages may be linked to rising demand for nickel

As automakers fret over materials and supplies of electric car batteries, it may not be lithium keeping executives up at night.

A new report from Bloomberg reveals that prices for class one nickel—high purity and required in some electric car batteries—has jumped more than 35 percent since the end of 2018 on the London Metal Exchange.

As volume production of new EV models and plug-in hybrids expands—and Tesla works to bring its new Chinese factory online—supplies of high-quality nickel are getting tight, Peter Bradford, chief executive officer of Australian nickel producer Independence Group NL, told Bloomberg.

Nickel isn't a necessary ingredient in all electric-car batteries, but it is a key part of the compound that makes up most successful automotive lithium batteries. Auto- and battery-makers add compounds of nickel, manganese, cobalt to batteries to help stabilize battery cathodes, making the batteries last longer and be less susceptible to thermal runaway, which can lead to fires.

Tesla Model 3 all-wheel drive Performance rolls off a new assembly line in a temporary structure

The amounts of those materials vary and is proprietary to each automaker and battery supplier, but most commercial battery chemists name nickel as a necessary component to build stable, long-lasting, and powerful lithium-ion batteries.

Such high-quality nickel is also a primary component in nickel-metal-hydride batteries still used in many hybrids. Nickel also remains in demand for other products, such as stainless steel.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts that demand for nickel will multiply 16 times by 2030, and half of that is expected to go into batteries.

“The dramatic price rise we’ve seen will pale into insignificance compared to the future,’’ Bradford told Bloomberg.

Experts in related fields have also expressed concern over supplies of cobalt, which some say is the most critical element in balancing power and stability in batteries. Cobalt historically has been mined mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it has been associated with child labor. Automakers have made strides to develop sources of socially responsible cobalt.

While some automakers have run into shortages of lithium batteries, and it's unclear whether sufficient supplies of lithium will come online in time to meet increasing demand by automakers, some lithium mining companies have expressed concern about short term price drops as new mines have come online before large numbers of EV arrive.

Since NMC makes up only a small portion of the components of lithium batteries and pales in comparison with lithium itself, battery prices could still come down, even as prices of these minority metals rises—up to a point. Sustained price hikes though could take a toll on the affordability of both batteries and electric cars.

BMW reveals steering wheel for self-driving iNext electric SUV

Once cars are able to drive themselves, drivers—er, occupants—shouldn't need steering wheels to control them.

Yet when BMW teased a new picture of its planned self-driving, electric iNext SUV last month, the photo showed nothing more than a steering wheel—which itself is not even round.

BMW says that in the iNext the driver is no longer required to take care of the task of driving but can still actively take command at any time. When drivers need to take over from the automated system, the off-center octagonal wheel will help drivers identify where it's pointed.

With the hub below center, it leaves more room for those in the driver's seat to slide in and out—and potentially to open a book or boot up a tablet in their laps. The company says the large opening at the top will also make it easier to see the gauges, although it's not really clear what they'll need to see when the car is driving itself.

BMW says the design was inspired by racing cars. It's flat at the top and bottom with curved hand rests at the sides. Fiber optics in the wheel will illuminate sections in different colors to indicate when the car can drive itself and when drivers need to retake the “wheel.”

BMW Vision iNext concept

The iNext is a large electric SUV that is scheduled to debut in 2022 as one of the most advanced cars in BMW's new round of 13 electric vehicles expected to debut by 2023. When it arrives it could be known as the i5 or the i7.

As BMW's first planned self-driving car, the company experimented with lounge seating and other new interior ideas for the iNext concept car.

BMW curved display in iNext SUV

Last month, the company teased pictures of the car's curved touch-screen display perching on the edge of the dashboard like the center screen of the Tesla Model 3.

It's designed to mimic the latest curved EV screens for more seamless entertainment while on the road. The touch screen will also monitor trip parameters and let drivers know when they need to take over and when they can let the car do the driving.
With all this new technology, the iNext may be on track to become BMW's first “ultimate riding machine.”