Tesla – Page 2691 – I wish I had more to offer

Tesla and Panasonic hold off on Gigafactory expansion

Spencer Platt via Getty Images Tesla and Panasonic are delaying plans to expand the electric car maker’s Gigafactory 1 battery plant in Nevada. The two companies decided to freeze spending on the world’s largest EV battery plant following less-than-stellar demand of new Teslas, reported Nikkei Asian Review. The two companies had initially planned to raise… Continue reading Tesla and Panasonic hold off on Gigafactory expansion

UPDATE 3-Panasonic reviewing further investment in Tesla Gigafactory

TOKYO/BENGALURU (Reuters) – Panasonic Corp and Tesla Inc are holding off on further investment in the U.S. electric carmaker’s Nevada Gigafactory while they squeeze more out of existing resources and study market demand, the companies said on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: A logo of Panasonic Corp is pictured at the CEATEC JAPAN 2017 (Combined Exhibition of… Continue reading UPDATE 3-Panasonic reviewing further investment in Tesla Gigafactory

SK in talks over battery ventures with Volkswagen, China partners – Automotive News Europe

SEOUL — SK Innovation is in talks to set up separate battery-making joint ventures with Volkswagen and Chinese partners, as the South Korean petrochemicals producer aggressively expands its involvement in electric vehicles. The company confirmed talks with Volkswagen for the first time, saying the two companies were discussing building a factory together. The JV would… Continue reading SK in talks over battery ventures with Volkswagen, China partners – Automotive News Europe

US lawmakers begin push to expand federal electric vehicle tax credits

How taxpayers have boosted Elon Musk and Tesla
10:06 AM ET Mon, 22 Oct 2018 | 07:43

A bipartisan group of lawmakers plans to introduce a bill to expand federal tax credits for buyers of electric vehicles, in what could be a boon for the growing EV market.

The existing $7,500 tax credit for buyers of EVs phases out over 15 months once an automaker sells 200,000 electric cars. The tax credit for Tesla buyers was halved to $3,750 on Jan. 1; General Motor's tax credit was likewise cut in half starting April 1.

The bill, dubbed the Driving America Forward Act, would grant each automaker a $7,000 tax credit for an additional 400,000 vehicles after it exhausts the first 200,000 vehicles eligible for tax credits. It would shorten the phase-out schedule to nine months. The credits are paid directly to consumers, who can write them off on their tax returns.

“At a time when climate change is having a real effect on Michigan, today's legislation is something we can do now to reduce emissions and combat carbon pollution,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., one of the sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement. “Our bill will help create American jobs and cement Michigan's status as an advanced manufacturing hub.”

Tesla shares rose 1.6 percent in morning trading Wednesday on the news.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., signed on to the bill.

Tesla dismisses sales employees as part of earlier-announced cuts
4:18 PM ET Mon, 8 April 2019 | 01:07

Electric vehicles comprise a tiny, but growing, share of the U.S. vehicle market. Support for low- and no-emissions vehicles has grown both in the U.S. and in other major automotive markets, such as China. Though Tesla has been a market leader in EVs, several automakers are planning to release fully electric cars, trucks and SUVs over the next few years.

“This would be a major shot in the arm for Tesla as this could be a much needed potential catalyst for demand in the U.S.” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “Ultimately, while there are still hurdles to get this legislation passed, it would result in an additional 40,000 Tesla vehicles sold domestically in 2019 based on our estimates. After a tornado of bad news the last few months this would finally be a positive data point for Musk & Co.”

— CNBC's
Phil LeBeau
and Meghan Reeder contributed to this article. Reuters also contributed to this report.

Tesla’s new Autopilot computer is only at 5% capacity, current 2.5 at ~80%

Now that Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving computer is in production, CEO Elon Musk elaborated on the state of the capacity of the current generation versus the new more powerful computer. When Tesla introduced its second generation computer for Autopilot back in 2016, Musk confirmed that Tesla was starting to reach the limit of the first… Continue reading Tesla’s new Autopilot computer is only at 5% capacity, current 2.5 at ~80%

Fleet pooling avoids CO2 penalties of the EU: How Fiat threads a dirty CO2 deal with Tesla

Yep Dirty he can: An off-road vehicle of the Fiat Chrysler brand Jeep in a river crossing Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo – the Fiat Chrysler Group (FCA Show stock market chart) has some car brands in the program that stand for high-horsepower vehicles. These products have never been particularly economical or even low in emissions.… Continue reading Fleet pooling avoids CO2 penalties of the EU: How Fiat threads a dirty CO2 deal with Tesla

Tesla Demonstrates Its Agility With New Homelink Option For Model 3 Owners

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Published on April 8th, 2019 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla Demonstrates Its Agility With New Homelink Option For Model 3 Owners

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April 8th, 2019 by Kyle Field

Tesla pulled back the curtains on its plan to offer lower-trimmed vehicle owners the ability to purchase incremental hardware and software updates for their vehicles today. The company just added the option to purchase a software unlock to enable its Homelink automatic garage door opener on Standard Range and Standard Range Plus trims of the Model 3.

The new option will allow owners of the lower trims of the Model 3 to add the ability to open the garage door just as if the feature was installed at the factory. Tesla makes the otherwise boring process of opening the garage door beautiful with the addition of GPS integration that fires off the garage door opener within a user-defined distance from the door or gate. I have this setup for my father-in-law’s house and it works beautifully to first open the gate to their complex and a few minutes later to their garage door.

The option will set owners back $300 for the added convenience and requires a new RF module that will be shipped to a service center for installation. The RF modules themselves cost mere pennies, with the majority of the expense being the integration into the vehicle and the underlying software that makes for such an elegant solution.

The price includes the RF module itself and installation of the module at a Tesla Service Center. The installation adds the hardware to the vehicle and unlocks the new functionality in the vehicle’s software. Tesla notes that after purchase, the local service center will contact the owner to coordinate the installation of the new functionality into the vehicle.

More broadly, the simple addition of the automatic garage door opener signals that Tesla is doing everything it can to allow customers to add as many features as possible to as many cars as possible, and is making a profit on those options along the way. This particular piece of kit shows how Tesla’s expertise in software and hardware allow it to offer incremental options to customers, like this one, that would fall through the cracks with traditional automotive manufacturers.

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.

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US judge gives Tesla CEO Elon Musk, SEC two weeks to work out their issues

Tesla CEO Elon Musk just squared off with the SEC in court
12:33 PM ET Fri, 5 April 2019 | 01:49

A federal judge gave Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission two weeks to work out their differences, punting a request from the agency to hold him in contempt of court for allegedly violating an October securities fraud settlement.

Musk told reporters he was “happy” and “impressed with the judge's analysis” as he left the hearing room in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday.

U.S Judge Alison Nathan said she had “serious concerns that no matter what I decide here, this issue won't be resolved.” Nathan ordered both parties to “take a deep breath, put on your reasonableness pants” and work out a solution.

Musk was at the hearing on contempt charges requested by the SEC after he tweeted about the company's production forecasts on Feb 19. His settlement agreement prohibits him from using Twitter to make statements about Tesla's operations or financial position without company review and approval.

Nathan told Musk and the SEC that contempt charges are serious business. Everyone must follow the law, she said, whether you are a “small potato” or a “big fish.”

Musk told reporters outside the courthouse that he would “most likely” be able to work out an agreement with the SEC over the next two weeks.

Natan Dvir | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., smiles while speaking to members of the media outside federal court in New York, U.S., on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

“I have great respect for the justice system and I think the judges in the American system are outstanding,” Musk said before entering the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

When CNBC's Phil LeBeau asked Musk if he felt the same about the SEC, the CEO laughed and walked away.

SEC lawyers argued that Musk and his legal team offered a “series of shifting justifications” for his behavior on Twitter, citing 15 separate tweets they believe violated his settlement. They also accused Musk of “recklessly tweeting out material information that had no basis in fact” and caused confusion in the markets.

“We don't think every tweet needs to be approved,” SEC attorney Cheryl Crumpton told the court, citing conversations on social media with Tesla customers as OK.

Statements much beyond that need to be cleared, she said.

Reaffirming guidance could be material and needs approval, she said, adding that Tesla still “appears to be unwilling” to exercise control over Musk.

Musk's lawyers said the judge's order was a gateway to a negotiation with the SEC.

“He actually does what he is told,” Musk's lead attorney John Hueston told the court.

Musk sat in the center of the courtroom, flanked by three members of his legal team, periodically nodding in agreement with their arguments.

Securities lawyers and other industry executives have said that Musk, who has already been removed as chairman, could also lose his post as CEO if he keeps pushing the SEC.

Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., center, arrives at federal court in New York, on Thursday, April 4, 2019.

“The court and SEC are in a bit of a bind here because capital punishment, if you will, would be … throwing him out of company or banning him from running any public company from now on for violating this agreement with the SEC,” Paul Ingrassia, Revs Institute for Automotive Research editor, said Thursday on CNBC's “The Exchange.” “He is viewed as being the essence of Tesla. It's his brainchild. He's not only the public figure but also the creative genius behind it.”

Tesla's shares plunged by more than 10% Thursday before recovering slightly to close down 8.2% after the company released its production and delivery data for the first quarter that missed Wall Street estimates and disappointed investors.

“At some point I think people have to start wondering would this company be better off with a calmer managerial presence in charge as opposed to a genius leader but a mercurial leader,” Ingrassia said. “Is the company now at that stage of its development? But Musk has so much of the shares himself that that's probably not going to happen without an SEC or court order, which I doubt they'll be willing to do.”

— CNBC's
Michelle Fox
contributed to this article.

Tesla's Elon Musk: 'I have great respect for the justice system'
1:45 PM ET Thu, 4 April 2019 | 00:52

No more turn-signal affirmation for Tesla Navigate on Autopilot

Tesla Model 3 dashboard in Autopilot testing with IIHS [CREDIT: IIHS]
In a blog post on Thursday, Tesla announced that drivers will no longer have to approve lane changes when the car's Navigate on Autopilot system is engaged.

It's a small step, but also a pretty big leap toward self-driving cars.

Navigate on Autopilot is Tesla's “on-ramp to off-ramp” self-driving system, which allows its cars that have the feature to drive themselves on limited access highways and navigate interchanges, on-ramps, and off-ramps by themselves—as long as the driver keeps a hand on the wheel periodically and the car has a destination set in the navigation system.

MUST READ: Tesla Full Self-Driving will still require drivers when it arrives later this year

On surface streets leading toward or away from limited access highways, the Navigate on Autopilot system shuts off.

Until now, though, the cars couldn't change lanes without driver approval. When they encountered slower traffic, or even need to change lanes to take an off-ramp, the car would alert the driver of the need to change lanes, and the driver would have to approve the lane change by activating the turn signal.

Without the need for that intervention the car is much more autonomous in getting from place to place. It still chimes at drivers before the car changes lanes to give the driver a chance to ensure that it's safe to do so.

DON'T MISS: Tesla starts Hardware 3 rollout: Enhanced Summon, red-light warnings

Drivers can still set the car to require turn signal interventions, and Tesla says, “until truly driverless cars are validated and approved by regulators, drivers are responsible for and must remain in control of their car at all times.”

The new software update will also allow driver to set Navigate on Autopilot to turn on automatically every time they start the car, as long as a destination is entered.

Since Tesla rolls out its new software features gradually, to a few owners' cars at a time, it has already been pilot testing the turn-signal-less feature for several months. The company says drivers in its Early Access Program, as well as Tesla engineers testing, have already driven half a million miles with Navigate on Autopilot.

READ THIS: Tesla Autopilot ranks next-to-last in study of self-driving systems

When the company announced the introduction of the base-priced $35,000 Model 3 at the end of February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said company's Full Self-Driving Capability will be “feature complete” by the end of this year.

Such systems, while they may work perfectly most of the time in situations they were designed for, might be prone to sudden (and sometimes tragic) failure if they encounter something beyond their capabilities.

Tesla has been careful to emphasize in its recent communications that drivers still have to stay alert and engaged while using the system.

Tesla To Host Autonomy Investor Day

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Tesla To Host Autonomy Investor Day

Apr 03,2019

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Tesla To Host Autonomy Investor Day

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tesla is making significant progress in the development of its autonomous driving software and hardware, including our FSD computer, which is currently in production and which will enable full-self driving via future over-the-air software updates. With a number of very exciting developments coming in the weeks and months ahead, Tesla will host investors on the morning of April 19th at our headquarters in Palo Alto to provide a deep dive into our self-driving technology and road map.

Investors will be able to take test-drives to experience our Autopilot software first-hand, including features and functionality that are under active development. Investors will also hear directly from Elon Musk, as well as VP of Engineering, Stuart Bowers, VP of Hardware Engineering, Pete Bannon, and Sr. Director of AI, Andrej Karpathy.

The event will be webcast. Additional details forthcoming.

Source: Tesla, Inc.