Electric vehicles – Page 9287 – I wish I had more to offer

Tesla Model Y Price Rumors & Specs, + Urban Supercharger Specs

Electric Cars
Electric Car Benefits
Electric Car Sales
Solar Energy Rocks
RSS
Advertise
Privacy Policy

Autonomous Vehicles

Published on January 8th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Model Y Price Rumors & Specs, + Urban Supercharger Specs

Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Facebook

January 8th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Tesla has been quiet about the upcoming Model Y, probably not wanting to hurt demand for the Model 3. As far as anyone knows, the Model Y will be based on the Model 3 platform, which makes perfect sense. Beyond that, very little hard information about Tesla’s compact SUV has made it into the public domain. Will it have falcon-wing doors? Range? Price? All of that information has stayed locked away inside the company. …

Until now.

“The Tesla Show” says it got dished some inside information from “a little birdie” and shared that with the world in a tweet on January 6.

There are some interesting tidbits in there. First, the Model Y will be all-wheel drive only (which was expected if not previously stated). A base price of $35,000 to $40,000 tracks nicely with prices for the Model 3, which will start at $35,000 (eventually) for the standard range version. The dual motor option on the Model 3 is a $5,000 upgrade.

Second, Tesla may be planning a Hardware 3.5 upgrade that will add more cameras and radar to the existing Hardware 2 package. Hardware 3 will include the new Tesla-designed and -engineered self-driving computer that is 1,000 times faster than the Nvidia Drive PX2 used in the cars being manufactured today. It will be interesting to see how the extra inputs affect the Autopilot experience and whether they can be retrofitted to existing cars.

As to whether the new information is accurate or not, Ryan McCaffrey, host of the “Ride The Lighting” podcast, confirmed that the same “little birdie” provided him with the same supposed insider scoop. The official reveal of the Model Y is expected sometime in the spring, possibly in March.

Urban Charger Details
Also on January 6, Tesla aficionado Vincent tweeted a photo that provides details about Tesla’s Urban Charger, which is more powerful than a home charger but not as powerful as the Superchargers that accompany major transportation routes.

Twitter user David Rees added these details and a tweak on the use of ‘new’ in the tweet: “Those aren’t that new, Tesla has been using these stalls for a while, around Sept 2017. They are called ‘urban’ Superchargers and max out at 72 kW. The original style pairs two plugs to one cabinet capable of 330A continuous, max 120 kW per plug. Urban plugs always deliver 72 kW max, where the others you can start off slower if someone else is paired off the same cabinet. Always look for an unpaired plug at the 120 kW stations for max charge rate! They are almost always clearly marked 1A/1B, 2A/2B, etc.” Oh, I actually wrote about these Urban Superchargers back in September 2017.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated recently that Tesla is concentrating on bringing chargers like the one shown above to urban areas, particularly apartment and condo dwellers who do not have easy access to private chargers. Not every Tesla owner has a private garage. Expanding the charging infrastructure will be critical for sales to reach as many potential customers as possible.

About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may take him. His motto is “Democracy is socialism.” You got a problem with that?

You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of our readers.

CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups

Toyota pushes hybrids despite slowing gas-electric auto sales

Toyota

Don't tell Toyota the once hot gas-electric hybrid vehicle is losing its appeal.

The automaker is planning to leverage its dominance in hybrid autos as it grows the number of full- and hybrid-electric vehicles sold in the U.S. and around the world.

“We are working on an entire portfolio of hybrids which we have been selling since 1997, plug-in hybrids, full battery electric vehicles as well as our fuel cell vehicles,” said Bob Carter, executive vice president of sales for Toyota North America. “Those vehicles represent about 9 percent of our sales in 2018. We have set a goal that it will be 15% of our sales next year in 2020.”

Toyota's emphasis on hybrids comes at a time when U.S. demand for the traditional gas-electric vehicle is dropping. LMC Automotive estimates full hybrid sales in the U.S. fell 6 percent last year, while Toyota's hybrid sales dropped 5 percent.

The lower price of gasoline gives potential buyers less incentive to opt for a hybrid over a model powered by an internal combustion engine. Another factor: The growing number of electric models for sale gives eco-friendly buyers the option to plug in and stop pumping gas. In that area, Tesla, not Toyota has become the clear leader.

“Whether it is just sales numbers, whether it is image and awareness and appeal, I think Tesla owns that [the EV market] now,” said Karl Brauer, analyst with Kelley Blue Book. “I think there are plenty of people who wonder if Toyota could or should be further along in the pure electric field.”

Last year, Toyota sold just under 28,000 plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. All of them were the Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid-electric model. By comparison, the auto website Inside EVs estimates Tesla sold just over 191,000 electric vehicles in the United States. (The company doesn't report specific sales for the country.)

Tesla's lead in electric cars is not insurmountable, but Brauer said it will be “highly difficult” for Toyota to change the perception Tesla is the industry leader in EVs.

Adding to the challenge is the coming wave of electric cars that will give buyers more options. Later this year, Audi will start selling its first full electric model, the e-tron. “Americans are going to want vehicles that are electrified,” Mark Del Rosso, CEO of Audi of America, told reporters last week.

Despite the growing competition and growing questions about their game plan, Toyota executives are undaunted. They are developing full electric vehicles and Carter promises more announcements about future models. But for now, Toyota is leveraging the expertise it developed with the Prius. “That hybrid technology in the short term is the best application for consumers today,” said Carter.

— CNBC Producer Meghan Reeder contributed to this report

Nvidia dives into a new business segment with Drive AutoPilot

Nvidia’s automotive ambitions seemed targeted solely on creating a platform to enable fully autonomous vehicles, notably the robotaxis that so many companies hope to deploy in the coming decade. It turns out that Nvidia has also been working a more near-term product that opens it up to a different segment in the automotive industry. The… Continue reading Nvidia dives into a new business segment with Drive AutoPilot

Chinese EV startup Byton seeks to raise $500m to fund growth

January 8, 2019 Chinese-funded electric vehicle manufacturer Byton is seeking to raise at least $500 million to finance growth, valuing the nearly three-year-old company at more than $4 billion, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The latest round of fundraising comes as China’s government promotes new energy vehicles (NEVs), a category comprising battery-powered… Continue reading Chinese EV startup Byton seeks to raise $500m to fund growth

EV startup Byton aims to raise $500 mln to fund growth: sources

HONG KONG, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Chinese-funded electric vehicle manufacturer Byton is seeking to raise at least $500 million to finance growth, valuing the nearly three-year-old company at more than $4 billion, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The latest round of fundraising comes as China’s government promotes new energy vehicles (NEVs), a… Continue reading EV startup Byton aims to raise $500 mln to fund growth: sources

Tesla Model 3 price, Hyundai Nexo, used electrics, poll: Today’s Car News

2019 Hyundai Nexo, Topanga Canyon, CA, Oct 2018
For the first time, values on used electric cars have begun to recover. Hyundai delivered its first hydrogen fuel-cell Nexo to a customer in Southern California. And our readers tell us what their electric priorities are for 2019. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

Tesla Model 3 buyers look to be more price sensitive than those who have bought Teslas before. Even after a $2,000 price cut designed to offset the loss of half of the tax credit to the company's buyers this year, the base price on the Model 3 is still $9,000 more than the $35,000 car that many buyers have put down deposits for.

Hyundai delivered its first Nexo hydrogen fuel cell SUV to a buyer in Ventura, California—complete with three years worth of hydrogen fuel baked into the price.

A parachute may have deployed on free-falling values of used electric cars for the first time, giving hope that depreciation may soon not be one of the major concerns for electric-car buyers.

Results are in from our Twitter poll last week, which asked readers what they most hoped for in electric cars for 2019, new models from Tesla and Chevrolet, better access to charging, or lower costs.

Finally, Audi released a video taking viewers behind the scenes in the development of its new e-tron quattro electric SUV.

_______________________________________

Follow Green Car Reports on Facebook and Twitter

Tesla Model 3 Mid Range misses $35,000 target by $9,000 even after price cut

Tesla Model 3 bought [Photo by reader AH]
To offset lower tax credits for its cars that started New Year's Day, Tesla dropped prices by $2,000 for every model on Wednesday. That doesn't quite make up for the $3,750 drop in federal tax credits, and it still doesn't get the company to its stated goal of selling the Model 3 for as low as $35,000.

According to independent delivery reports, Tesla actually added slightly to its stockpiled inventory of Model 3s in December, despite overlapping efforts to bring buyers in. That's led some observers to speculate that all the remaining customers in Tesla's order books are waiting to buy Standard Range Model 3s, which CEO Elon Musk has said since the car's conception will cost $35,000.

DON'T MISS: Tesla cuts prices $2,000, almost hit 250,000 vehicles in 2018

So far Tesla has never built a $35,000 Model 3. Musk has said the company needs “5 to 6 months” of full production of more expensive versions of the car to rebuild its tattered finances before it can begin selling Model 3s for that little.

Following Wednesday's $2,000 price drop, the cheapest Model 3 buyers can get costs $45,200, including a typical $1,200 destination charge.

If buyers earn the full $3,750 federal tax credit on the car (and don't qualify for any other state or local credits), they can bring home a base Mid Range Model 3 for an effective cost of $41,450—getting closer to the mythical $35,000 Tesla, but still a ways off.

READ MORE: Lower-cost Tesla Model 3: Does 260 miles, $46K before incentives split the difference? [Updated]

When he first introduced the car in 2015, Musk said the Model 3 would cost $35,000 before accounting for any tax credits—or, apparently, Tesla's usual practice on its pricing estimates of subtracting theoretical gas savings from the purchase price. As with other automakers, though, the $35,000 target price would not reflect the $1,200 delivery charge, so realistically, those buyers will pay at least $36.200.

All-in, the new price is still $9,000 more expensive than the car thousands of drivers are still waiting for.

Tesla introduced the cheaper Mid Range Model 3 in October in an effort to bring down prices for those buyers waiting for base Model 3s, then raised its price by $1,000 a few days later.

CHECK OUT: Tesla Model Y production to start Nov 2019 (also, Musk doesn't have time to shower): reports

All Model 3s produced so far also come with the Premium interior, including heated, 12-way power leather seats, GPS navigation, and a tinted glass roof. These features are expected to be deleted on the base $35,000 car, along with it having a shorter, 220-mile battery pack.

When the surprise 260-mile Mid Range Model 3 was introduced, Musk said it was cheaper alternative for the company to engineering the whole small battery for the $35,000 Model 3. The Mid Range uses the same pack architecture as the Long Range Model 3 without all its cells.

The lower federal tax credit may not be a big drag on Model 3 sales, as the company has just begun sales in Europe, where the car has not been sold before.

A Look Inside The Tesla Cold Weather Testing Facility

Electric Cars
Electric Car Benefits
Electric Car Sales
Solar Energy Rocks
RSS
Advertise
Privacy Policy

Cars

Published on January 7th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

A Look Inside The Tesla Cold Weather Testing Facility

Twitter
Google+
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Facebook

January 7th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

All automakers test their cars in cold conditions to see how freezing temperatures affect their operation. Tesla is no exception. It uses a cold temperature testing facility out in the middle of nowhere about 2 hours south of Fairbanks, Alaska. It is a private compound used by the military to test tanks and armored personnel carriers, among other things. Tesla has created its own test track at the site, complete with twisty roads, steep hills, and skid pads that allow its engineers to learn how well the cars handle slippery roads and Arctic conditions.

Photo by Kyle Field, CleanTechnica

Cold weather and electric cars are not friends. Batteries are like people. They are happiest when the temperature outside is between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold batteries don’t charge or discharge as fast as they do when they are warm. Heating systems eat up a lot of battery power. All those range estimates you see quoted by the EPA are determined by tests conducted indoors at room temperature with the heater and air conditioner turned off.

When a CNET Road Show writer visited the area — the first journalist allowed inside — he found the Model S P100D he was given to make the drive from Fairbanks to Delta Junction where the testing facility is located got about 30% less range than expected. Some of that may be attributed to the Pirelli Sottozero winter tires fitted to the car. Some of it may be due to snow and ice on the road surface. And some of it may be down to the heater working overtime to keep Stevens warm during the journey.

Most people who have driven an electric car in sub-freezing weather would probably not be surprised by the results. My 2015 Nissan LEAF also gets about 1/3 less range when the mercury in my thermometer goes into hibernation during the winter. It’s a common occurrence with all electric cars, one that the manufacturers seldom talk about at the time of sale.

During his time in Alaska, Stevens had a chance to drive a Model S, a Model X, and a Model 3 through their paces on snow and ice. For some of the driving, Tesla engineers turned off the stability and traction control systems that normally protect drivers from hazardous conditions, something owners cannot do themselves. Here’s some of what he had to say:

“With everything off, I cut onto the freshly groomed field of snow at 65 mph and jerked the wheel left and right and then was instantly thrown into one heck of a tank slapper. The car swerved back and forth as I frantically sawed at the wheel to keep up. I tried this maneuver a number of times and maybe caught it twice, but that’s with a decade of high-speed ice driving experience at my disposal. While I mean no offense to your average Model S owner, your average Model S owner would have spun every time.

“Re-enabling the car’s stability and traction controls took a quick reboot and then I went and tried it again. Same speed, same field of snow, and try as I might I couldn’t get the car to spin. I yanked the wheel left and right with all the finesse of a thoroughly endorphin’d Crossfitter and yet the car always kept itself inline, moving quickly enough to miss the imaginary moose, then calmly settling itself.”

Stevens explains that all Teslas have open differentials — the kind that deliver power to the wheel with the least traction. Older readers may recall this is what made driving your mom’s Pontiac station wagon on snowy roads such a challenge. But Tesla uses the brakes on each individual wheel to stop them from spinning. Combining that with precise control of how much torque each motor delivers permits the car to tame the most outrageous slides.

A video popped up on YouTube recently of a Model 3 traveling on an icy road with Autopilot activated. That’s not a smart thing to do — ever! — but you don’t have to be smart to own a Tesla. The car was on the brink of spinning out completely when the Autopilot caught the skid and returned the car to a safe path.

The driver, Eric Lapierre, noted that he didn’t touch the wheel at all. Of course, he shouldn’t have been using Autopilot at all in those conditions, but he proudly posted the video from his dash cam anyway.

Stevens was impressed by how the Model S and the Model X handled the snow and ice. A 30% slope coated with ice down center “resulted in a slow and occasionally unnerving but ultimately clean ascent. With the e-differentials disabled (again, not something you can do at home), the thing started the climb, spun its tires, and then promptly (and rapidly) skidded backwards down the hill.”

The Model 3 Performance, however, blew him away with its ability to tolerate extreme slip angles without spoiling the fun until the car was poised to tip over the edge into a full fledged disaster. “In Track Mode, the Model 3 will let you hang the tail way, way out, getting some properly lurid drifts going before it cuts the fun. Yes, it will cut the fun if you get things too far out of shape, killing the car’s power and automatically deploying the brakes at the appropriate corner. But, the car gives you an awful lot of rope to hang yourself with before it kindly and reliably steps in to lift the noose from your neck.

“By building the Model 3’s control software in-house, Tesla’s engineers have even more ability to vector torque from front to rear both under acceleration and under regenerative deceleration. This means the car can react more quickly and more precisely, again letting you push it that much further before cutting in.” The Tesla engineers told Stevens an upgrade to Track Mode is in the works that will allow the driver to manually adjust the torque split between the front and rear motors. First we’ve heard of that!

Finally, Stevens addressed some issues Model 3 owners in cold climates have experienced — things like frozen door handles and windows that won’t go down when the world outside is frozen. Tesla has addressed the latter with a software update, but a solution to the door handle issue is still in the works. Stevens says, “Every new model has some teething problems. It’s how the company reacts that’s the important thing.”

How Tesla reacts is one of the greatest assets the company has. It doesn’t hide behind legalese or excuses. It steps up and addresses problems in a forthright and proactive manner, often with direct responses from the CEO on Twitter. What was his name again? …

When something goes wrong and a company stands behind its product, that’s a bonus that costs the manufacturer next to nothing but can be priceless to the customer.

About the Author

You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of our readers.

CleanTechnica Clothing & Cups

Tesla Q2 2018 Vehicle Production and Deliveries

Skip to main navigation

Tesla Q2 2018 Vehicle Production and Deliveries

Jul 02,2018

PDF Version

Tesla Q2 2018 Vehicle Production and Deliveries

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the last seven days of Q2, Tesla produced 5,031 Model 3 and 1,913 Model S and X vehicles.

Tesla team celebrates production milestone

Q2 production totaled 53,339 vehicles, a 55% increase from Q1, making it the most productive quarter in Tesla history by far. For the first time, Model 3 production (28,578) exceeded combined Model S and X production (24,761), and we produced almost three times the amount of Model 3s than we did in Q1. Our Model 3 weekly production rate also more than doubled during the quarter, and we did so without compromising quality.

GA4, our new General Assembly line for Model 3, was responsible for roughly 20% of Model 3s produced last week, with quality from that line being as good as our regular GA3 line. We expect that GA3 alone can reach a production rate of 5,000 Model 3s per week soon, but GA4 helped to get us there faster and will also help to exceed that rate.

Tesla expects to increase production to 6,000 Model 3s per week by late next month. We also reaffirm our guidance for positive GAAP net income and cash flow in Q3 and Q4, despite negative pressures from a weaker USD and likely higher tariffs for vehicles imported into China as well as components procured from China.

Q2 deliveries totaled 40,740 vehicles, of which 18,440 were Model 3, 10,930 were Model S, and 11,370 were Model X. Model S and X deliveries are in line with our guidance provided on May 3. As we previously noted, we are in the process of changing the quarterly production pattern of those vehicles for the various worldwide regions to ensure a more linear flow of deliveries through the quarter. Both orders and deliveries for Model S and X were higher in Q2 than a year ago. Our overall target for 100,000 Model S and Model X deliveries in 2018 is unchanged.

11,166 Model 3 vehicles and 3,892 Model S and X vehicles were in transit to customers at the end of Q2, and will be delivered in early Q3. The high number of customer vehicles in transit for Model 3 was primarily due to a significant increase in production towards the end of the quarter.

The remaining net Model 3 reservations count at the end of Q2 still stood at roughly 420,000 even though we have now delivered 28,386 Model 3 vehicles to date. When we start to provide customers an opportunity to see and test drive the car at their local store, we expect that our orders will grow faster than our production rate. Model 3 Dual Motor All Wheel Drive and Model 3 Dual Motor All Wheel Drive Performance cars will also be available in our stores shortly.

The last 12 months were some of the most difficult in Tesla’s history, and we are incredibly proud of the whole Tesla team for achieving the 5,000 unit Model 3 production rate. It was not easy, but it was definitely worth it.

**********************

Our delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct. Final numbers could vary by up to 0.5%. Tesla vehicle deliveries represent only one measure of the company’s financial performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of quarterly financial results, which depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of sales, foreign exchange movements and mix of directly leased vehicles.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements herein, including statements regarding future production and delivery of Model S, Model X and Model 3, expected cash flow and net income results, and growth in demand for our vehicles, are “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. Various important factors could cause actual results to differ materially, including the risks identified in our SEC filings. Tesla disclaims any obligation to update this information.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa9b5409-599a-46f3-8b1f-c0462685bf85

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c7a0548f-144b-4738-a166-5d9e9612d114

Source: Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Announces Date for Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Webcast

Skip to main navigation

Tesla Announces Date for Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Webcast

Jul 18,2018

PDF Version

Tesla Announces Date for Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Webcast

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Tesla will post its financial results for the second quarter of 2018 after market close on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. At that time, Tesla will issue a brief advisory containing a link to the Q2 2018 Update Letter, which will be available on Tesla’s Investor Relations website. Tesla will hold a live question and answer webcast that day at 2:30pm Pacific Time (5:30pm Eastern Time) to discuss the Company’s financial and business results and outlook.

What:
Date of Tesla Q2 2018 Financial Results and Q&A Webcast
When:
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Time:
2:30pm Pacific Time / 5:30pm Eastern Time
Shareholder Letter:
http://ir.tesla.com
Webcast:
http://ir.tesla.com (live and replay)

Approximately two hours after the Q&A session, an archived version of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website.

For additional information, please visit ir.tesla.com.

Source: Tesla, Inc.