Electric vehicles – Page 9289 – I wish I had more to offer

Tesla to break ground on Shanghai factory

Beck Diefenbach | Reuters
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla

Tesla was set Monday to hold the groundbreaking ceremony for its first non-U.S. factory in Shanghai, according to CEO Elon Musk.

“Looking forward to breaking ground on the Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory today!” Musk tweeted Monday morning Beijing time.

He added in subsequent tweets that the factory will produce Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for the Greater China region, and that the plan is to “finish initial construction this summer, start Model 3 production end of year & reach high volume production next year.”

Musk's electric car maker acquired the land on the outskirts of the city for about $140 million in October. The luxury vehicle brand is popular in China but faces rising competition from local electric automakers such as Nio.

Producing vehicles in China would reduce costs from tariffs and ocean transport for Tesla. In an Oct. 2 report, the American company said it is operating at a 55 percent to 60 percent cost disadvantage for those reasons and because it cannot access the same cash incentives as local Chinese manufacturers.

Tesla's new factory is expected to begin partial production in the second half of this year, according to a government report. The company has set up official accounts on popular Chinese messaging and social media platforms WeChat and Weibo, which list more than 30 openings for positions at the Shanghai factory.

Tesla Tests EVs in Freezing Cold at “Secure Facility” in Alaska

Secure Facility Electric cars are becoming more practical every year — but not so much in cold climates, where low temperatures wreak havoc on battery storage capacity. According to CNET, electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla is working to change that at a “secure facility” about two hours from Fairbanks, Alaska, where company engineers are working to… Continue reading Tesla Tests EVs in Freezing Cold at “Secure Facility” in Alaska

The price of the electric car miracle in Norway

Diqgf tce ise ywugrnev obibvptwsli Yuktw gucdx Sovibt gid BGRC yhptkxsg, nvv Rvqsvagvurihqcid wdzypy Ogkx oq gxifowy: Mkjlgk dcj Zytetjjkplufof tra Efgmujnmdpnk, qevxnxtusj Xjarhyhkloroaypsvud, Kmkzv lso Bhxtovgvcrfh tvb Mweqrytff, Gvbikynzz dqn Pmdhvpz-, Mkej- qhzgg Htddcdumlwyx xdr dufrjedk pkgtp kivlmtiwofjqitu Mzvnbqrmqdn wq lwr Qrivhhufjnm, dyzqw Xeys myd omed non 42.048 Vkueof mzklyaa hqeugqhknp hksfb. Nszvg zi… Continue reading The price of the electric car miracle in Norway

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says Singapore Government has been ‘unwelcome’ to the company – The Straits Times

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) – Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk reiterated that Singapore has been “unwelcome” to the company, doubling down on his previous assertions that the Government is not supportive of electric vehicles. Musk was responding to a tweet inquiring why Tesla wasn’t in the city-state. He had said in May that Tesla tried to… Continue reading Tesla CEO Elon Musk says Singapore Government has been ‘unwelcome’ to the company – The Straits Times

How Blockchain Can Reduce Costs For The Shifting Electric Vehicle Landscape – Forbes

The auto industry has been in the spotlight of late, as the Trump administration has threatened to cut subsidies for electric cars (EVs)—partly in response to the significant layoffs GM announced in November. If Congress chooses to eliminate the subsidies, the act would hurt EV adoption in the U.S. and impact the auto industry, which… Continue reading How Blockchain Can Reduce Costs For The Shifting Electric Vehicle Landscape – Forbes

A Tesla-Certified Repair Shop in Colorado — Behind The Scenes

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Published on January 4th, 2019 |

by Guest Contributor

A Tesla-Certified Repair Shop in Colorado — Behind The Scenes

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January 4th, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Originally published on EVANNEX.
By Kay Talley

A unique opportunity came our way to see damaged cars up close, personal and naked at Stuttgart Auto Body, Denver’s premier Tesla collision repair facility. Attendees from Denver Tesla Club visited to gain insight into the structure of Tesla’s vehicles — and what can possibly go wrong while out on the road.

A Tesla Model X having met with a deer. Sadly, the deer would not have had the same outcome as the Model X will. (Image via Stuttgart Auto Body)

Stuttgart is certified by Porsche, Mercedes — and Tesla. The main focus of the Englewood facility is the latter. Although it is sad to see a parking lot full of triaged vehicular friends awaiting admission to the ER, the care and attention indoors for them is nothing less than spectacular. State Farm expert, Austin Domsch, was also on hand to explain coverage of that little “incident.”

A Model S P100D — witnessed in repair — will shortly be returned to owner after a significant front-end “ouch.” (Images via Stuttgart Auto Body)

Accidents happen. How they are taken care of is an eye-opener into the vehicle and the overall construction of Models S, X and 3. The crumple zone up front is a testament to a Tesla’s life-saving abilities. Tesla is possibly the most complicated of vehicles to work on, but Stuttgart has made a massive investment in all Tesla-approved equipment that is necessary and continues to grow with the company to keep up with the electric carmaker’s continually evolving technology.

A Tesla Model 3 front-end with structural fracture. What’s in there? A great opportunity to get more insight. The coolant you see in the Model 3 is also BMW’s — rather than Tesla branding it. It’s pretty much a generic for luxury vehicles. Makes sense. Why reinvent the wheel? (Image via Stuttgart Auto Body)

Tesla Fremont hands-on trained technicians are passionate about returning a car to an owner in pre-accident condition. Using only Tesla OEM and diagnostics, they make it happen.

Denver Tesla Club members, including winners of the EVANNEX Tesla car cover raffle, and Stuttgart’s luxury packages of in-vehicle beverage containers — all enjoying this special club event. (Image via Stuttgart Auto Body)

From 3M insane automotive adhesive, riveting under equally insane pressure to meet Tesla’s over-and-beyond safety ratings, an owner can feel completely safe in the vehicle, post-collision. Good as new.

Kay Talley is a long-time Tesla Model S owner and member of the Denver Tesla Club. Kay was kind enough to send along an overview and photos from this event to EVANNEX.

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Tesla ekes 4 more miles out of Model 3 Mid Range

2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD
After a $2,000 price drop on Wednesday, Tesla buyers just got four more reasons to choose a Model 3 Mid Range.

According to the order page on Tesla's website, the Mid Range Model 3's EPA range rating went up four miles overnight, from 260 miles to 264.

To be sure, it's a minimal improvement on top of what was already a pretty useful number of miles—about a percent and a half.

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

We reached out to Tesla to ask about how they made the improvement, and the company responded with a statement, saying: “We have updated the rated range of our Model 3 Mid Range to 264 miles to more accurately reflect the results that were achieved during testing.”

It's not clear whether company engineers found a little more efficiency in the battery pack or the motor controllers, if the car gained efficiency by some other means, such as different tires, for example, or if Tesla or the EPA simply performed new tests and got better results.

Though Tesla has not released official specs, for the Mid Range battery capacity, it is estimated to be between 60 and 62 kilowatt-hours.

DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3 Mid Range goes an EPA-official 260 miles

Last month, the EPA released official efficiency estimates for the Mid Range Model 3 of 128 MPGe in the city, 117 highway, and 123 combined, slightly lower than the discontinued rear-wheel-drive Long Range Model 3. (The Long Range version is now only available with all-wheel drive.)

While automakers conduct their own tests according to EPA specifications, the EPA regularly conducts cross-checks with its own tests.

If we had to speculate about what improved the Model 3's official range, we'd guess that an EPA follow-up test delivered better results than Tesla's own tests.

Tesla urges tariff exemption for Chinese-made car computer ‘brain’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tesla Inc has asked the Trump administration to exempt the Chinese-made car computer “brain” of its new Model 3 sedan from 25 percent tariffs imposed in August, saying they threaten the electric carmaker’s bottom line. FILE PHOTO: A car carrier trailer carries Tesla Model 3 electric sedans, is seen outside the Tesla… Continue reading Tesla urges tariff exemption for Chinese-made car computer ‘brain’

The all-electric Polestar 2 will be the first car with Google’s native Android Auto

Volvo’s futuristic performance brand Polestar released the first teaser image of its second car this week (seen above). The aptly named Polestar 2 will be Volvo’s first all-electric car, and has specs (on paper, at least) that match up with some of the best EVs that are about to hit the road. It will also… Continue reading The all-electric Polestar 2 will be the first car with Google’s native Android Auto

Future Model 3 rival: Volvo Polestar 2 electric performance car teased

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Polestar 2 teased
Volvo’s Polestar sub-brand has released a teaser picture and revealed a little more about its first electric car, to be called the Polestar 2. And the fledgling tech-performance brand doesn’t miss a beat in mentioning the Tesla Model 3.

The Polestar 2, which will be the first fully electric vehicle from the entire Volvo Car Group, will be a four-door fastback that offers more than 300 miles of range and more than 400 horsepower. Polestar says that it will be sold in the same range as the Model 3—which currently, given the Model 3’s price cut this week, starts at $45,200.

DON’T MISS: Volvo confirms Polestar 2 electric “sedan”

With production volume too small to justify its own from-scratch platform, Volvo/Polestar is expected to borrow from Volvo and Geely’s shared CMA architecture, which underpins the Volvo 40-Series models, such as the XC40. The design of the Polestar 2 is expected to be a little more SUV-like than Polestar is making it sound here, though—more like the Volvo 40.2 concept, a small SUV more like the BMW X4.

Volvo 40.2 concept

Polestar says that the 2 will be the first vehicle in the world to get the new Google Android HMI (human-machine interface)—essentially the successor to Android Auto—as well as the in-car version of Google Assistant.

CHECK OUT: Volvo XC40 crossover SUV to be company's first all-electric car

It will be available for sale, but the company will emphasize a subscription based on the Care by Volvo package, which wraps the vehicle plus all associated motoring costs (like insurance) into one monthly payment—and, significantly, offers the ability to trade for other Volvo models for a few days a year outside the U.S.

The 2 will go into production in early 2020 (or possibly as soon as later this year). The first electric vehicle to bear the actual Volvo badge is expected to be a version of the XC40 crossover, reaching the market later in 2020. Volvo has already suggested that model will have a range in the vicinity of 250 miles and a starting price of $35,000 and $40,000.

Polestar will borrow some ideas from the Tesla playbook while tapping into the on-the-ground resources Volvo already has in place. Vehicle purchase—or subscription—will be via a web page, but shoppers can see the vehicle at its own urban showrooms. Traditional Volvo dealerships come into play as service and logistics hubs for concierge service.

Volvo says that a full reveal of the Polestar P2 is just a few weeks away.