Tag: Electric vehicles

From Tesla stockholder to startup CEO: How Robert Bollinger is bringing utility to the EV market – Teslarati

By Simon Alvarez Posted on December 28, 2018 On a rather chilly morning a few days before Christmas, Bollinger Motors CEO Robert Bollinger indulged my request for a short interview about his longtime support for electric vehicles. Speaking through FaceTime, Robert animatedly talked about Bollinger Motors’ highly anticipated Sports Utility Truck, his thoughts about other… Continue reading From Tesla stockholder to startup CEO: How Robert Bollinger is bringing utility to the EV market – Teslarati

Array of accolades for BMW models in 2018 endorse outstanding standards of quality, innovation, connectivity and design

Array of accolades for BMW models in 2018 endorse outstanding standards of quality, innovation, connectivity and design

MUNICH, 28-Dec-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — BMW can look back on a highly successful 2018 yielding an impressive haul of awards and accolades. Over the course of the past year, vehicles from BMW have managed to win over not just automotive journalists and experts from around the world, but also the readers of motoring magazines, market researchers and IT insiders. What’s more, the award winners distinguished themselves in areas ranging from product quality and design to technical innovation, intelligent connectivity and sustainability. BMW picked up two of the world’s most coveted honours in the process, with the title of World Performance Car going to the BMW M5 and the International Engine of the Year award bestowed on the BMW i8 for the fourth year in succession. The string of successes racked up by the super-sporty BMW M models, which topped the podium on several occasions, provided further good news. And the premium carmaker also took home a hat-trick of wins as the most innovative brand in the premium segment.

BMW 5 Series on top once again.
Following on from the triumphs of the previous 12 months, 2018 turned out to be another highly successful year for the BMW 5 Series models, both in Germany and internationally. The awards for the 5 Series included Best Car in the upper mid-size category from German motoring magazine auto motor und sport. In the Auto Trophy – World’s Best Cars awards, the 5 Series again received the most votes in the executive category from readers of Auto Zeitung magazine. In the awards presented by Auto Test magazine, it was the BMW 530d Touring that made the best impression and was ultimately declared the overall winner, while the BMW 520d Touring was judged to offer the best price-performance ratio in the upper mid-size segment. The BMW 5 Series received wide acclaim in the UK, too, where it picked up not one but two coveted UK Car of the Year awards – for Best Executive Car and Best Estate Car. The Sedan and Touring variants were also named Car of the Year by other motoring journals, including What Car?, Company Car Today and Car Express. Meanwhile, the BMW 520d xDrive Touring emerged as the overall winner in the Tow Car Awards presented jointly by What Car?, Practical Caravan and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

Podium finishes for BMW M models.
In 2018, juries far and wide again considered BMW vehicles the sporting benchmark, with models from BMW M GmbH leading the way. The new BMW M5 high-performance sedan proved an instant hit at the World Car Awards, duly earning the title of World Performance Car. The BMW M5 and other BMW M models were a dominant force on winners’ lists in Germany, too. The BMW M5 Competition was crowned Sports Car of the Year by Auto Bild Sportscars magazine in the Sedans/Station Wagons category, while the BMW M2 Competition was awarded the corresponding accolade in the Small/Compact Car category.

In the readers’ poll conducted by sport auto magazine to find the sportiest cars of the year, the Munich-based premium carmaker’s models were voted top in eight different categories. This meant BMW collected more titles than any other manufacturer in this year’s survey. The roll-call of winners were bookended by the BMW M140i (Compact Cars category) and high-performance BMW M5 Sedan (Sedans/Station Wagons over €100,000), with the BMW M240i Coupe (Coupes up to €50,000), BMW M550d xDrive (Diesels), BMW M3 with Competition Package (Sedans/Station Wagons up to €100,000) and BMW M4 Coupe with Competition Package (Coupes up to €100,000) in between. Alongside the M models, the BMW 230i Convertible (Convertibles/Roadsters up to €50,000) and BMW 330i (Sedans/Station Wagons up to €50,000) were also voted best in class.

Electrified BMW powertrains still buzzing.
BMW’s vast well of expertise in the field of alternative drive systems once again earned it recognition, with a variety of awards for the all-electric BMW i3, the progressive BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car and the BMW 330e plug-in hybrid sedan. Readers of Auto Zeitung magazine ranked the two BMW i models among the World’s Best Cars in the categories for electric cars up to €50,000 and electric/hybrid performance cars. The BMW i8 additionally picked up an International Engine of the Year award for the fourth year in a row after again fending off its rivals in the 1.4 litre to 1.8 litre category. The electrified BMW models are proving highly popular in the UK, too, Auto Express [PR1] magazine declaring the BMW i3 Rex to be the Best Hybrid Car and the BMW i3 the Best Low Emissions Green Car. Victory for the BMW 330e in the Best Plug-in Hybrid of the Year rankings compiled by motoring journal Company Car Today rounded off a success-soaked twelve months for BMW’s alternative drive systems.

Top accolades for BMW design.
Vehicles from BMW also continually set new standards for their outstanding quality of design. A string of awards presented to the Munich-based manufacturer during 2018 in recognition of its design achievements confirmed as much. No fewer than five cars from BMW received an iF Design Award 2018, one of the most prestigious seals of approval for design excellence. The list of award winners comprised the BMW M5, BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo, BMW X2, BMW X3 and BMW i3s. The readers of Auto Zeitung also delivered a resounding verdict in the Auto Trophy – World’s Best Cars awards, picking the BMW brand as their clear favourite in the category Best Design.

BMW Connected and co. ensure optimal connectivity both now and in future.
BMW is forging ahead with the development of digitalised services, the seamless integration of smartphones and the new digital control/operating concept for its vehicles. The manufacturer’s outstanding performance in the Car Connectivity Award – where the readers of auto motor und sport are asked to vote for the best connectivity technologies – provides compelling evidence of its expertise in this area. BMW took the cherished top spot in a total of three categories. The magazine’s readership judged BMW Connected to be the best smartphone app, while the brand’s seamless Apple CarPlay preparation was voted the best phone integration concept. BMW Operating System 7.0 also left the motoring journal’s readers thoroughly impressed, resulting in a further accolade in the control/operating concept category. The new display and operating system made its debut in the new BMW X5 and is geared more precisely than ever to the driver’s needs. Content is personalised and can be adapted by the user according to need. It is designed to provide the driver with the right information in any situation and further improve interaction between driver and vehicle.

Finally, the BMW brand’s capacity for innovation enjoyed multiple endorsements from independent experts. The Center of Automotive Management (CAM) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) bestowed the title of Most Innovative Premium Brand on BMW, making it the overall winner of the Automotive Innovations Award. The brand picked up further prizes in the Vehicle Concepts/Body and Interface/Connectivity categories in recognition of its innovative talents.

The major awards presented to BMW in 2018 at a glance:

World Car Awards.
World Performance Car:
BMW M5

Awards presented by auto motor und sport.
Best Car:
BMW X1 (Category: Compact SUVs)
BMW 5 Series (Category: Upper Mid-Size)
Autonis:
BMW 2 Series Active Tourer/BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (Category:
MPVs)

Award presented by Engine Technology International.
International Engine of the Year:
BMW i8 (Category: 1.4 litre –1.8 litre)

Awards presented by auto motor und sport and Moove.
Car Connectivity Award 2018:
BMW Apple CarPlay preparation (Category: Phone Integration)
BMW Connected (Category: Smartphone Apps)
BMW Operating System 7.0 (Category: Control & Operating
Concepts/Displays)

Awards presented by Auto Bild Sportscars.
Sportscars 2018:
BMW M2 Competition (Category: Small/Compact Cars)
BMW M5 Competition (Category: Sedans/Station Wagons)

Awards presented by Auto Bild Allrad.
Allradautos des Jahres (AWD Cars of the Year):
BMW 3 Series (Category: AWD Cars up to €40,000)
BMW X3 (Category: Off-roaders and SUVs from €30,000 – €50,000)

Awards presented by Auto Zeitung.
Auto Trophy – World’s Best Cars:
BMW 3 Series (Category: Mid-size)
BMW 5 Series (Category: Executive)
BMW X5 (Category: Luxury SUVs)
BMW i3 (Category: Electric Cars up to €50,000)
BMW i8 (Category: Electric/Hybrid Performance Cars)
BMW brand (Category: Best Design)

Awards presented by sport auto.
sport auto Award:
BMW M140i (Category: Compact Cars)
BMW M240i Coupe (Category: Coupes up to €50,000
BMW 230i Convertible (Category: Convertibles/Roadsters up to €50,000)
BMW 330i (Category: Sedans/Station Wagons up to €50,000)
BMW M550d xDrive (Category: Diesels)
BMW M3 with Competition Package. (Cat.: Sedans/Station Wagons up to
€100,000)
BMW M4 Coupe with Competition Package. (Cat.: Coupes up to €100,000)
BMW M5 (Category: Sedans/Station Wagons over €100,000)

Awards presented by PwC / Center of Automotive Management.
Automotive Innovations Awards:
BMW as Most Innovative Premium Brand
BMW as Most Innovative Premium Brand – Vehicle concepts/body
BMW as Most Innovative Premium Brand – Interface/connectivity

Awards presented by iF International Forum Design.
iF Design Award:
BMW M5
BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo
BMW X2
BMW X3
BMW i3s

Awards presented by Auto Test.
Auto Test Winner:
BMW 530d Touring (Overall Winner)
BMW 520d Touring (Category: Price-performance Ratio)

Award presented by What Car? (GB).
Car of the Year:
BMW 5 Series (Category: Luxury Car)

Award presented by What Car?, Practical Caravan and The Camping and Caravanning Club (GB).
Tow Car Awards:
BMW 520d xDrive Touring (Overall Winner)

Awards presented by UK Car of the Year (GB).
UK Car of the Year:
BMW 5 Series (Best Executive Car)
BMW 5 Series Touring (Best Estate Ca..

Musk: Tesla’s Fully Autonomous Capabilities “About to Accelerate”

“About to Accelerate” Tesla appears ready to kick its vehicles’ fully autonomous capabilities up a notch. In an email to employees this week, obtained by Inverse, CEO Elon Musk pledged that Tesla’s fully autonomous driving system was “about to accelerate significantly.” Musk hasn’t always delivered on his ambitious public promises, but the email signals that he is… Continue reading Musk: Tesla’s Fully Autonomous Capabilities “About to Accelerate”

Tesla names Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to board after SEC settlement

Tesla names two new independent directors after SEC settlement
2 Hours Ago | 01:30

Tesla named Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to its board on Friday, in compliance with an SEC settlement. The appointments add needed business and human resources expertise to the board — though add to questions about CEO Elon Musk's influence over the board.

Wilson-Thompson is the global head of human resources at Walgreens Boots Alliance and a former executive at Kellogg. Ellison is co-founder and executive chairman of Oracle, and recently disclosed a massive personal stake in Tesla.

“I am very close friends to Elon Musk and I am a very big investor in Tesla,” Ellison said at a financial analyst meeting at the Oracle OpenWorld conference in October.

Ellison owns 3 million shares of Tesla stock, according to a company spokesperson. That stake would be worth close to $1 billion at Friday's opening price. In October, Ellison said Tesla was his second-largest holding and staunchly defended Musk against ongoing criticism of his behavior.

“You are telling me he is an idiot. I just want to know who you are so I know why I should believe you as opposed to my friend Elon,” Ellison said at the time.

Tesla and Musk agreed in September to appoint a new chairman and two independent board members after an SEC lawsuit alleging that Musk misled investors with a tweet about taking the company private at $420 a share.

Shares of Tesla rose as much as 3 percent Friday morning.

Source: Walgreens Boots Alliance
Kathleen Wilson-Thompson

“In conducting a widespread search over the last few months, we sought to add independent directors with skills that would complement the current board's experience. In Larry and Kathleen, we have added a preeminent entrepreneur and a human resources leader, both of whom have a passion for sustainable energy,” Tesla's existing directors said in a statement.

Tesla's board has historically been tightly linked to its CEO and includes, among others, his brother Kimbal Musk. The stipulation in the SEC settlement was intended to introduce more oversight of the CEO, who has dragged the company's stock lower with his unchecked use of social media and other antics.

Existing board member Robyn Denholm was named chair in November. Denholm was seen as an experienced though predictable pick at the time, but investors and analysts had been hoping for a truly independent, outside chairperson to fully check Musk.

WATCH:
Robyn Denholm replaces Elon Musk as Tesla's board chair

Robyn Denholm replaces Elon Musk as Tesla's board chair
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The two new board members are supposed to be independents, as well, though Ellison's personal ties to Musk leave some room for concern.

A Tesla spokesperson downplayed Ellison and Musk's personal relationship, saying the two had only socialized a handful of times and always in a group setting. The spokesperson said Musk and Ellison had not spoken for about a year leading up to Ellison's appointment to the board.

Meanwhile, longstanding Tesla board member and venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson has been “on leave” from the board for over a year, after reports of his alleged sexual misconduct. Those reports led to his being ousted from the eponymous venture firm he founded, DFJ, which backed both Tesla and Musk's other company, SpaceX. Jurvetson has disputed the allegations.

Besides appointing new board members, Tesla is supposed to form a committee to oversee other terms of the SEC settlement, and institute controls over both the company's and Musk's statements about Tesla on Twitter and elsewhere.

Ellison and Wilson-Thompson began serving on the board effective Thursday, Tesla said.

Correction: Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson began serving on Tesla's board effective Dec. 27, 2018. A previous version of this story misstated when the appointments would be finalized.

WATCH: How taxpayers have boosted Elon Musk and Tesla

How taxpayers have boosted Elon Musk and Tesla
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Tesla adds Larry Ellison, Walgreens exec to board

Tesla adds Larry Ellison, Walgreens exec to boardTesla Inc. added Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to its board, fulfilling the terms of the settlement reached with U.S. securities regulators over its CEO’s problematic posts about taking the company private.
Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp., and Wilson-Thompson, the global chief human resources officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., join a board the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered to step up its governance and oversight measures after Elon Musk claimed in August to have had the funding and investor support for a buyout. The chief executive officer relinquished the role of chairman in November, and both he and the company agreed to pay $20 million penalties.
The new additions to the board put a bookend on a months-long distraction that at one point looked like it may cost Musk his future with the company. While reining him in may prove challenging, they’ll help steer a carmaker that’s made significant strides in profitably making and delivering electric vehicles.
Tesla’s shares rose 1.3 percent to $320.26 at 10:11 a.m. in New York after earlier gaining as much as 6 percent. The stock was up 1.5 percent this year through the close Thursday.
Ellison, 74, went off-script during an Oracle meeting with analysts in October to announce that he had been building a personal stake in Tesla and that it was his second-largest holding. He criticized how the media had covered Musk, 47, whom he called a close friend.
“This guy is landing rockets,” Ellison said in October of Musk, who also runs Space Exploration Technologies Corp. “You know, he’s landing rockets on robot drone rafts in the ocean. And you’re saying he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Well, who else is landing rockets? You ever land a rocket on a robot drone? Who are you?”
Tesla said in its statement announcing Ellison would be joining the board that he purchased 3 million shares of the electric-car maker earlier this year.
Tesla’s board now has 11 members, including three women. This fall, California became the first U.S. state to mandate that publicly traded companies have women on their boards. Those with at least seven directors need to have at least three women by 2021.
The SEC moved to punish Tesla and Musk because it alleged he committed fraud by tweeting that he had the “funding secured” to take the company private at $420 a share. The agency said this and other claims the CEO made on Aug. 7 were false and misleading and impacted Tesla’s stock.
Musk and Tesla reached the settlement with the SEC on Sept. 29 that gave the company 90 days to add directors and take other actions. Since then, the CEO has publicly lampooned the agency and bristled at the notion that he’ll change his Twitter habits.
Tesla’s legal department also has been going through shakeups since Musk’s run-in with the SEC.
The company tapped Dane Butswinkas, the Washington trial lawyer who represented the CEO in his legal battle with the agency, earlier this month to become general counsel. He’ll replace Todd Maron, who’s leaving Tesla in January after five years. Before he joined the company, he represented Musk through two divorces.
In November, Phil Rothenberg, a vice president on Tesla’s legal staff, left to became general counsel at Sonder, a hospitality startup. Rothenberg previously worked at the SEC.
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Tesla names Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Walgreens executive to board as part of SEC settlement

Tesla has added two independent directors to its board, Oracle founder and executive chairman Larry Ellison and Walgreens executive Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, as part of a settlement with U.S. securities regulators over CEO Elon Musk’s infamous tweets about taking the company private. The pair joined the board as of December 27, Tesla said in an announcement early… Continue reading Tesla names Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Walgreens executive to board as part of SEC settlement

Tesla names Larry Ellison, Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to board

FILE PHOTO: A Tesla Model 3 car is displayed during a media preview at the Auto China 2018 motor show in Beijing, China April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Friday named two independent board directors as part of a September deal with federal regulators to move past the turbulence… Continue reading Tesla names Larry Ellison, Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to board

Clean energy leader Costa Rica turns attention to electric cars

New Delhi: Costa Rica likes to advertise itself as an ecological paradise, where more than 98 percent of its electricity needs are met by clean energy. But in the automotive industry, it is lagging behind with just 600 out of 1.4 million private vehicles running on electricity rather than petrol or diesel. Experts believe that… Continue reading Clean energy leader Costa Rica turns attention to electric cars

Great Wall Motor: Small electrical car presented for 7,600 euros in China

The Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor has presented its first car with the Ora R1. The electric vehicle should cost 7,600 euros after deducting the subsidies and travel 310 km with one battery charge. December 28, 2018, 13:06, Andreas Donath Ora R1 (Image: Great Wall Motor) The Ora R1 is a small city car for… Continue reading Great Wall Motor: Small electrical car presented for 7,600 euros in China