Electric vehicles – Page 9293 – I wish I had more to offer

Musk lets one rip in Tesla software update

Musk lets one rip in Tesla software updateFor those of you consumed with curiosity about how Elon Musk spends his spare time — and isn’t that everybody? — here’s a clue. He just rolled out an update to the software in Tesla cars allowing them to make farting noises on demand.
Yes, you read that, or heard that, right.
Tesla, the company, didn’t issue an announcement of the technological improvement, but Musk himself did, via his preferred medium for making important corporate announcements, Twitter.
Underscoring his stature as CEO who enjoys a rude joke as much as the 8-year-old sitting a couple of desks over, Musk pointed out that one of the six noises from which drivers can choose is labeled “short shorts ripper,” which he called “a thank you to Tesla short sellers … haha.”
The new rollout fits nicely within Musk’s apparent attention deficit disorder. Tesla still faces multiple questions about its ability to sustain profitability, especially by selling cars (the profit it declared in its latest quarterly report was heavily dependent on the trading of government air pollution credits and other maneuvers not directly related to sales of vehicles); about the level of demand for its cars; and about its ability to meet demand on the production line.
There are also questions about Musk’s devotion to Job One at Tesla, which is rolling out a mass-market version of its Model 3 sedan. Keeping Musk focused plainly is a chore that the Tesla board has failed to master. Just Tuesday, Musk took time out for a press event focused on a 1.14-mile underground tunnel designed as a prototype of a subway-like system to beat surface traffic in Los Angeles.
The tunnel was widely panned, including by my colleague Laura Nelson, who wrote that the tunnel surface was so uneven that a ride in a specially outfitted Tesla inside the tunnel “felt like riding on a dirt road.” And hers was one of the kinder judgments. (An amusing take by Albert Burneko of Deadspin is here, but be warned: profanity.
More to the point, the tunnel was not even a Tesla project, but the product of the Boring Co., a privately owned enterprise backed by Musk.
Also an open question is how Musk is complying with a settlement he reached with the Securities and Exchange Commission in September, after the agency sued him for a misleading, if not flagrantly inaccurate, tweet in August stating that he had “secured funding” to take Tesla private at $420 per share, a huge premium to its price at the time. (And still — the stock closed at $315.38 Thursday.)
Among other things, the settlement requires Tesla to oversee Musk’s tweeting, er, “put in place additional controls and procedures to oversee Musk’s communications.” There’s no evidence as yet that any such arrangement has been made, and Musk hinted in a recent interview with “60 Minutes” that he considered control over his tweets to be an infringement of his 1st Amendment rights.
One of Tesla’s technological selling points is the company’s ability to upgrade the cars’ functionality via over-the-air software revisions. In the past, these have been used to refine their self-driving capabilities and to improve their braking functionality (after Consumer Reports found that the Model 3’s braking distances were much worse than “any other contemporary car”).
The latest update is nothing like that. As TechCrunch reported this week, the so-called Emissions Testing Mode (get it?) allows the driver to opt for any of five different fart noises in addition to the “short shorts ripper.” The sounds are activated by the turn signal, or by pressing a scroll wheel on the steering column.
The latter is another dig at Tesla short sellers, whom Musk often blames for downdrafts in Tesla’s share price, despite the counsel of experienced market experts that movements in the stock, especially movements down, reflect legitimate skepticism about the company’s performance or prospects.
In any event, as a colleague observes, it should go without saying that “the best way to blow off short sellers is to build a strong business. And hold your farts until you do.”
Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/mobility/2018/12/26/musk-lets-one-rip-tesla-software-update/2391286002/

Tesla is working to ‘dramatically increase’ Superchargers within cities, European expansion, and more

As a late Christmas gift, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced some expansions to the Supercharger network, including ‘dramatically increasing’ Superchargers within cities, a European expansion, and more. Last month, Musk announced another expansion of the Supercharger network in order to cover “95% to 100% of the population in all active markets.” He also said that the… Continue reading Tesla is working to ‘dramatically increase’ Superchargers within cities, European expansion, and more

Tesla’s Active Safety Features Prevent Accidents, Caught On DashCam

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Published on December 18th, 2018 |

by Kyle Field

Tesla’s Active Safety Features Prevent Accidents, Caught On DashCam

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December 18th, 2018 by Kyle Field

Accidents happen. It sucks. But with a Tesla, you have extra protection to help keep you out of one.

As you’ll see below, a collision in front of a Tesla caused the car’s automatic emergency braking system to kick in, keeping one bad accident from getting much worse. Thanks to Tesla’s recent dashcam update, the whole thing was caught by the TeslaCam.

The video serves as a poignant reminder about how quickly Tesla’s network of sensors is evolving and just how good it is at preventing accidents. The mainstream media might report on anything that remotely resembles a fire as if the company were approaching a cliff at high speed, but the near misses thanks to Tesla’s advanced hardware and software inevitably go unreported.

Thankfully, Tesla’s new dashcam feature is able to capture some of these near misses and the excerpts we get show just how good the system is at preventing accidents. In this case, a stopped car forced an unusual merge. That, combined with insufficient following distances for human drivers, resulted in a collision between the two cars ahead of the Tesla. The Tesla reacted almost instantaneously to the change and prevented a two-car accident from becoming a three-car pile-up (or worse).

Looking through the comments on the Reddit thread, you can see multiple accounts of similar stories from commenters. The most impressive part of the tech to me is that the system not only looks at the car in front of it, but is often able to see two cars ahead for potential slowing or dangerous behavior and then reacts to that.

One Redditor noted that, “A few weeks into having the car I was driving with AP on. My car braked hard for no apparent reason. A second later the car in front of my slammed on its breaks. It was a big SUV so I couldn’t see around it. Turns out there was a stopped car making a left in our lane and the driver in front of me wasn’t paying attention.”

That’s freaking cool and adds real value by avoiding what would otherwise be definite accidents. My family and I have thankfully not had any close calls that required the use of the AEB system, but I regularly get help from the early detection setting on the forward-collision warning system. With this setting, it beeps at me loudly when the vehicle in front of me is slowing down and I am still accelerating. The early setting gives me enough warning that I can start slowing down without having to slam on the brakes, which could lead to getting rear ended from the next driver in line.

These features work together in a car that Tesla’s third quarter safety data imply is 4 times safer than the average non-Tesla vehicle, according to data from the US NHTSA. With Enhanced Autopilot engaged, Tesla’s vehicles are seemingly 7 times safer than the average US driver. That’s impressive and meaningful. Even if the possibility of getting hurt isn’t threatening enough, being able to avoid the headaches associated with an accident might be worth upgrading.

If you enjoy the content here on CleanTechnica and are looking to purchase a new Tesla, feel free to use my referral link (here).

Source: YouTube via Reddit

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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. Tesla referral code: http://ts.la/kyle623

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tweets Superchargers Coming To 100% Of Europe In 2019

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Published on December 26th, 2018 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Tweets Superchargers Coming To 100% Of Europe In 2019

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December 26th, 2018 by Steve Hanley

On the day after Christmas, Elon Musk took to Twitter to spread good news about electric cars, the Tesla Model 3, and the Supercharger network. “Most people don’t know that the Tesla Supercharger network allows easy long distance travel throughout USA, most of Europe, Canada and China,” he tweeted.

Do you know any other company that gives people a list of its competitors? Cuz we searched our archives down in the basement of the CleanTechnica World Headquarters building and couldn’t find any. We keep all those important files right next to the climate-controlled room where we keep the Vueve Clicquot Yellow Label champagne we serve after our weekly squash match.

Now that the Model 3 is headed to Europe, interested buyers are curious what Tesla and Elon Musk have up their sleeve with regard to building out the Supercharger system on the Old Continent. Paul Kelly, who lives in Ireland and is expecting delivery of a new Model X in 2 weeks, asked Elon that question directly and got the following reply.

Europe? Tesla Has You Covered. Texas, Too.

Well, naturally, that got the faithful fired up. Alejandro Zuboff tweeted from Texas to ask about coverage in his state.

Jim Roger Johansen wanted to know if the coastal highway in northern Norway would have a Supercharger station soon and got a “Yep” back from Elon.

More Charging News
While most manufacturers are thinking about building charging networks for their electric cars — assuming they ever build any — Tesla is putting its money where its mouth is.

The takeaway is that Tesla is doing more than any other company in the world to make charging an EV simple and convenient. Yes, free Supercharging is a thing of the past or soon will be, but the company has said all along it does not intend to make charging a profit center. Even if folks wind up paying for the electricity they use, it will still cost about half as much as the gasoline needed to travel a given distance.

When it comes to electric cars, Tesla is King Of The Mountain. Everyone else is just playing Follow The Leader.

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.

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Carlos Tavares: electric cars could be more problematic than people think – Autocar

The switch from combustion engined to electrified powertrains will bring greater societal issues than the car industry alone can either consider or address, PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares has warned. Outlining his firm’s strategy to have half its cars electrified in some form by 2020, and to offer a fully electrified line up by 2025,… Continue reading Carlos Tavares: electric cars could be more problematic than people think – Autocar

Peugeot Returns to U.S. to Help People Get Around, but Not With Its Cars – The New York Times

PARIS — Nearly three decades ago, Peugeot abandoned the United States market, stung by years of dwindling sales that were punctuated by a dispiriting 4,291 cars sold in 1990. Two years ago, Peugeot’s parent, the big European carmaker PSA Group, announced its return to the cutthroat North American market. The move stunned some industry observers… Continue reading Peugeot Returns to U.S. to Help People Get Around, but Not With Its Cars – The New York Times

Why Filld shut down mobile fueling in Seattle as it wrestles with fire marshals across the country

(Filld Photo) A few months after launching a pilot in Seattle, mobile fueling startup Filld hit a roadblock. On July 25, the Seattle Fire Marshall ordered the company to stop mobile fueling and handling of flammable liquids, Filld’s core business. Filld stopped its on-demand gas service in Seattle and began negotiating with fire officials, one of… Continue reading Why Filld shut down mobile fueling in Seattle as it wrestles with fire marshals across the country

Greenlots and ChargePoint announce peer-to-peer roaming agreement

Charging networks Greenlots and ChargePoint have formed a roaming partnership that will enable charging across the two networks, giving users access to thousands of additional charging locations throughout North America at no additional cost. Beginning in mid-2019, customers will be able to charge on either the ChargePoint or Greenlots networks without the need to create… Continue reading Greenlots and ChargePoint announce peer-to-peer roaming agreement

Chargepoint partners with Greenlots to expand access for drivers

2018 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid charging at ChargePoint station, Santa Cruz, California, Dec 2017
Forget five-minute fill-ups. What seems to drive many electric car drivers crazy is making sure the charger they find has the right connector, how fast the charger is (in kilowatts), and whether they have the right credentials to activate it.

Without a single one of these parameters, you may not be able to charge. (With most charging done at home or at work, however, most electric-car drivers rarely have to visit public charging stations.)

Now the largest charging network, ChargePoint, has announced a roaming partnership with Greenlots, another of the oldest charging networks in the U.S. to allow subscribers to each network use each other's chargers.

READ THIS: ChargePoint users can now access networks in Canada, Europe

Such agreements are accelerating, with ChargePoint also announcing agreements with EV Box in Europe and FLO in Canada in October.

Third-party software integrators such as Hubject are also working to help networks cross-connect, sharing charging locations and use data on each other's apps, for example, and enabling roaming payments.

Charging executives from several networks and other service providers have said they expect the industry to consolidate in coming years, with fewer, larger networks. That could help simplify matters for electric cars drivers.

DON'T MISS: ChargePoint commits to build charging stations for 2.5 million cars by 2025

ChargePoint made a commitment at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco in September to build charging spaces for up to 2.5 million electric cars globally.

Like ChargePoint, Greenlots works to help businesses and individuals install new chargers. The company is working with Electrify America to build out its new nationwide network of DC fast chargers for non-Tesla electric cars.

To match the utility of gasoline, electric cars will have to not only be able to go 300 miles on a charge, but also to charge faster. Agreements such as this one are among the first steps to making that happen.

The Best Selling Electric Vehicles, & When Will Tesla Model 3 Be #1?

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Published on December 25th, 2018 |

by Jose Pontes

The Best Selling Electric Vehicles, & When Will Tesla Model 3 Be #1?

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December 25th, 2018 by Jose Pontes

Several people have asked me, “Is the Tesla Model 3 the best selling EV?”

My answer is: Yes, it is the 2018 best selling EV, with over 100,000 units sold.

Okay, but what about the all-time seller? Which is the most common EV globally? The Nissan Leaf? And who will it be in two years’ time? The Model 3?

That’s when I had to check the numbers.

With 5 million plug-ins already sold through last October, the best selling models are starting to reach significant numbers in the automotive world. While the Tesla Model 3 (~103,000 units) and the BAIC EC-Series (~150,000) are all the rage right now, the fact is that both nameplates are still quite new, with the Californian being 16 months old and the Chinese model not much older at 23 months.

As such, the top 3 positions are in the hands of older models, with the youngest one being the #3 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. That model is a couple of months away from celebrating its 6th birthday.

In the lead, we have the Nissan Leaf, which despite all the bad press is doing its work in an effective way, counting almost 376,000 units sold. The original frog-eyed version reached 300,000 units.

Not bad, eh?

The #2 Tesla Model S continues to rack up sales, with 254,000 made so far, and it will still take some time for its smaller sibling Model 3 to reach it.

The sure-value Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (179,000 units) is relatively new to 3rd place, with the Japanese SUV having recently surpassed the Chevrolet Volt.

Gone are the days when the range-extended hatchback was big in the plug-in scene. It was the best selling plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) in 2012, and runner-up in 2011 and 2013.

So, the present day question is answered. As for the coming two years, things get trickier…

While we can more or less predict how the early 2021 picture will look for legacy automakers, the Chinese tidal wave of manufacturers is too unpredictable for me to know how things will be in two years.

And regarding Tesla, things are even more uncertain, as every week (if not every day) there’s something new going on. Sometimes it seems Tesla’s destiny is being written by some Mexican-novela script writers, so much are the twists and turns.

But let’s conduct a futurology exercise.

In order to be in this all-time podium by early 2021, a model needs to sell consistently over 10,000 units per month. By that time, there will be several models selling over that threshold, but most will be fresh nameplates, without enough backlog to pull them into the 500,000-ish units needed to be in the podium.

Looking at the current podium bearers, we can already exclude the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. By that time, it shouldn’t have more than 300,000 units made, as even if there was enough demand to go further, Mitsubishi production constraints (battery constraints?) would have prevented it from ramping up sales to over 10,000 units/month.

Regarding the Model S, due to its high price and the internal competition of its Model 3 younger sibling, the total number in the beginning of 2021 should be around 380,000 units, but because we are talking about a Tesla, there are too many factors (China, production constraints, new specs, etc.) that add uncertainty to its performance. But more on that later, once we talk about the Model 3…

And then we have the Nissan Leaf. Having already surpassed the 10,000 deliveries/month threshold at times with the 40kWh version, there are few reasons to doubt that the arrival of the 60kWh version will propel the Japanese hatchback to regular 10,000+ units/month performances, once it arrives.

So, we could see the Leaf hit some 650,000–700,000 units by January 1st, 2021.

Now to the current game-changers, the BAIC EC-Series and the Tesla Model 3, the only two nameplates that provide 5-digit/month performances without a sweat.

The Chinese EV should end this year with some 180,000 units made, but BAIC’s city car will face some headwinds in the future, as increased competition — namely, from the compelling BYD Yuan — should steal some sales from it in the long run, so I am betting that the nameplate’s sales should stabilize around 130,000 units per year, ending 2020 with some 440,000 units made.

So now we have two (Leaf and EC-Series) of the three podium bearers by early 2021.

What about the elephant in the room and leitmotif for this article?

There are so many factors that can change the Model 3’s fate and success that I had to make two different scenarios, a Bull one and a Bear one.

In the Bull scenario — no doubt, the one that Tesla fans will be cheering for — one can expect close to 30,000 deliveries in December, thanks to a production rate of 7,000/week, meaning the Model 3 would end 2018 with some 150,000 units on the streets.

For 2019, with the 7,000/week as a basis and a gradual ramp up during the year, aided by the beginning of production at Gigafactory 3 in China later in the year, production should reach some 400,000 units. That assumes demand continues be higher than supply, mostly thanks to the Standard Range arrival in late Q2 and the success of the car in Europe and China, where it will profit from the low/nonexistent import tariffs on cars.

This would allow the Model 3 to surpass the Nissan Leaf as the most common EV in the World by Q4 2019.

By 2020, the Model 3 would build on the previous year’s performance, reaching some 600,000 units. Assuming demand remained strong, thanks to word of mouth and the success of the Model 3 Standard Range in Europe and China, the model could reach one million units on the road before the year of the end.

As for the Bear scenario, the TSLA shorts’ favorite one, the Model 3 will end 2018 with 145,000 units, because Tesla has not achieved a production rate of 7,000/week on a consistent level.

For 2019, in this scenario, Tesla’s demand problems start to appear in North America and the Standard Range version is only available in Q3. Europe and China not enough to compensate lagging demand, especially in China, where the USA/China tariff war seriously hurt Model 3 demand — only 1,000 sales per month. Meanwhile, Gigafactory 3 suffered from delays, with volume production only expected in 2020.

With a more appealing and advanced Model Y presented in 2019, the Model 3 is already experiencing some internal competition, with many prospective customers preferring to wait for the upcoming SUV.

All these setbacks made the company cut back Model 3 production to some 190,000 units/year, making the sedan end 2019 with 335,000 all-time deliveries, below the evergreen Nissan Leaf.

By 2020, thanks to the start of volume production at Gigafactory 3 in China and Standard Range deliveries in Europe, the Model 3 reached 300,000 registrations, but the long-term success of the nameplate is capped by the success of the Model Y, which has been gobbling up production space from its older sibling.

So, by January 1st, 2021, some 635,000 Model 3s will be made in this scenario, which won’t be enough to remove the aging Nissan Leaf from #1, especially with the Japanese car having a much improved generation in 2021. In other words, do not expect the Leaf to leave the throne anytime soon.

About the Author

Jose Pontes Always interested in the auto industry, particularly in electric cars, Jose has been overviewing the sales evolution of plug-ins through the EV Sales blog since 2012, allowing him to gain an expert view on where EVs are right now and where they are headed in the future. The EV Sales blog has become a go-to source for people interested in electric car sales around the world. Extending that work and expertise, Jose is now a partner in EV-Volumes and works with the European Alternative Fuels Observatory on EV sales matters.

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