Category: Auto Industry

Tesla answers questions about battery swap announcement

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Tesla battery swap

After last night’s initial public demo of the Tesla Model S battery swap, we attended a small press conference with Tesla CEO Elon Musk where he answered questions about the program. You can get the early details about the swap stations in our first post and then dive into our back and forth with Tesla, below. You can also scroll down to see a video of the battery swap process in action, if you’re more of a visual learner.

Question: Will owners need to make a reservation for a battery swap?

Answer: No reservations are needed. Each of the swap sites will be stocked with enough batteries to cover demand.

Question: How many battery packs will be available at each location?

Answer: That depends purely on how frequently the station is used. For the most part, expect a swap station to stock about 50 batteries. However, busy corridors will have more and less popular stations will have fewer. The quantity will basically align proportionally with the number of Supercharger units at the station.

Question: Are the batteries at the stations all brand-new?

Answer: They will be brand-new at first. But as owners use them, they will obviously have recharging cycles on them. Each will be monitored for optimal performance, so the customer won’t have to worry about that.

Question: How much does it cost to upgrade a charging station to allow battery swapping?

Answer: It costs about $500,000 per site, and that includes digging the pit, construction and hardware. The electrical capacity is already on site (supplying energy to the Superchargers).

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Tesla answers questions about battery swap announcement originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Next Shelby Mustang to wear GT350 nameplate

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ford

2015 Ford Mustang spy shots

Earlier this month, rumors started to swirl ’round the web about the next-generation Ford SVT Mustang – the halo version of the all-new 2015 ‘Stang seen testing in the gallery above. Originally, we heard that the Shelby GT500 moniker would be dumped in favor of “a name you’re familiar with,” which some sources guessed could mean a return of the Cobra nameplate.

That might not be correct. According to Road & Track, citing a report from Mustangs Daily, the new range-topping Mustang will bring back the Shelby GT350 name – currently used on an aftermarket version of Ford’s Pony produced by Shelby American (take a look at our recent Quick Spin of that car). Expect the new GT350 to be quite a bit different than the current GT500 – it will be all motor, using a V8 that’s derived from the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter Coyote engine (though it will no doubt have a higher displacement). The GT350 will be a lot more powerful than the next Mustang GT, which is expected to offer something like 450 horsepower, but won’t be quite as absurd as the 662-horsepower GT500 we currently enjoy.

The Shelby GT350 will reportedly bow with the rest of the new Mustang range at the 2014 New York Auto Show, which coincides exactly with the original Mustang’s debut at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. If that seems far out, don’t worry, we’ll be seeing the rest of the 2015 Mustang range before then, but Road & Track reports that the 2014 Detroit Auto Show stage will be reserved for the reveal of the next Ford F-150 pickup.

Ford will offer the Shelby GT350 as a 2016 model, and Mustangs Daily reports that a new Mach 1 Mustang will be coming for that year, as well. For 2015, however, Ford will reportedly offer a 50th Anniversary package for the Mustang GT.

More and more Mustang reports will surely leak out over the coming months, so stay tuned. Have a glance at our most recent spy shots, above, and revisit our gallery of the current Shelby GT500 below to see what big shoes the GT350 will have to fill.

Next Shelby Mustang to wear GT350 nameplate originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Need For Speed movie offers first sneak peek

Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games, TV/Movies

The live-action movie version of the cops-versus-cars Need For Speed video game series is set to hit the big screen next February, and Dreamworks Studios has released a video taking us behind the scenes of its upcoming flick. Director Scott Waugh shows off some of the movie’s early stages of production, which include plenty of car chases and crashes.

Aside from the wrecks of a McLaren P1 and Saleen S7, this short teaser video also showcases plenty of other supercars (real or fake) as well as the star car: a specially built Ford Mustang. Scroll down to watch the video, and let us know in the comments if this movie is on your “must-see” list.

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Need For Speed movie offers first sneak peek originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog goes on an African safari, Subaru-Style

Filed under: Etc., Crossover, Subaru

… And Learns To Love The Ostrich

2014 Subaru Forester XT in South Africa

Subaru may be the ostrich of the Japanese auto industry.

When one thinks of a safari, they naturally draw pictures in their mind’s eye of wild animals, like lions, elephants and giraffes. I’m no different, and it was with visions of long telephoto lenses over vast runes and dunes that I embarked on a 19-hour plane ride from Phoenix, Arizona to Plettenberg Bay in South Africa, camera gear in tow.

My particular safari through the wilds of South Africa included none of those things, however. Sure, I did spy a random baboon or two (they didn’t seem particularly friendly), several other unknown primates and some random wild cattle, but the trip I found myself a part of centered around a rather unexpected South African specialty: the ostrich.

Never heard of an ostrich safari? Well, neither had I, and my trip wasn’t exactly a ‘safari’ in the classic sense – I wasn’t riding around through the African plains in an open-top Land Rover with guides pointing out the various wildlife for my picture-taking pleasure – but I did drive to and fro over the hills and dales of Africa’s southernmost tip, and I did see plenty of flightless fowl. I ate some, too, and it was as deliciously different from chicken as you can imagine, with lean red meat (the other red meat?).

All of this got me thinking… Since I was ferrying myself around in one of a flock of Subaru Forester crossovers, perhaps the prevalence of the strange birds made sense. Consider: If Toyota, Honda and Nissan are the Japanese equivalents of the lions, elephants and giraffes you’d expect to see on safari, it may not be a stretch to consider Subaru the ostrich; the outsider struggling to prove it belongs in the same conversation as the big boys. If you don’t buy the comparison now, follow along as we compare and contrast Subaru – and the Forester in particular – with the ostrich in several unique and unconventional ways, starting with its looks.

Continue reading Autoblog goes on an African safari, Subaru-Style

Autoblog goes on an African safari, Subaru-Style originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Susan Docherty departing GM

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

Susan Docherty, GM

Susan Docherty is leaving General Motors. The versatile executive is currently installed as the president and managing director of Chevrolet and Cadillac in Europe, but has announced her retirement effective September 30th. Docherty has been with GM for over 27 years.

Long seen as a key executive within GM – and one of the top female executives in the industry – Docherty has been in various sales and marketing, service and communications posts with GM in the US, Europe and Asia. Those past positions include being GM’s vice president of US Marketing, and previous to that, she served as general manager of The General’s Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel. Presently based in Zurich, Switzerland, Docherty was also tasked with being on the GM Korea Board of Directors.

Post-GM, Docherty says she will “take a break, invest time in my family and chart a new course for my career,” though she isn’t letting on what that new trajectory may be, automotive or otherwise. Her successor has not yet been named.

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Susan Docherty departing GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Nissan shows off Le Mans Prototype, says it’s world’s fastest electric racer [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Nissan, Electric, Racing

Nissan ZEOD RC Le Mans prototype - front three-quarter dynamic view

Nissan has announced plans and details around its upcoming all-electric racing car, the ZEOD RC. The Zero Emission On Demand Racing car is said to be capable of a top speed in excess of 300 kilometers per hour (186.4 miles per hour), is shaped a bit like the closed-cockpit version of the DeltaWing (albeit, to our eyes, better looking) and will make its debut in 2014 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This weekend, visitors to the race will have the opportunity to view the prototype near the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Nissan’s ZEOD RC has been invited by Le Mans organizers to compete as the Garage 56 entry in next year’s race; that’s essentially a spot on the grid held for vehicles with new and/or cutting edge technology.

Short of announcing a partnership with Michelin to develop tires for the EV racecar, however, Nissan is mum on any kind of battery or motor specification for the ZEOD. The press release (below) offers a sense that the Nissan and Nismo teams have still got a lot of work to do before the 2014 race. Ben Bowlby, designer of the ZEOD RC, says “We have many options to consider and test. The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport.”

The ultimate goal of the ZEOD RC program, in terms of racing at least, is to sort out the feasibility of a LM P1 all-electric class for future Le Mans racing. Continue on below for more information, as well as a video about the ZEOD RC project.

Continue reading Nissan shows off Le Mans Prototype, says it’s world’s fastest electric racer [w/video]

Nissan shows off Le Mans Prototype, says it’s world’s fastest electric racer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 09:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Top Gear returns for Series 20 on June 30

Filed under: UK, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Top Gear UK

Good news, petrolheads: Top Gear is coming back for its 20th season, starting on June 30. Yes, we mean the original UK version of the hit motoring show. Time to get those DVRs fired up… hopefully that means it will air on BBC America in the States around the same time.

While we don’t have any specific indication as to what we might expect from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May (plus The Stig, naturally), we’re certain that season 20 will include plenty of beautiful camera work, exotic locations, the fastest cars in the world, the slowest cars in the world, celebrity guests and, of course, a handful of so-called challenges that pit the hosts and their ingenuity against one another.

Want more? Satiate your never-ending Top Gear fix by scrolling through a dozen teaser images showing scenes from the upcoming show at this link.

Top Gear returns for Series 20 on June 30 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Spyker to appeal dismissal of Saab lawsuit against GM

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, GM, Saab, Spyker

Spyker CEO Victor Muller in front of Spyker building

It seems as if Spyker CEO Victor Muller has made a decision on whether or not to pursue a legal battle between his company and General Motors. Spyker has announced it will appeal a US District Court decision to throw out the company’s lawsuit against GM. As you may recall, on June 10 Judge Gershwin Drain ruled tht GM had a right to approve or disapprove Spyker’s sale of Saab to Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile. Spyker sued GM for some $3 billion, claiming that the American automaker had forced Saab into bankruptcy by stopping Spyker from transferring intellectual property to its Chinese partner.

Spyker has said only that it plans to appeal the decision. Until now, the company has been silent about the ruling. GM, meanwhile, has said it is pleased with the original outcome. You can read the quick Spyker press release below for more information.

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Spyker to appeal dismissal of Saab lawsuit against GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla Model S battery swap takes just 90 seconds, will track your old battery pack

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

tesla model s

We’ll link to this 2009 post up front, just to make sure everyone’s clear that the fact that a Tesla EV can, indeed, do battery swaps is old news. Yes, four years ago, we learned the all-electric Model S was designed with battery swaps in mind. Or, as Tesla CEO said tonight, “We designed Model S from the beginning to be capable of swapping out the battery pack faster than you can fill a gas tank.” Are we clear? Good.

Still, last night’s first public demonstration of such a swap – which took place at the Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles and involved two Model S EVs getting fresh packs before a gas car at “LA’s fastest gas station” filled up its tank with gasoline – represents a big new step in the evolving electric vehicle landscape. With the recent departure of Better Place, no one could blame you if you thought the only reasonable way to travel long-distance in an electric vehicle was to use fast charging (where there are three competing standards: CHAdeMO, SAE Combo and Tesla’s own free Supercharger network). But now Tesla has surprised us all with an official announcement about the Model S battery swap. Tesla has been hinting about the battery swap system for weeks now (1, 2), and here’s what we learned tonight.

Musk framed the choice to Supercharge or swap as one between “free or fast.” While Supercharging costs a Model S driver nothing, getting a new, fully charged battery pack will cost around the same as about 15 gallons of gas (so, let’s say around $60). Later, you can get your old pack back (again, fully charged and for another $60 fee) or you can pay an undetermined fee and keep the pack. Forbes says there will be a warranty available on the replacement pack, depending on its condition.

The pack swap stations, which cost around half-a-million dollars to build, will be installed next to Supercharger locations and will be available in busy Tesla areas, like the I5 corridor in California and between Boston and Washington, DC.

We’ll have more information later today.

Tesla Model S battery swap takes just 90 seconds, will track your old battery pack originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 21 Jun 2013 02:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Fiat’s ‘Environmentally Sexy’ online matchmaking site amuses

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Humor, Electric, Fiat

Fiat 500e EnvironmentallySexy.com ad

Oh, Fiat. You’re so witty and attractive and… environmentally sexy? That’s the idea put forward by the automaker’s latest 500e marketing campaign, which is centered around the company’s “dating” site, EnvironmentallySexy.com.

Visitors answer a series of questions to be matched with their perfect Fiat 500e. Questions such as:
“Honestly, I’m here because I…”

A. am really lonely
B. love match sites
C. am extremely sexy

There are some humorously cute testimonial videos featuring Ryan the playboy sipping a wheatgrass, goat cheese goji smoothy and his way hot girlfriend, Sofia, who is a lawyer and Italian gameshow hostess. They were brought together not because of their love for each other’s looks, but because of their love for the Earth. Ahhh. Isn’t that sweet? Trust us, it is when Sofia says it.

The site is a good 20-minute time-waster and a unique way for Fiat to show off its electric car without getting all greenpreachy. Videos and press release below.

Continue reading Fiat’s ‘Environmentally Sexy’ online matchmaking site amuses

Fiat’s ‘Environmentally Sexy’ online matchmaking site amuses originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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