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Tesla Model S gets new options, price increase on things like XM Radio

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk at Teslive 2013

During the Teslive town hall with Tesla fans in July, company CEO Elon Musk was his usual interesting, informative self, and he even dropped some news about changes coming to the Model S. The big ones are a valet parking mode (to limit performance so those punk kids don’t go tear things up with your EV), a better navigation system (so that north is always facing up, for example, and a way to download maps for offline use) and a way to use your phone’s data connection instead of the built-in cell network receiver in the Model S. You can see an hour-long video of Musk’s talk below.

Even more recently, the Model S order page was updated with new options like parking sensors and a Subzero Weather Package for $750. That package, recommended for buyers who live wherever it regularly drops below freezing, adds three-zone rear seat heaters, wiper blade defrosters and washer nozzle heaters. The company has also raised the price of some of previously existing features. Adding XM satellite radio, for example, used to cost $950, but it’s now part of the $2,500 Ultra High Fidelity Sound package option.

On the Tesla Motors forum page, some customers and potential customers are expressing their displeasure with the price increases and the lack of a grace period for people who wanted the “old” version and prices. It’s impossible to know exactly how hard these increases will hit individual buyers, but some commenters are comparing the prices today with what they bought their Model S EVs for a few months ago and are finding that the increases add around 8-9 percent to the overall cost of the car.

Continue reading Tesla Model S gets new options, price increase on things like XM Radio

Tesla Model S gets new options, price increase on things like XM Radio originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 05 Aug 2013 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford MyKey now allows parents to block Howard Stern, Playboy Radio [w/video]

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Ford

Ford MyKey 2011

Ford’s upgraded MyKey for 2011 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Modern technology means that parental controls are now spreading to cars as factory equipment, and the automaker leading the charge is Ford. Using the latest version of the company’s MyKey system, parents can now block their children from listening to certain radio stations – say, for instance, Howard Stern or Playboy Radio on satellite. In fact, there are a dozen stations listed as explicit by Sirius, and all of them can be blocked using MyKey starting in 2011.

Also seeing an upgrade for 2011 is MyKey’s speed-limiting technology. Previously, the top speed of a properly equipped Ford vehicle could be capped at 80 miles per hour (with chimes sounding at 45, 55 and 65). Now, users can preset a desired speed limit at any of four different settings – 65, 70, 75 or 80 mph. While an obvious safety feature, the technology can also dramatically improve fuel efficiency.

Already, Ford’s MyKey allows parents to limit audio volume, encourage seatbelt usage by muting the radio until front occupants buckle up and provide earlier low-fuel warnings. All of these could be considered important safety features, considering that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that teens are more likely to speed (a contributing factor in 30 percent of fatal accidents) and are less likely to use their safety-belts.

Ford contracted the firm Penn, Schoen & Berland to conduct a survey regarding its new MyKey features, and the results aren’t terribly surprising: 85 percent of parents believe the speed limiting controls are important and 60 percent say the same regarding the radio content controls. Even 45 percent of teen drivers themselves say they approve of the technology… just as long as it means they get extended driving privileges from their parents. Of course, said teens can also simply circumvent the MyKey safety leash by listening to CDs or their MP3 players, but we digress.

Check out a video and full press release after the break to learn more about how the system works.

Gallery: Ford’s upgraded MyKey for 2011

Ford's upgraded MyKey for 2011

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford MyKey now allows parents to block Howard Stern, Playboy Radio [w/video]

Ford MyKey now allows parents to block Howard Stern, Playboy Radio [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ham radio geekery fixes Chevy Camaro Convertible’s antenna [w/video]

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Technology, Videos, Chevrolet, GM

2011 Chevrolet Camaro convertible

2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery

When General Motors showed some hardcore Camaro fans an early version of the convertible, they apparently received some less-than-favorable feedback. It turns out the Camaro faithful weren’t all that smitten with the old-fashion whip antenna (not to be confused with the shark fin antenna for XM satellite radio and OnStar transmissions) protruding out of the topless muscle car’s boot. The retro antenna was deemed to be a necessary evil due to the fact that, like most new vehicles, the hardtop Camaro hides the antenna in the rear window. And we all know that just won’t work if the rear window can be stowed with the rest of the top, so engineers and designers had no choice, right? Well, as it turns out there was an option B.

The General turned to Antenna Performance Engineer Don Hibbard, a “lifelong Ham radio enthusiast,” to shed the ungainly appendage. This was no easy task, though, as GM insisted that whatever the solution, it needed to perform every bit as well as the unit embedded in the hardtop’s rear glass. To make matters a bit more interesting, Hibbard and his colleague, Gregg Kittinger, didn’t exactly have all the time in the world to get the job done.

In a span of only 10 months, Hibbard was able to work some magic. The new Camaro Convertible will feature an AM/FM antenna that is built into the Camaro’s rear spoiler. The embedded receiver will reportedly work as well as the rear window antenna from the hardtop, but without the retro eyesore. Now, if only they cold solve for the awkward trunklid combo of the CHMSL, satellite radio and lip spoiler…

Hit the jump to check out a video of GM’s clever antenna solution and to check out the official press release.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Ham radio geekery fixes Chevy Camaro Convertible’s antenna [w/video]

Ham radio geekery fixes Chevy Camaro Convertible’s antenna [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew?

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Mazda, Toys/Games, Humor, Specialty

Radio Flyer pickup

Radio Flyer truck – Click above to watch the video after the jump

If you’ve ever thought about picking up a yellow Hummer and painting the word “Tonka” across the side or building a working replica of your favorite Hot Wheels fantasy car, have we got a story for you. An elderly couple in Alaska has built a jumbo Radio Flyer wagon out of an old truck, and what’s more, they drive it around Anchorage on a regular basis.

The underpinnings were borrowed from a 1976 Mazda pickup which Judy Foster (not to be confused with the Silence of the Lambs star, Jodie) inherited from her father. After they took possession, her husband Fred Keller started an eleven-month project to turn it into an overgrown childhood dream. The result is reportedly fully street legal and gets nothing but smiles wherever it goes. Fred and Judy will just have to watch that eight-foot tall handle clearing any low ceilings in parking garages. Follow the jump to watch the KTUU video segment for yourself.

[Source: KTUU]

Continue reading Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew?

Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top 10 car songs picked by AOL Radio listeners; Do you agree?

Filed under: Etc.

AOL Radio’s top car songs – Click above to see the list

UK company HPI recently put out a list of top ten road trip songs as chosen by its customers, with Lynyrd Skynyrd über alles. Now AOL Radio has put together its own list of car songs chosen by listeners, but these are songs about cars, not necessarily the ones you’d choose to play in cars.

Not quite as oddball as the HPI list, it still runs through eras and categories: Tracy Chapman (Fast Car), Foghat (Slow Ride), Metallica (Fuel) and the Clash (Brand New Cadillac) are among the chosen, as well as Gary Numan – who’s been popular lately – with Cars. At number one: War’s Low Rider. Take a little trip to the link below for the rest of the list and to have a listen.

[Source: AOL Radio]

Top 10 car songs picked by AOL Radio listeners; Do you agree? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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