Tag: tesla

Report: Akerson calls for GM tech to stymie Tesla

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, GM, Tesla, Electric

Electric vehicle maker Tesla has had some good days lately as sales of the Model S have exceeded expectations as much as the company’s profits, thanks in no small part to innovative thinking that has resulted in mass sales of ZEV credits to other manufacturers, free charging stations, 90-second battery swaps and manufacturer-owned dealerships. All of this has the attention of General Motors, who views Tesla as a disruptive force to the auto industry and as a threat to the 104-year-old automaker.

Case in point: GM recognizes that Tesla must be doing something right if it can sell more of its $69,900 Model S sedans than the $39,145 Volt. So what is GM doing about it? Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson assigned a small team to study Tesla so the company won’t be caught off guard in the future. In an interview with Bloomberg, Steve Girsky, GM vice chairman, said, “History is littered with big companies that ignored innovation that was coming their way because you didn’t know where you could be disrupted.”

GM was one of those big companies at one point, and it hasn’t quite broken that mold. It has struggled to move on from the old, inefficient practices of its past, leading Akerson to chide employees at a recent conference in Houston because so many in-house patents had failed to be commercialized and implemented in GM designs. This, of course, resulted in a huge research-and-development budget that was wasteful. But Akerson knows that GM must rely on innovation and a tight focus on technologies that customers want if it is to be profitable and survive in the long term.

Ultimately, it seems GM is looking at Tesla to help establish a healthy culture of innovation, as the company is stinging from the success of the Model S. But at least it’s looking at a glass that’s half full.

Akerson calls for GM tech to stymie Tesla originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roadster batteries likely to perform better than Tesla predicted

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

orange tesla roadster with lightwriting

Once the epitome of EV cool, the Tesla Roadster has kind of taken a back seat to the new electric vehicles in the market it helped spawn. Turns out, even in the background, the Roadster has things to teach us. Or, at least it does to the experts at Plug In America who recently took a closer look at the EV’s battery pack.

See, in 2006, when the Roadster was new, Tesla said the Roadster’s 53-kWh lithium-ion battery pack – good for 244 miles of range when new – would have 70 percent of its capacity after five years or 50,000 miles. With plenty of “old” Roadsters on the road, PIA studied four percent of the packs out there today and discovered (PDF) that the packs have an “average of 80- to 85-percent of capacity after 100,000 miles driven.” The numbers were self-reported to PIA’s website by Roadster owners in a project that started in January.

The numbers come from PIA’s chief science officer, Tom Saxton, who conducted the first-ever independent assessment and announced the results at the recent Teslive Tesla users conference. According to a statement, he said, “Our study also found no discernable effect of climate on battery-pack longevity. Roadster owners in hot climates are not seeing noticeably different battery capacity profiles than owners in moderate climates.” Last year, PIA surveyed Nissan Leaf owners and discovered that hot climates were affecting the packs more than expected. Surveys on the first-generation Toyota RAV4 EV and Tesla Model S are underway.

Continue reading Roadster batteries likely to perform better than Tesla predicted

Roadster batteries likely to perform better than Tesla predicted originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Tesla Motors, Legislation and Policy

Tesla store with Model S on display

In what could be an important step in taking Tesla Motors’ fight with various state auto dealer organizations nationwide, a grassroots petition is calling on the White House to let Tesla Motors sell cars directly to customers. The petition was started by a “K.S.” in Stow, MA (CNET identifies him as a fan named Ken). The petition says “state legislators are trying to unfairly protect automobile dealers in their states from competition,” and that Tesla offers that competition, “which is good for consumers.”

While dealer groups in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts have suffered setbacks in their attempts to stop Tesla, Texas does prohibit the electric vehicle automaker from offering test drives of vehicle deliveries in that state because all new vehicles there need to be sold through a licensed third-party.

So far, over 18,500 people have signed the petition, but the target is 100,000 by July 5 to force the White House to respond. You can read the petition text below and decide whether or not you wish to sign over at the We The People site. If the petition gets attention from the Obama administration, that still doesn’t mean Tesla will be in the clear, since dealer organizations have decades of experience influencing local governments. As CNBC says, “For many legislators, the message is clear: protect the local auto dealers, and you protect the economy in your district.”

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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla loan payoff opens up takeover scenario, is Google interested? [w/video]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

tesla model s logo

‘Tesla needs to prove success is sustainable and that it is based on a solid financial foundation. If they do, they should be an appealing takeover target.’

Buried in the loan agreement text between Tesla Motors and the US Department of Energy were restrictions on the automaker’s ability to offer itself for sale. Now that the loan has been paid back early, speculation is ramping up that the company will get snagged by a bigger fish through a sale or a takeover. Bloomberg, in fact, is wondering aloud if Google will take the bait.

Now, before anyone gets all excited that the giant touchscreen in the Model S will get a clever logo redesign every holiday, we’ve heard unlikely rumors about other companies buying Tesla before (for example, Google’s competition, Apple) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said repeatedly that he isn’t going to step down any time soon. In fact, he told Bloomberg last month, “I’ve said from the very beginning, from the creation of Tesla, that our goal is to create a compelling mass-market car. I would not consider stepping away from Tesla until we’re there. We’re several years away obviously.”

Right now might be a bad time to buy the company anyway, given TSLA stock’s high value (over $100 today). In fact, Bloomberg has calculated that Tesla is trading for 816 times(!) its estimated 2013 earnings. If things continue to go well, money-laden companies like Google or another automaker might be interested in the EV builder. The former deputy CEO of Chrysler and onetime Toyota dealer body guru, Jim Press, told Bloomberg that, “Tesla has developed an appealing and credible product with game-changing technology. They need to prove their success is sustainable for the long term and that it is based on a solid financial foundation. If they do, they should be an appealing takeover target.”

Currently, Musk controls about 24-percent of Tesla shares. There are more details in the Bloomberg article here and there’s a video bit of speculation below.

Continue reading Tesla loan payoff opens up takeover scenario, is Google interested? [w/video]

Tesla loan payoff opens up takeover scenario, is Google interested? [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York state legislature fails to address anti-Tesla EV bill

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, Legislation and Policy

Tesla Motors service bay with Model S in red and white

A surprise pair of bills in the New York State Assembly that would have narrowly targeted Tesla Motors and its direct-to-customer sales model has been put in neutral. The State Assembly ended the 2013 legislative session Friday without taking action on the bill and, since the lawmakers will not reconvene until January, it is effectively dormant for now.

Tesla said that had the bill passed, it would have had to close its stores and stop operations in New York, which is why Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a personal interest in the situation when it hit the headlines late last week. Once the bill was stopped, Musk tweeted, “The kill Tesla bill in NY was stopped in the 11th hour due to public outcry. Am super grateful to everyone who helped.”

Behind the scenes, Automotive News reports that there were attempts at dealmaking that Tesla turned down. The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association said it would allow Tesla’s existing New York stores (all three of them) to keep operating but would not allow new stores to open. Tesla turned down the deal. A Republican sponsor of the bill also offered to put in a Tesla exception, so as not to “adversely impact any business operating in the state of New York,” Senator Lee Zeldin told AN.

The president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, Mark Schienberg, told AN that Tesla should just set up dealers like other automakers (something Musk has explained is a bad idea) and that Musk has “just chosen that he’d rather not follow any of the rules and regulations and standards that each state has, and that’s why there’s a pushback right now.”

The “pushback” here was started when the New York dealers association filed a suit against Tesla in late 2012. The NY State Supreme Court ruled this year that they did not have a claim to file suit. With this case and more pushback in Texas and Massachusetts and other states, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if this issue goes national at some point.

New York state legislature fails to address anti-Tesla EV bill originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NY dealers try to make it illegal to register a Tesla EV

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Tesla Motors

Following his big battery swap reveal in California Thursday night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is turning his eye to New York. That’s where a new tactic by the local auto dealers could put a damper on Tesla’s electric-vehicle success story.

“Just heard that NY auto dealers are sneaking through a bill to shut down Tesla in NY” – Elon Musk

Specifically, Green Car Reports says, there are two nearly identical bills being stealthily moved through the New York state legislature (Assembly bill A07844 and State bill S05725) that would prohibit the state from registering any vehicles that had not been sold through an independent third party (i.e., a dealer). The move prompted Musk to Tweet, “Just heard that NY auto dealers are sneaking through a bill to shut down Tesla in NY. Please call your state senator!” He later sent out, “NY Assembly passing bill to shut down Tesla, but Senate holding the line. Appreciate senators resisting influence of auto dealer lobby.”

It’s the latest round in a fight that started when the state dealers filed a suit against Tesla’s dealer-free sales method in late 2012. The New York Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that the dealers could not use the Franchised Dealer Act as a reason to sue competitors. The New York State Automobile Dealers Association has a letter (PDF) claiming the support of out-of-state groups like the Alliance of Automotive Manufacturers and the Global Alliance of Manufacturers. Tesla currently has two stores in New York, in Queens and White Plains, and one more planned (in Long Island).

That outside support makes sense, since Tesla is embroiled in a struggle with dealers in other states (Massachusetts and Texas come to mind). Nationwide, dealers are putting up quite a fight against Tesla, which makes sense when you realize the automaker is the first to give them this much of a challenge before, at least in recent memory. Since Musk has talked about taking the dealer fight national, we don’t think this is the last we’ll hear of this story.

NY dealers try to make it illegal to register a Tesla EV originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 22 Jun 2013 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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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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Tesla Model S recalled for seat safety issue

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

Tesla Model S at sunset

Back when the first Tesla Model S electric vehicles were rolling off the assembly line in California, CEO Elon Musk was literally checking each vehicle before it went out into the wild. As production ramped up, this was no longer possible. And, not that we’re suggesting the two issues are directly related, now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Tesla are announcing the first big Model S recall. Tesla’s first NHTSA recall affected the Roadster back in 2009.

The Model S recall affects 1,228 vehicles that were made between May 10 and June 8 of 2013 and is about a possible failure of the seatback mounting. Specifically, “an improper method for aligning the left hand seatback striker to the bracket may have weakened the weld between the bracket and the frame of the vehicle.” What does that mean? “In the event of a crash, the left hand seatback may not stay mounted, increasing the risk of injury to passengers.”

“Tesla has revised assembly procedures and retrained manufacturing technicians.”

The problem happened because Tesla redesigned the joint between the bracket and vehicle to “improve function and reduce weight,” and the new joint was put into place May 10. The new bracket worked just fine, but then, “on June 7, 2013, a technician on the assembly line was adjusting the alignment for the newly designed left hand second row seat striker utilizing a slide hammer when he noticed the action caused the striker to become loose. … Upon review, Tesla Quality determined that the weld and bonding between the second row left hand seat striker mounting plate and the vehicle was compromised due to this method of adjustment.” Since then, “Tesla has revised assembly procedures and retrained manufacturing technicians.”

There have been no complaints or reports of injury about this issue. Tesla will repair the issue in the affected cars, but has not yet said when. Owners should be on the lookout for notification from Tesla if their car is subject to the recall.

You can read more in these PDFs (1, 2), which are letters between Tesla and NHTSA regarding the recall. You can also find more information on the NHTSA site by searching for campaign number 13V249000, and the text of the recall can be seen below.

Continue reading Tesla Model S recalled for seat safety issue

Tesla Model S recalled for seat safety issue originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elon Musk confirms Tesla Model S battery swaps, demo coming this week

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

tesla model s red

For something as secret as a battery swap option in the Tesla Model S electric vehicle, we sure have heard rumors about it for years. Four (!) years ago, after all, we knew that the Model S was designed to accommodate battery swaps and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked about taking long-distance EV trips that included battery swaps, and Tesla’s proprietary Supercharger network was supposed to have a battery swap component at one time. But then the discussion shifted to focus on that Supercharger network, and how, by stopping for lots of 20-minute sandwiches along the way, a cross-country EV road trip would be totally doable. And, for a while, the Tesla battery swapping talk disappeared.

“Live pack swap demo on Thurs night. Seeing is believing” – Elon Musk

Until, of course, Musk brought it back a month ago by tweeting: “There is a way for the Tesla Model S to be recharged throughout the country faster than you could fill a gas tank.” That set off a fresh search for information, which we now know we will be cleared up later this week.

Yesterday, Musk tweeted: “Live pack swap demo on Thurs night at 8pm California time at our design studio in Hawthorne. Seeing is believing.” He also tweeted that Better Place founder Shai Agassi “actually got the idea from a visit to Tesla. The idea is obvious (many things allow battery swap), but the technology is not.”

We have so many questions about this new option: does it apply to all Model S vehicles? Will it be free, like Supercharging? Will the swap locations be at Tesla stores, Supercharger stations or at other locations? Why is Tesla thinking of battery swaps when it’s also been so bullish on its fast-charging technology? We’ll try to find answers to all of these questions when the first public swap is performed live on Thursday.

Elon Musk confirms Tesla Model S battery swaps, demo coming this week originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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