Today
One of the standout features of the Porsche Taycan is its incredible promised 350kW charge rate. Tesla has updated its Model 3 to have a 250kW charge rate, which is available on Tesla’s V3 superchargers.
At first glance, this looks like a loss for Tesla. But it’s not. Because of Porsche’s low efficiency, it turns out that almost every Tesla adds more range per minute at peak charge rate than the Taycan does – and some by a significant margin.
Yesterday
This week on the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy, including the news that Tesla Cybertruck is actually a medium-duty truck, Tesla Solar Roof expansion, Tesla Gigafactory 4 plans, and more.
Sponsored by EV Items: Get 20% off EV Items Tesla accessories incl. Qi console charger, Interior LED Light Upgrade & more w/ code Electrek.
We should have seen this coming. It’s been no secret that the heavy-but-compact 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback has a 32.6-kilowatt-hour battery pack. And that the lenient WLTP cycle pegs the 2020 electric Mini’s range starting at about 146 miles. But Mini is nonetheless warning the web that the Mini Cooper SE will have an EPA rating of about 110 miles on a single charge.
Tesla has slightly increased the prices of Model 3’s two least expensive versions in the US — just weeks before the end of the tax credit on Tesla’s vehicles. expand full story
Who doesn’t love a great electric bicycle, scooter, or skateboard? Not only do they make great commuter vehicles, but they’re a ton of fun too!
Tesla has been describing the Cybertruck as a pickup truck to compete with the Ford F-150 and other light-duty trucks, but now a new CARB filing from Tesla says that it will be a “medium-duty truck,” and therefore, it should have a gross vehicle weight rating over 8,501 pounds. expand full story
December 12
Tesla was spotted testing a Model Y prototype on its test track at the Fremont, California, factory in a new spy video that showed a launch from a standstill. expand full story
In Europe, sales of pure electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars are expected to grow 35% in the first nine months of 2020, according to BloombergNEF. That’s a much faster rate than we’ll see in North America or China, the world’s biggest EV markets.
Volkswagen released an audio file of the sound its ID3 EV will make. The sound, developed by composer Leslie Mandoki, will be used as an integral part of VW’s entire electric-vehicle brand.
An automotive analyst says that Tesla Model Y production is on track for 1,000 vehicles per week in mid-2020 after a Fremont factory tour. expand full story
