Tesla recently increased vehicle performance by ~5% through an over-the-air update, and today we have a video confirming the improvement with some side-by-side testing.
Watch Tesla’s new over-the-air performance update put to the test
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Jameson is based in Southern California and has been driving electric vehicles since 2009 and writing about EVs, sustainability and policy for Electrek since 2016.
You can contact him at jamie@electrek.co, or on his bluesky account that he just set up and maybe will never use at https://blskyl.ink/jamesondow
Ford’s “Mustang-inspired” Mach E, Tesla Model Y competitor, spied in production form
The Mach E SUV, Ford’s hotly anticipated Tesla Model Y competitor, which debuts on November 17, has been spied in production form. The photos were posted in a thread on the Mach E forum (below), the burgeoning fan forum for Ford’s upcoming SUV.
Mach E forum previously brought us what looked like close-to-production renders, and the new spy shots don’t look far off.
GM just sold its Lordstown plant to an EV startup affiliated with Workhorse
GM’s Lordstown, Ohio, plant has been sold to an EV startup, “Lordstown Motors Corp.,” which is affiliated with Workhorse Group, the company behind the Workhorse W-15 plug-in pickup truck.
Workhorse shares no ownership with Lordstown Motors Corp., but the two companies are affiliated. They plan to share intellectual property, and Workhorse’s ex-CEO Steve Burns is now CEO of Lordstown Motors.
Ford reveals all-electric ‘Mustang Lithium’ with 900hp at SEMA
Yesterday we were treated to a spy shot of some sort of electric Mustang under wraps at SEMA. At the time, we could tell it was at least a plug-in, but thought it must have been a plug-in hybrid.
It looks like we were wrong, as today that car has been revealed as an all-electric, high-performance Mustang.
VW CEO Diess says batteries are better than hydrogen, calls for carbon price
At Volkswagen’s ceremony celebrating the start of ID.3 production, CEO Herbert Diess made several comments on the electrification of the industry. In particular, he stated that batteries, as opposed to hydrogen, are a quicker and cheaper way to reduce automotive industry emissions. He also called for a price on carbon and committed to reducing his company’s fleet carbon emissions by 30% by 2025, and to zero carbon by 2050.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke at the event. She called for the German government to increase electric car incentives and set a target for the country to install a million public charging stations by 2030 to fuel 7-10 million German EVs by the same year.
A plug-in Mustang? What’s Ford got under wraps at SEMA?
The auto industry is gearing up for SEMA, its annual aftermarket expo, which starts tomorrow in Las Vegas. We’ve gotten an inside photo of Ford’s stage which suggests they’re planning to reveal a plug-in electric Mustang of some sort tomorrow morning when the show opens.
Ford union deal confirms EV plans, electric F-150 will be built in Dearborn
Ford renegotiated its union contract last week, coming to a relatively speedy agreement between the automaker and its workers. The agreement includes a detailed breakdown of plant investments, including which cars will be made where.
Of particular note, the list of cars includes two full electric vehicles (F-150 and Transit), two plug-in hybrids (Escape and Lincoln Corsair), and multiple other conventional hybrids. The electric F-150 will be built alongside the standard F-150 in Ford’s main truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, where Ford also plans to produce batteries for the electric F-150. While the Mach E is not specifically mentioned, “Mustang derivatives” are, and it looks like that car will be built in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Toyota’s greenwashing conceals worsening fleet MPG, shows why they oppose MPG standards
Toyota, GM, and FCA have been getting a lot of flack the last couple days, in response to their move to join the EPA in opposing better MPG standards against the interests of consumers and the environment.
Toyota responded to this public outcry by claiming that it wants “continuous, year-over-year improvements in fuel economy,” but there’s one problem with that: Their fleet average MPG is actually getting worse over time, unlike every other automaker.
Tesla Model Y spotted driving side by side with Model 3, other cars in best size comparison yet
With the Tesla Model Y slated to hit the road next summer, we’re getting more and more sightings of prototypes out and about. Most of these sightings are around Tesla’s Palo Alto, California, headquarters, though we’ve seen the car as far away as Washington State and Michigan.
Thanks to Tesla’s dashcam feature, we’ve now got a three-minute-long video of the Model Y driving in San Jose. Better yet, for much of the drive it’s side by side with a Model 3, demonstrating an excellent comparison between the two vehicles.
Check out these Ford ‘Mustang-inspired’ electric SUV renders based on leaked CAD files
Ford is getting ready to unveil its “Mustang-inspired” Tesla Model Y competitor on November 17, and so far, the only official media we have on the electric SUV is a silhouette. But a fan forum has produced a render of the upcoming car, rumored to be named the Mach E, based on leaked CAD drawings, which shows a possible form that it might take.
GM, Toyota, and FCA pit themselves against humanity in move that will kill more people with pollution — Opinion
In the latest move in the EPA’s fight against California over clean air, several automakers including Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, and Toyota have come out on the side of more pollution and more death, as reported late Monday by the New York Times. These automakers have cast their lot in with the fossil fuel interests running the Trump administration and their efforts which will kill Americans and cost them money via an ill-considered fuel efficiency rollback.
We’ve written before about how this move is bad for business, consumers, and the environment and is quite likely a losing battle for the federal government anyway. The only group which seems likely to benefit from this on a high level is the fossil fuel industry – a group that seems to be the animating force behind these actions.
F1 champ Lewis Hamilton may trade his Maybach for an electric EQC — but won’t race Formula E
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton spoke about several environmental issues and revealed that he’s in the process of swapping out his internal combustion cars for electric ones, in a press conference ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix.
Hamilton also commented on recent rumors that he might switch to Formula E, stating that he has “no interest whatsoever” in joining the series.
Ford to debut ‘Mustang-inspired’ SUV to compete with Tesla Model Y on Nov 17, here’s a peek
Ford has revealed a silhouette and launch date for their upcoming “Mustang-inspired” electric crossover SUV. The car will be revealed on November 17th, just a few days before the start of the LA Auto Show. It’s positioned as a Tesla Model Y competitor, with 300 miles of range and a performance-oriented design.
Tesla updates Autopilot safety numbers; almost 9x safer than average driving
For more than a year now, Tesla has been releasing Autopilot safety numbers to show that autopilot is safer than a human driver in average driving conditions. In today’s Tesla Q3 update, the company updated those numbers to show that autopilot is nearly 9x times safer than average driving.
There are caveats, of course. Autopilot is primarily used on highways, which have fewer accidents than surface streets because driving conditions are much simpler. And Teslas are generally newer cars, which are also less likely to be involved in accidents than the overall vehicle fleet, which includes old cars without modern active and passive safety features.
DOJ sues California over clean air agreement, contradicts its other lawsuit against CA
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit claiming that California’s carbon emissions agreement with Quebec violates the US Constitution.
The problem is, the legal arguments the DOJ uses to support its case actually invalidate it — and also invalidate another case the administration is currently fighting against California’s attempts to improve air quality.
Nissan shows Ariya EV, their upcoming Tesla Model Y competitor
Nissan has shown a closer-to-production version of their upcoming electric crossover based on the IMx concept earlier today at the Tokyo Motor Show. The new vehicle is called the “Ariya”, and while Nissan is still calling it a “concept,” it seems to be one only in name, as the car is expected to reach production soon.
Mazda unveils their first EV, the MX-30; EU orders open now, delivery next year
Mazda has revealed their MX-30 EV, the first fully electric car in the company’s stable, earlier today at Tokyo Motor Show.
Earlier this week, we saw the first photo of the car, and most of its specs were known already. The only things left were pricing and availability, and more photos of the car from other angles.
Mazda’s first EV will be called MX-30, first photo leaked
Mazda’s first production EV is set to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 23. In advance of that event, a photo has started to circulate on the internet that purports to show the vehicle in all its unveiled glory.
The photo seems to be taken from Japan Car Top magazine. It labels the car as a “concept,” but the design is one we haven’t seen before and shows significant changes from prototypes that have been spotted testing.
Update: The MX-30 has been officially revealed, click through and take a look.
Tesla dashcam saves owner from legal trouble after motorcyclist crashes into him
There’s been no shortage of crazy occurrences captured by Tesla’s dashcam and sentry mode features lately, many of which have gone viral. Lots of these videos have involved Tesla crashes, random incidents of vandalism, or just fun stuff like a car stopping for some bears crossing the road.
But TMC forum user “rajetta” may be the most relieved owner of all the stories we’ve heard yet. He posted Tesla dashcam video of an incident he had with a motorcycle on the highway, which could have cost him potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills were it not for this video footage.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk talks self driving; $1,000 price increase coming Nov. 1
In a series of tweets today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk talked about future plans for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving capability. Notably, three weeks from now on November 1, Tesla will go through with a planned price increase for Full Self Driving software, increasing the price by $1,000.
The software currently costs $6,000 as an option on any Tesla vehicle. This cost will rise to $7,000 at the end of this month.
Polestar 2 price finalized in Europe: €59k, competitive with Tesla Model 3
Volvo has confirmed the Polestar 2 price in Europe for their upcoming Tesla Model 3 competitor. The markets announced were Norway, Sweden, Germany, UK, Netherlands and Belgium.
Pricing in each market hovered around €59k Euro or equivalent. Norway gets a better deal with a price of 469k NOK, which converts to €46k, as does the UK, at £49.9k which converts to €56k.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry won’t revive coal after all: He’s resigning
Energy Secretary Rick Perry, a fossil-friendly climate science denier who once pledged to eliminate the Department of Energy entirely, is going to quit his job next month, according to Politico.
Perry will likely be replaced by Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, who has previously worked for Ford as a VP of their policy team.
Black Tesla Model Y spotted in the wild near Tesla HQ
The Tesla Model Y is scheduled for release in about a year from now, and we just got a glimpse of one “in the wild” near Tesla headquarters yesterday. Tesla Motors Club forum user Cstreet managed to grab a clip of the Model Y in black driving around in Portola Valley, just a few miles from Tesla’s Palo Alto, California, headquarters.
The video is short but doesn’t show significant changes from the Tesla Model Y unveiling, other than a new color we’ve not seen before: black.
Uber and EVgo announce partnership to electrify rideshare
Uber and EVgo announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate on electrifying rideshare programs. The announcement came as part of a Climate Week event in San Francisco.