Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.
Contact Jordan with news tips and long-winded complaints:
In this week’s top stories: News that Tesla is doubling Powerpack energy capacity with the Gigafactory’s new battery cells, Toyota reveals a $27,100 price tag for its Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, details on SolarCity/Tesla’s upcoming ‘Solar Roof’, and much more.
Faraday Future is working on its own maps engine technology for self-driving vehicles and this month hired a top expert from Apple to assist, Electrek has learned.
After reports in June that Apple had hired Sinisa Durekovic, a veteran software engineer that led development of satellite navigation systems used by BMW and others, now we learn that Durekovic this month joined electric vehicle startup Faraday Future.
Durekovic notably joins the team at Faraday Future working on a mapping engine for self-driving vehicles, according to sources. His move to Faraday Future comes after just one year at Apple.
In this week’s top stories: Solar costs are down 25% in five months, Tesla Gigafactory doubles in size in our September update, Mercedes unveils its all-electric ‘EQ’ brand, and much more.
In this week’s top stories: A first look at Tesla’s v8.0 software update, VW’s electric range claims, and a Tesla Model S P100D takes on a $200,000 Lamborghini Huracan in this week’s top video.
In the midst of announcements surrounding its upcoming Model X vehicle, Tesla CEO Elon Musk today confirmed that the company plans to begin production of a new “Model 3” vehicle in approximately two years. It also plans to open up preorders mid next year as it reveals starting prices for both the upcoming Model X and Model 3.
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CBS today announced a full lineup of guests for the upcoming kick off of The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert, and scheduled for the second show is none other than Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
With the upcoming Model X release, that will surely be one topic of conversation among the two, but it’s possible something bigger is planned given this will the second show of the new Late Show with Colbert. Musk has appeared with Colbert on his old program several times over the years, but we’ll have to see what Colbert’s new format at The Late Show adds to the mix.
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Apple and BMW have engaged in negotiations over Apple’s interest in using BMW’s i3 electric cars as a basis for its own electric car project, according to a new report from German publication…
Apple’s car team
Speculation regarding Apple’s plans to build an electric car has been at an all-time over recent months. Earlier this year, we broke down the team that Apple has assembled to work on its car, several members of which were poached from Tesla. In Tesla’s Q1 2015 earnings call, however, CEO Elon Musk commented on Apple’s alleged electric car plans and the poaching war that has been ongoing between the two companies.
[tweet https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/582581865682350080]
Elon Musk has just let a bit of news slip via his Twitter account: Tesla will be unveiling a new product line on April 30 at Hawthrone Design Studio at 8pm. What could it be? Musk doesn’t offer any hints other than the fact that it won’t be a car, but it’s very likely that it could be the new stationary battery pack designed for the home that we told you about last month.
[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/565681464608833536]
Tesla execs last month confirmed during the company’s earnings call that the product would begin going into production within the next 6 months:
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Samsung has acquired the battery pack business of leading automotive parts supplier Magna International. The move, according to a statement from the companies, will “enhance Samsung SDI’s capabilities in batteries for electric vehicles.”
While Samsung producing batteries and energy storage solutions for vehicles isn’t exactly new—it already supplies batteries for Tesla and others—there is an Apple Car connection in its latest acquisition…
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Retn7RDjYiw&feature=youtu.be
Elon Musk has accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS from Bill Gates and in the process challenged Minecraft creator Notch, Johnny Depp and Tony Hawk. Musk posted the video above earlier today to the SpaceX YouTube channel.
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Tesla just announced that it’s extending its Model S drivetrain warranty to 8-years and infinite miles to match the vehicle’s battery pack warranty. Tesla also confirmed that the new warranty will apply retroactively to all Model S vehicles and have no limit on the number of owners. The previous drive unit warranty included a 4-year, 50,000 mile limited warranty with the option to pay for an upgraded 8-year, 100,000 mile warranty.
Elon Musk warned investors in the company’s statement that the change “will have a moderately negative effect on Tesla earnings in the short term, as our warranty reserves will necessarily have to increase above current levels. This is amplified by the fact that we are doing so retroactively, not just for new customers.”
In hindsight, this should have been our policy from the beginning of the Model S program. If we truly believe that electric motors are fundamentally more reliable than gasoline engines, with far fewer moving parts and no oily residue or combustion byproducts to gum up the works, then our warranty policy should reflect that.
The full statement is below:
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