Reuters:

Uber Inc said on Friday it struck a deal with Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd to test a fleet of electric cars for its drivers.The test program, which kicked off a few weeks ago in Chicago and could eventually expand to other cities, is the Silicon Valley startup’s first attempt to focus on an electric vehicle, said Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin.”We’ve seen interest in the program already from current and potential Chicago partners (drivers),” Altmin said.

Uber, which allows users to summon rides on their smartphones, originally started with a luxury town-car service but in many cities has added UberX, a low frills service with nonprofessional drivers using personal cars. The BYD offering is aimed at those drivers.The electric car is part of Uber’s program to help drivers buy or lease new or used cars. The BYD e6 vehicles are available through Green Wheels USA, a Chicago car dealership that focuses on electric and hybrid cars and also builds EV charging stations.

About 25 BYD vehicles are currently being used by Uber drivers in Chicago, and the hope is to bring that number to a couple of hundred by the end of the year, according to Doug Snower, Green Wheels’ president.

These BYD E6’s have 186 mile city range and are currently used in London and Hong Kong as Taxis. It will be interesting to see how the trial goes. Perhaps the biggest hurdle is the 2 hour charging time which will mean that the drivers might be taking a long-ish lunch.

Still, a great way to test out the market in the US.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSsgs7-v2Z0]
Hard not to miss the sound but people in the buildings above Miami might not even know a race is going on. I still don’t think the FIA is a friend of the electric car industry and frankly a Tesla P85D could probably beat these cars off the line. But there it is.

From the Tesla Blog:

A Peace of Mind Guarantee

The Tesla Motors Team March 11, 2015
We recognize that many European drivers prefer to lease their automobiles, personally or through their company, so we now offer the Tesla Resale Value Guarantee in all 11 European markets where we sell Model S.

The Tesla Resale Value Guarantee, when combined with a loan or a financial lease from select partners, combines the security and comfort of ownership with all the advantages of a traditional lease. Like Model S, we designed the program to provide maximum benefit to customers. Tesla guarantees that the resale value of Model S between months 36 and 37 will be among the highest of any premium sedan made in volume.

Along with peace of mind, customers benefit from numerous cost savings including compelling monthly payments, market incentives, the ability to use Tesla’s Supercharger network for free, long distance road trips, and zero petrol costs.

This is similar to the US resale guarantee which it announced in May 2013 which reinforces Tesla’s reputation of innovating every aspect of the car ownership experience.

It would be nice if all charging points were this nice.

Did we mention our new Drivers Lounge in Amsterdam? Open 24/7 for Model S owners, in case you need a coffee at 3 am. pic.twitter.com/MgCOGSGw40

— Tesla (@Tesla) March 10, 2015

A redditor caught a Tesla prototype with what look like green Torque gauges on the wheels pulling a Uhaul. This of course is likely testing for the already announced tow-capable Model X but you can’t help but wonder if the Model S will also get a tow rating.

[tweet https://twitter.com/philiped/status/575340365332414464]

From today’s Apple Stockholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked twice about any type of acquisition with Tesla Motors. First he noted that he wished they’d join up with Car Play, Apple’s In Dash remote for iOS devices. The second time he was asked he simply said he didn’t have any non-denial denials saved up. So there you have it. Nothing.

Frankly, I think what Tesla has is better than CarPlay so far but it wouldn’t hurt to add some more integration with iOS and Android.

Nice quote from the Economist on its dual review of The Great Race: The Global Quest for the Car of the Future. and The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World

…It is not so much the rapid acceleration, but the smooth and relentless supply of power from its electric motor. That is the thing about electric motors: they produce a twisting force called torque instantly. So much torque, in fact, there is no need for a gearbox. This saves weight and makes more room for all the toys, such as the giant touchscreen that dominates the Tesla’s centre console. It is a shame then that Levi Tillemann did not crown this car the winner in his book “The Great Race”, instead of wimping out at the end by declaring the quest for the car of the future is a “race we all run together”.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsIxo4lSrsY]
Every time I hear about the 2016 Volt, I can’t help but think how much nicer it is than the current one across a lot of different areas (from the Chicago Motor show above). The problem is that we’re quite a long time from the new one being on sale so Chevy has to sell the “old one” which is going to be a hard slog.

Amazing how fast this thing is going up. Sause.
Also over the weekend Tesla CEO Elon Musk had some words for the reports which said that the Gigafactory build was slowing.

There is no slowdown of the Gigafactory construction underway, as anyone near Reno with eyes can verify. It's not subtle.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2015

Some shots of the Gigafactory pilot plant (~20% of full size) under construction https://t.co/OzLzD4LsGW

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2015

Some good shots above.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrUskqXAUww]

These never get old. Game over for ICE.

Per TeslaMotorClub’s Paul Carter, Tesla should be passing the 25,000 reservation mark any day now. At the end of February, Tesla had 24,962 reservations as tallied by Carter. Also a factor: Cancellations rate of around 17.5% recorded up until December which bring actual tally down to under 21,000.

From Tesla’s 10K:

If our vehicle owners customize our vehicles or change the charging infrastructure with aftermarket products, the vehicle may not operate properly, which could harm our business.

Automobile enthusiasts may seek to “hack” our vehicles to modify its performance which could compromise vehicle safety systems. Also, we are aware of customers who have customized their vehicles with after-market parts that may compromise driver safety. For example, some customers have installed seats that elevate the driver such that airbag and other safety systems could be compromised. Other customers have changed wheels and tires, while others have installed large speaker systems that may impact the electrical systems of the vehicle. We have not tested, nor do we endorse, such changes or products. In addition, customer use of improper external cabling or unsafe charging outlets can expose our customers to injury from high voltage electricity. Such unauthorized modifications could reduce the safety of our vehicles and any injuries resulting from such modifications could result in adverse publicity which would negatively affect our brand and harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Then you have Elon Musk’s brother and Tesla Board member Kimbal 3 weeks ago: ‘

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A post shared by 𝙺𝚒𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚞𝚜𝚔 🤠 (@kimbalmusk)

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I recently began working at a company that makes mobile solar generators. Although car chargers have not been a big market for us, I was able to convince management to do a photoshoot with a family friend’s beautiful P85. (a great excuse to drive one of my favorite cars up and down Highway 1 between pick-up and drop-off) The trailer itself can pump out 13.5 kw/h of sun juice everyday and stores it in a large 30 kw/h forklift battery so the car can be charged at any hour of the day. Due to the mobile nature of the unit, no permit is required and it can be used to charge your car as soon as it comes off the hitch. For more information visit http://www.mobilesolarpower.net/ms-series/

This is probably a good example why car companies aren’t in a hurry to put solar panels on cars. Just not enough surface area. If that trailer could hold about 10 of those 9x25W panels and had much lighter lithium batteries, we’d be in business.

https://instagram.com/p/zyIHbRH4eu/

Kimbal isn’t just Elon’s Brother he’s also on Tesla’s Board of Direcotrs. We’ve seen the Gigafactory in a lot of imagery Tesla has presented but this is the first I’ve seen of a 3D model.

https://instagram.com/p/zyKvNtn4St/
https://instagram.com/p/zyHyu1n4eI/

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Automobile Mag reports that Ford will get into the long range car game, extending its Energi plug-in/hybrid line

Ford will unveil a 200-plus-mile capable electric vehicle designed to compete with the Chevrolet Bolt later this year, AUTOMOBILE has learned. Scant details are available, and it is unclear whether Ford will bring a long-range full electric to market by 2017, the year General Motors plans to launch the Chevy Bolt. But the Ford competitor serves as reassurance that the age-old rivalry between the two mainstream American brands goes beyond pony cars and pickup trucks, and extends to green cars.

Two things jump out at me: There is going to a huge need for lots of efficient batteries and a lot of fast charging stations needed in 2017. Who is best positioned for this new need?

The last time we saw the Model X it was a black one on the road in NorCal. A few weeks before that it was doing some doughnuts at Hawthorne Airport. I imagine the sightings will get more common as we approach a mid-year launch.

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug-7s6IiHGI&feature=youtu.be]

Sure, the Tesla Model S P85D got smoked in the end but even with the engine revved, it beat the Lambo Aventador off the line and to ~30MPH and 3rd gear from what it looked like.

Seems like game over for ICE supercars in my opinion if a 7 seat sedan can beat one of the best off the line with engines revved. Imagine if Tesla (or another maker) decided it wanted to double up the small engines, batteries and tires just for fun?

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A post shared by DonJuan's take on Instagram (@great.white.buffalo)

Musk bought the Lotus at auction and it now sits at Tesla’s headquarters and apparently does double duty as model for easter eggs. This one appears to be part of the suspension control panel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mnZZMXi8L8&feature=youtu.be

Kind of a strange story today from the WSJ today. In a post a Titled “Resale Prices Tumble on Electric Cars, Tax credits on new models, worries about battery life undercut efforts to peddle used Nissan Leaf” the Wall Street Journal doesn’t read its own headline.  Take $7500-$10,000 off the price of the Electric car to start with since it has been a federal subsidy since electric cars began being offered in 2012.  That Chevy Volt was really a $34K car to buy new. That Leaf was under $30K.

No one ever paid $42,021 for a Chevy Volt. Ever.

Then factor in that prices of electric cars have dropped as demand and therefore production has increased. A new 2015 Nissan Leaf is now $21,000. That’s the same price as the Chevy Cruze above. Used prices are going to drop accordingly.

Sure temporary price drops in gas haven’t helped electric vehicle sales (as well as the perception of long term battery capacity drops) but the graph and premise above from the WSJ is misleading and curious. 
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Audi just announced some of its eTron R8 specs and detail nuts like me will note some pretty impressive numbers starting at the huge 92kWh battery that has 7kWh more storage than Tesla’s top end option. Tesla has said on numerous occasions that it *could* build a bigger more dense battery in the same space (perhaps as a later upgrade), but hasn’t because of cost constraints.

Also the e-Tron has a Drag coefficient of .28 — .04 higher than the Model S. It should be noted that the e-Tron is a theoretical sports car and the Model S is a 7 seat family sedan that has been on the road for almost 3 years. But Audi clearly is keeping a lot of the petrol edition’s drag-inducing air intakes for the electric edition.

That takes a toll on range with the Audi sports car tallying just under 280 mile range compared to the Model S 85D range of 285 miles. The e-Tron’s speed is also a bit behind Tesla with a reported 3.9 second 0-62 and top speed of 130. That’s almost a full second behind the P85D and 20 mph slower. Torque is also impressive, but still far behind Tesla.

On the other hand it looks like a sports car inside and out which will certainly appeal to some folks.

But for Tesla, this is a win. Audi’s just announced R8 doesn’t beat Tesla’s 3 year old Model S in any relevant space with speed or range and holds 5 fewer passengers.

Relevant from press release below:
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ANR-leiB8]

So he’s probably not in it for the being ‘green’.

Consumer Reports love affair with the Model S continues unabated.

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