Founder, Publisher, and Editorial Director of the 925, LLC publications.
Seth Weintraub is an award-winning engineer, journalist, and publisher who won back-to-back Neal Awards from 2007–2010 during his three-plus years covering Apple and Google at IDG’s Computerworld.
From 2010-2011, Weintraub covered all things Google for Fortune Magazine, amassing an impressive rolodex of Google contacts and a love for Silicon Valley tech culture.
It turns out that his hobby – the 9to5Mac news site – was always his favorite, and in 2011, he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google, in addition to adding the style and commerce component of 9to5Toys gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of Tesla’s first Model S EVs off of the assembly line, which began his love affair with electric vehicles and green energy — this, in turn, became Electrek in 2014. To cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAVs led by China’s DJI, DroneDJ was born in 2018, and then more recently, Connectthewatts and SpaceExplored were launched to cover connected fitness and space.
From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies, with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid, and London before becoming a publisher/writer.
Seth received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Master’s from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.
Weintraub is a licensed single-engine private pilot and a certified open-water scuba diver, and he spent over a year backpacking to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his wonderful girlfriend, Alana, and two amazing sons.
More: About.me. BI 2014 profile.
Tips: seth@925.co, or llsethj on Threads/BlueSky or link at top of page.
As of this morning, Tesla owners can now drive from Vancouver, Canada into Mexico along the West Coast I5 using only Superchargers. The Northern California and Oregon stations have opened up today according to the official Tesla Supercharger Map. Compare with yesterday’s map below:
In an effort to spur lackluster sales of electric cars, California, New York and six other states said on Thursday that they would work jointly to adopt a range of measures, including encouraging more charging stations and changing building codes, to make it easier to own an electric car.
The goal, they said, was to achieve sales of at least 3.3 million vehicles that did not have any emissions by 2025.
The states, which represent more than a quarter of the national car market, said they would seek to develop charging stations that all took the same form of payment, simplify rules for installing chargers and set building codes and other regulations to require the stations at workplaces, multifamily residences and at other places.
Charging stations, charging stations, charging stations.
The NHTSA ruled today that the Tesla fire wasn’t outside the range of normal events…
“After reviewing all available data, the NHTSA has not found evidence at this time that would indicate the recent battery fire involving a Tesla Model S was the result of a vehicle safety defect or noncompliance with federal safety standards,” the agency said in a statement.
Optimists!
This is the 9860 Brook Road, Glen Allen, VA 23059 Supercharger that opened up this week (via carrerascott) These keep getting bigger and bigger! Click to enlarge
[ooyala code=”1iNnFiZzpGDO8aDQVaNNNplR-qHESdwf” player_id=”null”]
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stopped by the Bloomberg office to discuss TSLA stock valuation and other fun stuff this week. Of course the question of the recent Fire, which the NHTSB recently ruled was not a defect nor compliance issue, came up and Musk reiterated his stance.
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It appears that Tesla has snagged a high profile hire away from Apple, Inc. Doug Field who spent the past 5 and a half years at Apple as a Product Design and Development Leader in building Macs has made the decision to move over to the High Tech auto company. Field isn’t entirely new to the auto game. “Until Tesla came along, I had never seriously considered leaving Apple,” said Field. “I started my career with the goal of creating incredible cars, but ultimately left the auto industry in search of fast-paced, exciting engineering challenges elsewhere. As the first high tech auto company in modern history, Tesla is at last an opportunity for me and many others to pursue the dream of building the best cars in the world—while being part of one of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley.”
Before Apple, Field spent 9 years as the VP Design & Engineering; CTO at Segway where he reported to visionary Dean Kamen. Before that he spent time at DEKA Research & Development Corp., Johnson & Johnson Medical Inc. and got his education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Purdue.
“Doug has demonstrated the leadership and technical talent to develop and deliver outstanding products, including what are widely considered the best computers in the world,” said Elon Musk, Tesla co-founder and CEO. “Tesla’s future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world. Doug’s experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our leadership team.”
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013
PALO ALTO, Calif.– Tesla Motors has hired Doug Field to be its Vice President of Vehicle Programs, responsible for driving development of new vehicles. Doug is an accomplished leader and engineer of innovative, high-technology products, most recently serving as Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering at Apple. Doug led the development of many new products at Apple including the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac. Doug began his career as an engineer at Ford Motor Company.
“Doug has demonstrated the leadership and technical talent to develop and deliver outstanding products, including what are widely considered the best computers in the world,” said Elon Musk, Tesla co-founder and CEO. “Tesla’s future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world. Doug’s experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our leadership team.”
“Until Tesla came along, I had never seriously considered leaving Apple,” said Field. “I started my career with the goal of creating incredible cars, but ultimately left the auto industry in search of fast-paced, exciting engineering challenges elsewhere. As the first high tech auto company in modern history, Tesla is at last an opportunity for me and many others to pursue the dream of building the best cars in the world—while being part of one of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley.”
Doug has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS in Mechanical Engineering with highest distinction from Purdue.
Tesla Motors’ (NASDAQ: TSLA) goal is to accelerate the world’s transition to electric mobility with a full range of increasingly affordable electric cars. California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs, as well as EV powertrain components for industry partners. Tesla has delivered over 15,000 electric vehicles to customers in 31 countries.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzuk-DbswYE&start=495]
We’ve already dug a lot of information from Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s talk in Germany but we’ve uncovered one more tidbit from the German Tesla launch: The 5.X update should be delivered “around December” according to Elon Musk.
We’ve already reported some new cars seeing the 5.0 software but the OTA is still in hiatus. A well placed source close to Tesla told me that regular Model S customers wouldn’t see the 5.0 or 5.1 update. They would likely get a much more thoroughly tested 5.2 or 5.3 update.
Musk said the update would calculate least time to destination and even factor such things as windspeed gathered from the Internet as well as temperature and elevation. The Maps updates according to the 5.0 screenshots:
Here are some other screenshots of the 5.0 update captured earlier:
Full changlogs including 5.5 Europe and 5.6 Norway Firmware below:
Nothing new but good overview by a popular magazine. Another below:
Here’s one:
Home Depot has the Schneider Electric EVLink 30A starting at $699 ($100 off)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmQb94EF1UY&start=1750]
Elon Musk takes fuel cells down in his talk in Germany this week. Perhaps more importantly, he revealed that the Model S would be running a Chrome Browser and eventually an Android emulator in its 17-inch touch display.
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http://instagram.com/p/fyKVE-QJy5/
Announced on the Twitter account, Tesla’s Supercharger map is starting to look more like its Dashboard.
The first Supercharging station in North Carolina is open! Stop by to charge up, or just check it out! http://t.co/tsoFf0HOi8
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 22, 2013
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sP8KaEXF5Q]
Some good news for prospective German Tesla Customers. CEO Elon Musk announced today that Tesla would be tuning cars for German roads, meaning that they would have higher top speeds. “I was just driving the Model S on the Autobahn, on one of the unrestricted sections. It was a lot of fun,” said Musk. “But for Buyers of the Model S, we’ll offer a free, optional high-speed tuning.”
[tweet https://twitter.com/teslamotors/status/392721018449457152]
Lucky Germans will also have more Superchargers per capita than anywhere else in the world as well as slightly higher powered ones which is important because of the high drain at high speeds. Below, a map of what roads will be covered by Superchargers by the end of next year:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfj3ccx1dEg]
It seems that BMW went out of its way to make this thing look and act weird. If the Pontiac Aztek look doesn’t turn you off, the ‘Joystick for picking driving program’ should.
We shouldn’t be so critical overall, it does appear to be a nice drive and a great option for people who want to go full electric. Also this review is thorough.
BMW also posted a video of the production of the i3 earlier this week. Notably, it takes half the time as a similar-sized 3 series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXsdzGXG1Ro
Via ausfahrt.tv (which comically means ‘exit’ in German)
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CNAutoNews reports that a 24 year old in Dongyang city of east China’s Zhejiang province has purchased the first Tesla in Mainland China. He purchased it through Hong Kong
The 24-year-Old, who runs a Small Luxury Car Rental Business, is the first Model S owner in Mainland China, reported Qianjiang Evening News , a Zhejiang-based Daily newspaper. The electric sedan was shipped to Dongyang from Hong Kong, according to the newspaper. Tesla Motors Inc. Has not opened a store in mainland China. Since there is no store in mainland China to provide battery swaps and other service for the electric sedan, he doesn’t expect to drive it for long distances. “I bought it mainly for fun,” the buyer reportedly said.
While the Mainland only has one owner, Hong Kong had over 300 buyers before the store even opened up in August.
Great find from @mgillet onTwitter. This appears to be a Tesla dashboard at the headquarters showing significant growth in charging over the past few months. More importantly, we some highly anticipated charging stations ‘coming soon’. Probably most exciting for Tesla is the Oregon and northern California stations that will close the I5 corridor meaning the West Coast will be covered. Also two stations on the California/Arizona border will allow trips to/from Phoenix and LA/San Diego.
You’ll notice that two stations, one in Colorado and one in Texas, are lit up even though Tesla hasn’t pushed to the Supercharger Station website Map, below.
Texans will get two more Supercharger stations in Eastern Texas linking them to Arkansas and Louisiana. East coasters will get a couple in Northern New Jersey as well as Virginia and North Carolina allowing folks in Vermont/New Hampshire to travel to the Carolinas and vice versa.
Some fun facts:
Compare with the current map as of today, 10/21/2013:
Mine seem to fold fine whenever I hit something but I guess this is nice for winter frost.
Looks like AAA is gearing up for electric.
Hong Kong Billionaire Richard Li has been courting Fisker for quite some time, working with then CEO Henrik Fisker to try to buy the US department of energy loan back for pennies on the dollar back in May. Li also serves on the board of Fisker.
Now that the company is bankrupt, rumors are swirling that Richard Li won a bidding war and bought the company outright
Richard Li, the second son of Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-shing, recently acquired US-based Fisker Automotive, with the aim of integrating the automobile business with information technology, reports Guangzhou’s 21st Century Business Herald.
Li was the only non-automaker bidder interested in the US company, but his background in the telecommunications business and his ability to develop the sector by manufacturing smart vehicles helped him beat out competitors. The younger Li is of the view that an integration of software and hardware will become a future trend in the IT sector and in the mobile services arena in particular.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_N52q2goeM]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5bz97Pggjk]
If indeed true, it would be even better with a Tesla powertrain upgrade.
[kickstarter url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flykly/flykly-smart-wheel width=704]
It is hard not to like this idea: You replace your rear bike wheel with this special FlyKly wheel which houses a motor, a controller, and some batteries. You set the speed with a smartphone or Pebble app.
On the downside, you are also replacing your rear gear sprockets and shifting mechanism and it doesn’t seem like you can have too much control with a smartphone for changing speeds while biking.
Estimates look like the product will hit production late next year.
From Tesla MotorClub Forums:
I’m living proof the Model S is the safest car ever made!
Yesterday I was in a terrible car accident with my beloved Model S. I was hit by a driver who was talking on her cell phone and blew a red light. I got slammed at full speed while passing through an intersection. I was luck enough to walk away with no broken bones while the person who hit me left in an ambulance. I can tell you with absolute certainty, my model S protected me where other cars would have failed. This recent story of the car being unsafe due to a battery fire is ridiculous. My car did not so much as smoke, and not a drop of liquid was released. This is the safest car on the road hands down, and for me, I can say honestly say it saved my life. Thank you Elon..
What’s interesting to me is that, just like the Tesla fire victim, this accident survivor couldn’t be happier with the Tesla and is immediately getting a new one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SoQNX5WF1M#t=45
Being shown filling up is not exactly good PR for BMW who’ve already shown off the full sized carbon-fiber i8 in promos. This would be one of the first public sightings. If you aren’t familiar with how the i8 works, it has an interesting 131 hp front electric engine and a rear 231HP engine that sends it hurdling forward with a 4.4 0-60.
Think further to go further. The intelligent plug-in hybrid system in the BMW i8 combines the benefits of an electric motor and a petrol engine into an extraordinary driving experience: highest efficiency and maximum dynamics are simultaneously possible. The electric drive, a powerful 96 kW (131 hp), is located on the front axle. The rear axle is driven by an authoritative BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 170 kW (231 hp) of peak performance and up to 320 Nm of torque; combined with the electrical boost of the hybrid system, it guarantees typical BMW driving pleasure.
Together the pair accelerates the BMW i8 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds*. And this with an enormous saving in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as it uses just 2.5* l per 100 km and emits 59 g/km*.
Although I’m not a fan of the 131 EV engine (matches $19K Chevy Spark!) I do like the look of this thing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3JAtvsqfF8
