[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvwYLIOQiK8]
Yeah, that’s a clickbait title but truth be told…well…the reaction is probably as good or better than the title would have implied. I’ll let myself out now (sorry)
Here’s a few guys:
Expand
Expanding
Close
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INdBWri4WSA]
This is the same prototype Model X that has been shown off at other venues and isn’t the final version but it was nice to get a good look at it. Seeing it in person, I noticed the frunk is huge. What isn’t huge however is the legroom in back. I’m hoping Tesla has some novel solution to adding more legroom in the back.
Also, where does my snowboard go on the roof with those Falcon wing doors?
(image is a volt crossover concept car)
General Motors Co. plans to launch a $30,000 electric vehicle called the Chevrolet Bolt that would be capable of driving 200 miles on a charge by 2017, according to people familiar with the strategy, a move to gain ground on Tesla Motors Inc.
GM will show off a concept version of the Bolt on Monday at the Detroit auto show, eight years after the auto giant disclosed it would re-enter the electric car market with the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt, on sale since late 2010 and redesigned for 2015, is being upgraded to get better capability and sharper design, and has a backup gasoline motor on board in case juice runs out.
The Chevy Bolt, carrying a more capable battery manufactured by South Korea’s LG Chem Ltd. , will be aimed squarely at Tesla’s forthcoming Model 3, a $35,000 electric car also slated to debut in 2017. The concept version of the electric car will be a hatchback designed to look more like a so-called crossover vehicle, according to people familiar with the design. The Bolt will be capable of driving four times farther than a Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid on a single charge.
This is great news for electric vehicle fans but a lot of questions still need to be answered. The foremost on my mind is quick charging. Will GM set up a global network of fast DC charging stations? With the Bolt be able to charge as fast as Tesla’s offering?
The pack for GM’s new vehicle could be built in LG Chem’s Holland, Mich., plant, where the Volt batteries currently are made by the same supplier. That plant would have a capacity to build about 60,000 Volt battery packs, or 20,000 of the larger packs for a new EV, or a mixture of the two.
LG Chems’s battery improvements to make it possible to for GM to create the low-cost EV include better durability and electrical controls. Also, LG will use more of the available storage capacity in the cell than it does on the Volt. Plug-in hybrids can use less available storage capacity because of the constant charging from the gasoline engine. If more charge is used, it would limit the life of the battery.
“We have progressed far enough that it gives us a high level of confidence that in the 2017 kind of a time frame, there are no show stoppers or gotchas that we don’t know how to get over,” Prabhakar Patil, the chief executive of LG Chem Power Inc., the U.S.-based battery arm of the Korean electronics giant, said in an interview.
The Bolt also will be a crossover which will appeal to a wide group of people and will go up against Tesla’s Model 3 (which is expected in a number of configurations including a crossover variety).
Some serious branding on this. More here.
Reports out of the Bay Area this morning say that a man and his 2014 were found at the bottom of a cliff off the 1A in Sonoma county north of San Francisco. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and represents the first owner fatality of a Model S driver. It isn’t clear yet if the crash was an accident.
A male driver died after crashing off of state Highway 1 north of Jenner in Sonoma County Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at about 8:20 a.m., when a passerby observed a car that had gone off of the highway and went about 300 feet down a cliff, CHP officials said. Emergency responders found a 2014 Tesla at the bottom of the cliff with a male dead behind the wheel, according to the CHP. The crash remains under investigation by the CHP and no other information was immediately available this afternoon.
The crash represents the first owner fatality behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S though a stolen Model S that hit a pole at over 100mph and split in half killed the suspect who was then revived and died a few days later in Los Angeles.
Tesla previously boasted how safe its Model S was including the 0 fatality record which will obviously have to be revised.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/550297471289552898
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter this morning promising to deliver on an announcement he made at the D event a few months ago.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ6lZJWL_Xk&start=563]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cA1doO_9h8]
More of the same…I’d like to see the P85D put up against the Bugatti Veyron Supersport in a 0-30. It might be close
[tweet https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/548257415536594944]
This might improve the resale value of these guys though I don’t think Tesla has any plans to release a new one. As Musk adds, nothing is immediately in the works for the Model S but I’ve heard that a 100+kWh battery is being tested for possible future use with the Model X.
[tweet https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/548269323681529856]
Update: Here’s the post
Battery technology has continued a steady improvement in recent years, as has our experience in optimizing total vehicle efficiency. We have long been excited to apply our learning back to our first vehicle, and are thrilled to do just that with the prototype Roadster 3.0 package. It consists of three main improvement areas.
1. Batteries
The original Roadster battery was the very first lithium ion battery put into production in any vehicle. It was state of the art in 2008, but cell technology has improved substantially since then. We have identified a new cell that has 31% more energy than the original Roadster cell. Using this new cell we have created a battery pack that delivers roughly 70kWh in the same package as the original battery.2. Aerodynamics
The original Roadster had a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.36. Using modern computational methods we expect to make a 15% improvement, dropping the total Cd down to 0.31 with a retrofit aero kit.3. Rolling Resistance
The original Roadster tires have a rolling resistance coefficient (Crr) of 11.0 kg/ton. New tires that we will use on the Roadster 3.0 have a Crr of roughly 8.9 kg/ton, about a 20% improvement. We are also making improvements in the wheel bearings and residual brake drag that further reduce overall rolling resistance of the car.Summary
Combining all of these improvements we can achieve a predicted 40-50% improvement on range between the original Roadster and Roadster 3.0. There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles. We will be demonstrating this in the real world during a non-stop drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the early weeks of 2015.We are confident that this will not be the last update the Roadster will receive in the many years to come.
Happy Holidays.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e-jquwHKtI]
Same as Ferrari. The first 30 seconds seems unbeatable by ICE engines according to Motor Trend. The P85D takes 0.83 seconds to hit 24 mph and 1.2 seconds to reach 33 mph. They clocked the full 0-to-60 run at 3.1 seconds, a tenth of a second quicker than Tesla’s own number.
And it seats 7.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zrVehqN4ZM]
[tweet https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/545967015521820672]
It appears that Tesla Motors is ready to open its super-quick battery swapping stationn along the Los Angeles to San Francisco route according to Tweet by CEO Elon Musk, above.
Update: Tesla now posts some details on their Blog:
At an event in Los Angeles last year, we showcased battery swap technology to demonstrate that it’s possible to replace a Model S battery in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank. This technology allows Model S owners in need of a battery charge the choice of either fast or free. The free long distance travel option is already well covered by our growing Supercharger network, which is now at 312 stations with more than 1,748 Superchargers worldwide. They allow Model S drivers to charge at 400 miles per hour. Now we’re starting exploratory work on the fast option.
Starting next week, we will pilot a pack swap program with invited Model S owners. They will be given the opportunity to swap their car’s battery at a custom-built facility located across the street from the Tesla Superchargers at Harris Ranch, CA. This pilot program is intended to test technology and assess demand.
At least initially, battery swap will be available by appointment and will cost slightly less than a full tank of gasoline for a premium sedan. More time is needed to remove the titanium and hardened aluminum ballistic plates that now shield the battery pack, so the swap process takes approximately three minutes.
With further automation and refinements on the vehicle side, we are confident that the swap time could be reduced to less than one minute, even with shields. Tesla will evaluate relative demand from customers for paid pack swap versus free charging to assess whether it merits the engineering resources and investment necessary for that upgrade.
I agree except probably 50 years.
Such is the pace of change in this industry, however, I have since driven two such vehicles that would improve the motoring lives of a great many people. The first was the Audi A3 e-tron, and the second this Tesla Model S, which is not only the most important car to arrive in the UK this year, but arguably the past 20 years.
It is significant because it’s a fully electric vehicle, as opposed to the petrol-electric hybrid Audi, and also because it moves the game on in a way few cars have ever managed.
[ooyala code=”7dfd98005dba40baacc82277f292e522″ player_id=”null”]
(as of this writing 2/3rds of the readers agree in the poll.)
[ooyala code=”tsOHBjcjoJrdowtYhbG6PaKIhC3au1UH” player_id=”null”]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDD-xDJtCxg]
Further illustrating you are driving around a computer in your center stack.
In a recent report, Added Value ranked Tesla’s “VIBE” or Visionary Inspiring Bold Exciting index above Google and other noted big brands.
Several shifts have transpired on the cultural brandscape since 2013, with Tesla gliding into the pole position, ever so narrowly passing reigning champ Google, and lapping all other luxury car makes. Amazon’s VIBE climbed 10% as the company continued to reach into previously unchartered territories (cell phones, drones!). Apple, once the poster child for a brand that radiated VIBE, remains a strong force to contend with, but has continued to slide from atop the perch it held four years ago, when first measured. These brands are joined by culturally vibrant behemoths, Samsung, Microsoft, newcomer Etsy, Nike, and iconic Coca-Cola.
We see that those brands with the greatest cultural vibrancy are more likely to hit the trifecta of 1) delivering purposeful and compelling visions for positive change, 2) establishing truer, deeper, more lasting connections with people, and 3) enriching brand experiences to be more open-ended and on-going.
In other words, Tesla is cool.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsI_3wR4N28]
While not an official race, this does show the insanity of the P85D.
I got a chance to drag race a 691-hp Tesla Model S P85D against a Ferrari and a Lamborghini today, and this is what it felt like:
First impressions: The acceleration is ridiculous. I daily drive an Aventador, and I thought I got used to fast accelerations. But no, the Tesla Model S P85D hauled some serious ass. As a passenger, you do not get a chance to get ready for it at all. My internal organs were glued to the back of my body. I’ve done the P85+ test drive before, and it was already pretty fast. But this P85D is on a whole other level.We pitted the car’s acceleration against other cars. It pretty much beat everything at the car show (Ferraris and R8s didn’t stand a chance). So I had to pit it against my Aventador, which does 0-60 in 2.8-2.9 seconds. Tesla P85D does it in 3.1-3.2 seconds. Right off the bat, the Tesla got ahead. It gets a good maybe half a car length ahead before the Aventador grips fully and starts hauling. So we decided to make it fairer and only accelerate the Tesla when the Aventador grips and starts moving. That’s when we truly got both cars to start moving at roughly the same time.
But the insane part for me isn’t the raw speed but the fact that this is a 4 door, 7 seat sedan. Meanwhile the Ferrari is a huge, inefficient engine on wheels that gets 10mpg with hardly enough room to seat 2 people.
Game over.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIc7K5y-IJs]
It is safe to say that this was a special opening (biggest NA flagship store, etc.) but it also served as a introduction for Canadian customers to the P85D which of course is entertaining.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFulAYsURYM&start=1161]
Interesting bit from a smart guy. All that is necessary is that battery/car prices come down and charging stations become ubiquitous. Both seem inevitable. This doesn’t seem so crazy now, does it?
[tweet https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/402446541031755776]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJcgbiGaw4A]
This video caught everything.
[tweet https://twitter.com/UVEK/status/540091397307908096]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAFptrSuw7E]
You’d think for $55,000 they could do without Lead Acid batteries.
To prepare for Model X production, Tesla this past July halted production at its Fremont facility for two weeks in order to upgrade its assembly lines, modernize its production floor, and of course, ultimately increase overall production.
“This represents the single biggest investment in the plant since we really started operations and enables us for higher volumes,” Tesla spokesman Simon Sproule told Bloomberg earlier this summer. Indeed, the total cost of the enhancements reportedly checked in at a cool $100 million.
Earlier this week, Tesla put up blog post detailing all of the nitty gritty details regarding its somewhat recent factory upgrade.
During the pause in production, we upgraded the assembly line, added capacity to the body shop, enhanced powertrain assembly, and revamped facilities for our employees. The result of this retooling phase, which complemented ongoing upgrade work, is a much-expanded operation that allows us to produce more cars, faster, while increasing automation and providing a more inviting work environment.
…
In the powertrain department, we’ve added conveyors and advanced robots that have given us the capacity to process 1 million battery cells per day, up from 800,000. In body-in-white, we’ve added new welding equipment and improved our production uptime by 5 to 10 percent, thanks in part to a 13-car buffer that guards against bottlenecks. We’ve also added 24 new tire and export docks to the perimeter of the main building, increasing the speed with which we can deliver cars overseas.
Of particular interest is Tesla’s investment in advanced robots, some of which, the blog post notes, will soon be able to install battery packs on cars. Interestingly, Tesla notes that over the summer, it installed 10 of the largest robots in the world.
What’s more, Tesla has taken to affectionately naming its new in-house robots after X-Men characters.
Rather than refer to these robots by technical descriptions, we named them after X-Men characters. Xavier stands at the entrance to the trim line, lifting cars down to the floor from an electrified rail, while Iceman, Wolverine, and Beast do more heavy lifting nearby. Storm and Colossus can be found at the end of the chassis line, and Vulcan and Havok work as a team to lift cars back onto the rail. To us, these robots are like superheroes, so we figured they deserved superhero names.
Having seen what some of Tesla’s beloved robots can do on various YouTube videos, it’s hard to disagree with that. Interestingly, Musk noted during Tesla’s most recent earnings conference call that it’s often “way harder to make the machine that makes the machine than it is to make the machine in the first place.”
The entire post is well worth a read and is chock full of interesting information (and videos!) about Tesla’s recent factory upgrade.
Not much new but holy hell, when is Tesla going to deliver this thing?!
Text below the fold:
Expand
Expanding
Close
The video above would appear to verify that and the speed can obviously increase with more quantity of batteries to charge but I can also say that I’ve charged at over 300KW/h for a long time in my 60 where this seems to fall off of 300KW pretty quick.
One would think that there would be a 85/60 or 42% speed increase solely from a hardware standpoint.