Category Archives: Tesla

News and reviews of Tesla electric cars (including plug-in hybrids).

Tesla In-Car App To Soon Offer Solar Roof & Powerwall Monitoring

Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar Power, Tesla

Soon Tesla owners will be able to check solar roof and powerwall status, as well as manage settings via an in-car app.

Elon musk went on a bit of a Tweetstorm again recently, and out of it came some new information. Being that Musk believes that eventually most customers will also go solar, and invest in a Powerwall, the company has already taken steps to further integrate the products.

The updated mobile app allows those with solar roofs and Powerwalls to check power status and adjust settings via their devices. This is simply on par with many of the new home management systems in which users can mobily adjust their thermostat, engage or disengage alarms, monitor energy usage, etc.

Basically, with access to the app, Tesla owners can check how their home system is using power. Is the power coming from the Powerwall, or the solar system, or from the local grid? This way, you can see exactly what is happening at any given time.

We recently reported about YouTuber, DeRage, tapping into Tesla’s API to create a program that shows vehicle and home data all in once place. He used a program called Splunk to design dashboards for such information.

Mobile App now shows Powerwall and Solar energy flow

Soon, if you own a Tesla vehicle and a home solar system, you will be able to do this yourself, using the car’s touch screen. Being able to see vehicle energy consumption, along with home energy consumption, and especially being able to tie them together, will be a helpful tool. If you happen to have a non-Tesla home system, something like DeRage designed would be the next best thing.

This is just another way for Tesla and Musk to further tie all products together, in hopes that consumers will come to Tesla for all their needs, instead of a third party.

Source: InsideEVs

Tesla teases new Model Y car as cheaper Model 3 nears production

Electric Cars, Model Y, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla

Chief executive Elon Musk shows off image of new car and semi-truck, and gets ready for mass-market electric vehicles

Tesla’s new Model Y electric SUV teaser image sparked controversy over its wing mirror-free appearance. Photograph: Tesla

Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk has given preview of its upcoming Model Y small SUV and a so far nameless electric truck, as it prepares to deliver its first cheaper Model 3 electric saloons.

During the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting, Musk released a teaser image of the Model Y, which will be available in the 2019-2020 time frame and follow on from its larger SUV, the Model X. Musk said the Model Y would use a new platform building on the improvements made to existing models.

One of the new models to benefit from improvements since the original release of the Model S in 2012 is the more affordable Model 3, Tesla’s attempt at mass-market electric car. The Model 3 is expected to cost from $35,000 in the US, putting it in the same bracket as the BMW 3 series.

Musk said that Model 3 production is on track to start next month, and that vehicles should be delivered to those first in line for the pre-orders soon after. Tesla is aiming to make 5,000 Model 3s per week by the end of this year and 10,000 per week in 2018. The company hasn’t said how many people have put down $1,000 refundable deposits for the Model 3, but Musk said people who put down a deposit now won’t get a car until the end of 2018, indicating it could be close to 500,000.

Tesla’s teaser image for its prototype all-electric semi-truck. Photograph: Tesla

The biggest challenge for Tesla will be around meeting mass-market production. It has faced manufacturing delays with previous models, including the latest Model X SUV which was nearly 18 months late. Musk said it was “crazy hard” to make cars and that Tesla had learned a lesson from the complexity of previous models. The Model 3 would be much simpler to make, not least because only the colour of the car and the size of the wheels would be customisable from the beginning rather than having a plethora of customisation options that would increase the time required to make the cars.

The 14-year-old Tesla has no experience producing and selling vehicles in high volumes, making just 84,000 cars last year compared with rivals such as GM, Volkswagen and Toyota, which routinely sell more than 10m per year.
Once the Model 3 is on the road in quantity, Tesla will also face servicing and charging troubles. The company said that it would increase the number of stores and service centres by 30% this year, but at the start of 2017 it had just 250 worldwide

Musk says a new fleet of mobile service trucks will be deployed and that Tesla plans to double its global high-speed “Supercharger” power points to 10,000 by the end of this year and increase them by another 50-100% in 2018.

Tesla is also seeking to break into freight transportation with a new all-electric semi truck, which is due to be unveiled at the end of September. Musk said that Tesla was currently shopping designs around to large freight firms with positive reactions and that the firm would have more than just truck news to share later this year.

Source: The Guardian

Electric Cars Are the Story Now, but Battery Power Is the Future for Tesla Inc.

Electric Cars, Opinion, Tesla

You know Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) as a builder of electric cars. But that’s not necessarily what the company is about in the long run.

The electric car thing has become a temporary stop on a longer and much more ambitious journey, as Tesla’s mission has since expanded beyond just sustainable transportation. Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to change the world, and that includes getting people used to replacing gas-powered vehicles with electric cars.

Tesla Model X

The Model X car is a good example of Tesla’s public image so far. .

Secrets and speculation?

This is not speculation on my part, or even a closely guarded secret. Musk laid out his master plan in some detail 11 years ago, and doubled down on the same theme last year.

In short, Tesla was always meant to develop and promote sustainable energy sources for everyone and everything. The expensive Tesla Roadster sports car only aimed at raining the capital to develop more affordable electric cars for a larger mass-market demographic — and even the Tesla Model S and Model X are just cash-generating stepping stones on the road to a clean-energy revolution.

Along the way, Musk is using Tesla’s capital platform and wide-ranging media reach to introduce and popularize other technologies for the good of humanity. Self-driving cars will make the road a safer place, while saving even more energy. Taking emotions and human error out of the driving experience can do both of those things.

Tesla’s early forays into electric vehicles and self-driving cars got the ball rolling. Now, Detroit and Japan are falling all over themselves to beat Tesla at its own game.

Read more: Madison.com

Consumer Reports Runs The Numbers On Tesla’s Solar Roof

Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar Power, Tesla

Consumer Reports, which six months ago was skeptical about the viability of Tesla’s Solar Roof product, has once again “done the math” using newly announced pricing estimations.

Tesla Solar Roof in Slate, Due for Release in 2018

According to CR, it’s not easy to weigh value of the offer, as company’s online calculator

“relies upon some important assumptions and predictions that delve deep into the economy of residential solar power in the U.S.”

In its first analysis, CR said that costs need to be below $24.50 per square foot to match costs of conventional roofs (including the cost of Powerwall batteries, but excluding solar incentives or rebates). A 3,000-square-foot Solar Roof would then cost $73,500.

Tesla announced an estimated cost at $21.85 per square foot, which would be $65,550 for the same example house.

After using Tesla calculator for example homes in New York, Texas and California and a 30 years period, CR found out that in some cases Tesla offers a good savings opportunity, although in other cases, it doesn’t look so good.

However, even if one’s first calculations seem tempting, CR advises to answer some questions before placing deposit.

Read more: Inside EV’s

Could Electric Vehicles Become The New Norm?

Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla

No one can deny that something big is happening to the automotive industry.

Take a look at Tesla, which has a permanent spotlight on its all-electric cars. From its flagship Model S luxury car, to locking in ~400,000 pre-orders within weeks of unveiling its much more affordable Model 3 for the masses, Tesla is taking on automotive giants that have been around for decades. According to Bloomberg Finance, Tesla’s market cap just surpassed General Motors by $2 billion.

Tesla Model 3

The underlying message surrounding this race is crucial: the transition toward sustainable transportation is happening, and it is happening now.

Most recent estimates show that, by 2019, the global market for EVs will grow to over $227 billion dollars. By 2022, it is estimated that they will cost the same as their internal-combustion counterparts up front (and be cheaper operationally). That’s the point of liftoff for sales and only the beginning. It is estimated that electric vehicles will account for 35% of all new vehicle sales by 2040, expressed in the chart below.

To better understand where the sudden acceleration in all-electric vehicles came from, let’s take a look at the surge in car demand. For every 1,000 people in the United States, there are 1,000 cars. Even with this 1:1 ratio, the USA’s 239.8 million units continue to be the largest vehicle population in the world.

With this, the EPA says that,

“transportation remains the largest single source of air pollution in the United States.”

Moving abroad, the automotive market started seeing rapid car demand in 2010. China’s vehicle registrations jumped by 27.5% and India’s by 8.9%. Looking at the growth potential in these developing countries and comparing them to the US, it has reached a point where it just isn’t feasible to work outside of global emission standards to meet this demand.

The rest of the world seems to be in agreement. Ten of the largest countries are establishing policies that promote better fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for passenger vehicles, including Japan, the European Union, the United States, Canada, China, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Germany.

So, great, the move toward all-electric vehicles is the way to a cleaner future.

Read more: Clean Technica

Tesla Energy Storage Turns To Aggregation

Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla

Tesla is now expanding its energy storage business from simply supplying the battery systems, to also remote control of installed storage systems to make the grid cleaner and more efficient.

Tesla calls it aggregation – the next step in energy storage.

Tesla Powerwall

The idea is to enable Powerwall owners to give utilities access to the battery – for use when energy demand is at its highest. Naturally, in turn owners would gain compensation for the extra capacity.

The first Tesla partner with the project is Green Mountain Power in Vermont.

Tesla and Green Mountain Power are excited to announce a program where you can get a Powerwall to back up your home with reliable energy for only $15/month.

In some ways, it’s similar to renting autonomous car, as Tesla would also build a platform joining those who have product, with those who are in need of using a product.

Read more: Inside EVs

Tesla and BMW show electric at the London Motor Show

Electric Cars, Model X, Tesla

Here I am at the London Motor Show looking to extend our reach and be able to offer all quality electric cars.

Disappointed not to see Elon here but had a great chat with Joan from the Chiswick Tesla office. No update yet on the model 3 release.

Big showing from BMW with electric i3 and i8 centre stage. Asked about the all electric Mini but nothing official yet.

I simply wish there were more electric cars here. However I do know the tide is turning. Every dealer I speak to is conscious of the demand and expecting it to grow.

Enjoying a rest in the Tesla Model X

Tesla showroom in Milton Keynes (Image: T. Larkum)

Tesla will unveil electric lorry in September

Electric Cars, Electric Vans, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla

Tesla will unveil an electric articulated lorry in September, chief executive Elon Musk has said.

Additionally, he said an electric pick-up truck would be shown off in around 18-24 months.

The new Tesla showroom in the Intu shopping centre (Image: T. Larkum)
Tesla showroom (Image: T. Larkum)

Last year Mr Musk expressed the firm’s desire to branch out beyond cars.

However, analysts are concerned the company will not meet demand for its current projects.

The Model 3, a more mid-market car compared to what Tesla currently offers, has 400,000 pre-orders – vastly more than the company can manufacture in a year. It is due to go into production later this year.

However, despite this hurdle, investors seem confident that Mr Musk will meet his ambitious promises – Tesla’s surging stock price saw it briefly become the most valuable car maker in the US on Monday.

Speaking about the lorry, Mr Musk said his team had done an “amazing job” and the vehicle would be

“seriously next level”.

In a string of tweets sent out on Thursday, Mr Musk also said that the next version of its roadster sports car will be a convertible.

Source: BBC News

Tesla exec explains new sustainable energy vision

Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar Power, Tesla

‘You have solar, battery pack, EV and you control everything on your phone’

Since Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity, the company’s mission slightly changed from “accelerating the advent of electric transport” to “accelerating the advent of sustainable energy”. The company wants to offer solutions throughout the entire energy production and consumption process.

At a conference last week, a Tesla executive explained the company’s vision for managing all that energy across all their products.

Kurt Kelty, Tesla’s longtime director of battery technology, was in Florida last week to give a keynote address at the International Battery Seminar.
During his presentation, he explained Tesla’s vision of energy management in future houses (transcript via evannex):

“Where we see the future [is] in houses [and] we want to be your EV provider. Put your EV in your garage and you charge it up with one of our chargers, you have a powerwall… [and] a solar product [solar roof] that we’ll be introducing this summer. You [can] see how this could integrate well in your house. You have solar, battery pack, the EV and you’ve got all the controls on your cell phone and you could control everything. This is the kind of future we see for [your] house.”

That’s similar to the vision shared by CEO Elon Musk when he first suggested Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in order to have a single company offering electricity generation, through solar products, storage, through Powerwall and Powerpacks, and consumption, through Tesla’s electric vehicles.

Read more: electrek