Category Archives: Tesla

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

Traveling with an electric vehicle: Making a cost-effective and efficient trip

October 15, 2019Electric Cars, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

As recently as 10 years ago, people laughed at the idea of an electric vehicle being a viable mode of transportation for a daily short-haul driver, let alone one who goes on long road trips.

They were mocked as unsafe, unreliable, and able to only travel very short distances before requiring a ton of time to recharge.

Fast forward to today. Technological advancements in batteries used in electric vehicles now allow you to travel long distances. Charging is quick and seamless. And electric car company manufacturers like Tesla have shown they’re a viable (even preferable) alternative for daily drivers, winning awards like MotorTrend’s Car of the Year.

Electric vehicles can also be much more economical. I personally own a Tesla Model S, and it has saved me over $500 a month on gas. Over an 8-year period of ownership, that will add up to $48,000.

Our very own Tesla Model S – for a while anyway (Image: T. Larkum) — Tesla Model S (Image: T. Larkum)

To give you confidence that an electric vehicle can be used for traveling long distances, we’ll go over current trends and options, as well as some of the pros and cons compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

Electric vehicle options

If you’re thinking about going electric, you can choose between a hybrid car or a fully electric vehicle.

Hybrid vehicles use two different types of power. The most common ones combine a gasoline-powered engine with an electric motor. Some of the most efficient hybrids have a fuel efficiency rated as high as 60 mpg on the highway, according to CarsDirect. That’s a lot higher than the overall average U.S. vehicle fuel economy, which Reuters says is 24.7 mpg.

Fully electric vehicles, however, deliver the most in terms of fuel efficiency. Vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 have been rated as high as 136 mpg equivalent (the EPA energy measurement for electric vehicles), and can save you tons of money you would otherwise spend on gas.

Road trips in an electric vehicle

With technological advancements in batteries, electric vehicles can now go just as far on a charge as gasoline-powered cars can on a tank of gas.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Tesla Model 3 was UK’s No 3-selling car in August

September 21, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3 was the No. 3-selling new car in the UK in August, finishing behind the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Golf.

It’s the first time a full-electric car has been in the UK’s overall ranking of top 10 selling models.

The UK is Europe’s second-largest car market after Germany.

With sales of 2,082 Model 3s, the Tesla model was ahead of the Ford Focus at No. 4 and the Mercedes-Benz A class, which rounded out the UK top five last month.

The success of Tesla’s smallest model pushed the UK’s electric car sales up by 337 percent in August to 3,147 units. The overall UK market was down 2 percent.

The record was hailed by European green lobby group Transport & Environment. “Tesla Model 3 was the third best-selling car of any brand. Reminder: We are in 2019, not 2025…” the group tweeted.

The Model 3 was Europe’s best-selling electric car in the first six months with sales of 37,227, figures from market researcher JATO Dynamics show. The Renault Zoe was second at 23,914 followed by the Nissan Leaf.

People are starting to buy electric cars for the same reason they buy any other car

September 18, 2019Electric Cars, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, Sales, TeslaRepost

The concerns of the average electric-car buyer are starting to look more like those of any other car buyer. Their biggest worry? How much the cars will cost.

Range anxiety, how far an electric vehicle (EV) can travel before needing to be recharged, has topped the list of prospective EV buyers’ concerns for years. And it remains one, especially for those unfamiliar with the technology. But in August, a survey by Autolist, an online car marketplace, ranked range and price in a dead heat (about 40%) as the most important factors concerning buyers. Recharging time and the proximity of charging stations followed as top considerations.

Range anxiety has faded into the rearview mirror for luxury car owners as well. According to another recent Autolist poll, among those deciding between Tesla’s Model S and Porsche’s electric Taycan, range wasn’t even a factor. Instead, brand reputation, performance, charging networks, and styling topped buyers’ list.

Part of the reason for reduced fears is that EVs are shipping with more potent battery packs capable of covering 300 miles or more per charge. The $79,000 Tesla Model S (before tax incentives) promises a 370-mile range, while the 2020 Porsche Taycan ($130,000 estimated) is expected have a range of least 300 miles per charge.

Renault Zoe Wins In July, But Tesla Model 3 Remains 2019 Leader

September 2, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Tesla, ZOERepost

The European passenger plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market had some 36,000 registrations in July, +32% year over year (YoY). That means the PEV market has grown 34% in 2019, a great performance considering this is an off-peak month for Tesla.

In July, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) continued nosediving (-19% YoY), all-electrics (BEVs) almost doubled (+90%) to some 24,000 units, responsible for 67% of all plug-in sales last month, 66% year to date (YTD). The BEV share was at 1.9% by itself. Adding PHEVs to the tally, the share climbs to 2.8%. The 2019 PEV share is now at 2.9% (2.0% for BEVs alone), above the 2.5% result of 2018.

The big news in July was that the Renault Zoe profited from the expected Tesla off-peak month, winning another monthly trophy, its 4th this year. The French hatchback and Tesla Model 3 have divided all the monthly wins this year (January, April, May, July for Renault, and February, March, June for Tesla).

We could say that the Tesla Model 3 and the Renault Zoe are the first big players in Europe, the former dominating the more expensive end of the market and the latter sweeping up the lower end of it.

With Tesla starting to deliver the Model 3 SR/SR+ versions by now and Renault expected to double the Zoe’s output with the upcoming restyling, do not expect the current status quo to change much, or at least until the VW ID.3 starts to deliver in large volumes, expected by Q2 2020.

The Tesla Conspiracy… or Am I a Dead Whistleblower?

August 28, 2019Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

I generally eschew conspiracy theories under the rubric that little explained by conspiracy cannot as well be explained by incompetence and that the occurrence of stupid is vastly more common than the occurrence of evil in the hearts and minds of men.

But it is also true that it can only be a conspiracy theory if there is NOT an underlying conspiracy. And it is only paranoia if they are NOT all out to get you.

In the case of Tesla, the car and the company, if you eliminate all other possible causes, what remains is the answer. And I have the increasingly uncomfortable feeling that not all is right with the world.

Let’s start with the car. I suppose it’s a matter of opinion, and I’m certainly given to having one, but what is emerging is a stunning lack of challenge to the premise that the Tesla, in all its variants, is the most advanced automobile ever designed and manufactured on purpose, and the best car ever made in all respects. Basically ALL voices and opinions to the contrary have simply disappeared from the scene – poof – gone.

I presume you are aware that the Model 3 won Detroit News Magazines 2018 Car of the Year award. As it happens, it was also named car of the year by Popular Mechanics March 2018 Automotive Excellence awards. AutoExpress Car of the Year 2019: Tesla Model 3
Automobile Magazine 2018 Design of the Year: Tesla Model 3.

The grandfather of ALL automotive magazines is MOTOR TREND. Motor Trend started publication in September 1949 with the Kurtis Sportscar on the cover. A car so beloved they later acquired one of the 16 ever built for display in their publishing offices.
This magazine has from 1949 existed by the hand of car lovers for car lovers and represents the largest collection of photographic automotive pornography ever assembled by man.

Also in 1949, they named their first CAR OF THE YEAR – THE 1949 CADILLAC SERIES 62 SEDANETTE.

In 2013 they rather shockingly named the Tesla Model S CAR OF THE YEAR with the astonishing admission that since 1949, there was NEVER A CAR LIKE THIS.

First UK Tesla Model 3 deliveries handed over to customers

July 11, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3’s arrival in the UK has been anticipated for a long time now. The US brand promised it would be an affordable alternative to both conventionally powered and electrified models from other manufacturers, but a number of issues delayed its delivery to some global markets, the UK not least among them.

Finally, though, the wait for British customers is over, with the first UK customer cars being driven off dealer forecourts around the country last week by buyers who put their deposits down two to three years ago.

Tesla is confident enough in the quality of the Model 3 that it’s giving customers a one-week grace period, at any point during which they can give the car back for a full refund. This goes some way towards explaining why a large number of people were happy to commit to buying a car they had never even seen in the metal, let alone driven.

Everyone wants to lease a Tesla Model 3

June 22, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Leasing company says 3 is more popular than Jag’s I-Pace and the Audi e-Tron

You lot are all desperately trying to get your hands on Tesla Model 3s. Because why wouldn’t you be – it’s a rather nice thing, after all.

It’s so nice, in fact, Leasing.com tells us that in May, it had more enquiries for the Model 3 in the space of one week than it did for “premium rivals” like the Jaguar I-Pace and Audi e-Tron over the whole month.

The only electrified car that garnered more interest last month was the Toyota RAV4. One place back in the website’s league table is the Hyundai Ioniq, then the Toyota C-HR. The I-Pace is back in 5th, while the e-Tron is down in 7th. Of the non-electric/hybrid stuff, it’s the Mercedes A-Class that’s the most popular, with Mercedes being generally the most popular manufacturer.

Tesla Model 3 becomes most popular EV to lease in the UK

June 19, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

The Tesla Model 3 was the UK’s the most popular electric vehicle to lease in May, according to the latest Leasing.com League Tables.

It came out ahead of other popular new electric models such as the Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace, generating more personal lease enquiries within seven days than its premium rivals managed to achieve during the entire month.

Interest in the Model 3, I-Pace and e-tron has seen EV enquiries increase 30% year on year during the first five months of 2019.

Paul Harrison, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Leasing.com, said: “The Model 3’s popularity is down to several factors, with cost being one of them.

Monthly prices for the Model 3 start at around £400 per month, which is almost half the cost of Tesla’s larger models. It also undercuts comparable EVs such as the Audi e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace.

Electric dreams? What you need to know about Tesla’s Model 3

May 29, 2019Electric Cars, Model 3, TeslaRepost

The electric car will be available in the UK soon. We look at costs and how it compares with rivals

Launched with the intention of being Tesla’s first mass-market electric car, the new Model 3 is smaller and simpler than the other vehicles in the Californian carmaker’s stable. And according to Tesla, the new saloon is the “more affordable” of the range – though with a starting price at just under £39,000, many would query that claim.

The order book for the Model 3 officially opened at the start of May – though reservations had begun prior to that – with three versions of the car on sale, the most expensive coming in at £56,000. But change the colour from the standard black and you will have to shell out more.

Compared with the Model S, Tesla’s flagship car, the Model 3 has slower acceleration from 0 to 60mph, a shorter range and less than 100 customisable configurations compared with more than 1,500 in the bigger car.

Interest in going electric is growing fast: research from Close Brothers Motor Finance suggests 15% more motorists are looking to buy an electric car with their next purchase compared with two years ago. And while Tesla is clearly confident about the future of the new car, expecting to ship between 360,000 and 400,000 vehicles worldwide this year, is it really an affordable option for Britons?

EV sales stalling as customers left waiting more than a year for a car

May 16, 2019Audi, Electric Cars, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Kona Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, Niro EV, Smart, Tesla, VolkswagenRepost

Britain’s electric vehicle revolution is being hampered by a “bottleneck” in global battery production, as demand far outstrips supply of zero-emission vehicles.

An investigation by the Press Association found that some dealers were telling customers they could be waiting more than a year if they placed an order for an EV today, with some manufacturers confirming they couldn’t guarantee the number of vehicles coming to the UK in the future.

Kia and Hyundai appear to be the worst affected, with the former’s e-Niro and latter’s Kona and Ioniq Electric experiencing 12-month-plus wait times.

Jaguar, Tesla, Nissan, Smart, Audi and Volkswagen are all also experiencing delays with their electric vehicle offerings of between two and five months.

A Kia spokesperson blamed global demand and battery supply, calling the e-Niro “a victim of its own success” and adding that the South Korean firm’s 2019 UK allocation of about 800 cars sold out within two weeks of going on sale in January.

He said: “The simple fact is our battery suppliers cannot make battery packs quickly enough for the demand, and if we haven’t got battery packs, we cannot sell the cars.”

Both Kia and its sister company Hyundai said they were taking reservations for 2020 deliveries and would contact interested customers once pricing and delivery time frames were clearer.