This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. This 270-page book is a comprehensive history of Tesla, told by the entrepreneurs who made it happen, as well as an assessment of the company’s lasting influence… Read more »
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August plug-in sales: LEAF sets all-time record, BMW i3 goes wild
August plug-in sales showed a decent increase over July, and 2014 is still on track to handily beat 2013’s figure. Sales of the industry-leading LEAF grew to 3,186 in August, the 18th consecutive monthly record, a 32% increase over August 2013, and a new all-time monthly record for any pure EV. The 2015 LEAFs are… Read more »
California bill would establish income cap for state EV rebates
California’s goal is to have 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025 – more than 15 times the current number. The state offers a rebate of $2,500 to buyers of EVs, in addition to the $7,500 federal tax credit. However, sales remain well short of the rate needed needed to meet the ambitious… Read more »
VIDEO: A ride in the Renovo supercoupe, and a chat with CEO Chris Heiser
Silicon Valley startup Renovo Motors made quite a splash at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with its prototype supercar. A new video includes an interesting interview with Renovo’s CEO Chris Heiser, delivered during a tantalizing test drive. Yahoo! Autos’ Justin Hyde points out that over 20 would-be EV-makers have failed in the past decade… Read more »
Volkswagen announces pricing for e-Golf
Volkswagen has announced that the 2015 e-Golf will have a starting price of $35,445 (plus $820 destination charge) when it goes on sale in selected US states in November. The new EV will also lease for $299 per month. Prices for the competing Nissan LEAF range from $29,010 to $35,120; the Ford Focus Electric starts at… Read more »
Tesla confident that Gigafactory can hit the magic number: $100/kWh
Tesla’s Gigafactory will mark a milestone in American manufacturing – to put it in trendier language, it’s going to be a game-changer. This is already obvious to readers of the EV press, and it’s starting to sink in among the mainstream media. The investing pundits of the Motley Fool have parsed some of Tesla’s statements… Read more »
Musk: Highly satisfied Tesla owners’ suggestions will be implemented soon
Most folks who have comments about a product send an email to customer service. However, Model S owners are no ordinary consumers. A pair describing themselves as “two VERY highly satisfied Tesla owners from Southold, New York” took out a full-page ad in the Palo Alto Daily, thanking “automotive visionary” Elon Musk for building “the… Read more »
Infineon to acquire International Rectifier, pioneer in wide-bandgap semiconductors
Infineon Technologies (OTC: IFNNF), Germany’s largest chipmaker, will acquire California-based International Rectifier (NYSE: IRF) for $40 per share in a $3 billion deal. International Rectifier specializes in power-management semiconductors. Particularly attractive to Infineon is IRF’s expertise in gallium nitride on silicon (GaN) semiconductors. According to Bloomberg, the acquisition will solidify Infineon’s position in GaN discretes… Read more »
Increase the power output of your Volvo V60 PHEV with this new optimization package
Polestar, Volvo’s racing and tuning partner, has announced a new upgrade package for the V60 D6 Plug-in Hybrid (which, sadly, isn’t available in the US). The Polestar Performance package adds an extra 15 hp and 22 lb-ft of torque, bringing total output up to 298 hp and 494 lb-ft. The enhanced V60 is the most… Read more »
A123 names Patrick Hurley as its new Chief Technology Officer
A123 Systems, the Massachusetts battery-maker now owned by Chinese giant Wanxiang, has hired former Johnson Controls executive Patrick Hurley as its Chief Technology Officer. Hurley will lead the company’s R&D arm, A123 Venture Technologies, and will also be responsible for integrating A123’s battery development in China. The change is part of the compnay’s move away… Read more »