Tesla has reached an agreement with the Shanghai government to build the company’s much-anticipated Chinese Gigafactory. And none too soon – last week, in response to new US tariffs, China increased the import duty on American-made cars to 40 percent, forcing Tesla to raise prices by as much as $30,000. “We expect construction to begin… Read more »
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Tesla could maximize federal tax credits for its customers, but at what cost?
Some of Tesla’s customers could soon be victims of the company’s success. The $7,500 federal tax credit for EV purchases is designed to sunset when a particular automaker sells over 200,000 EVs, and Tesla is nearing that bittersweet milestone. Ironically, thousands of affluent buyers of Models S and X received the credit, while most future… Read more »
Fired Tesla employee: saboteur or whistleblower?
Tesla has fired and sued a former employee whom it accuses of hacking its computer systems and disclosing company secrets to an unidentified third party. According to Tesla, Martin Tripp, a former technician at the Nevada Gigafactory, stole confidential photos of manufacturing systems and gave journalists false information about the company. Tesla has hired lawyer… Read more »
Tesla cranks up new Model 3 production line – in a tent?
Tesla appears to be closing in on its goal of producing 5,000 units of Model 3 cars per week. The Silicon Valley superhero team just unveiled a third production line, apparently assembled in a mere three weeks in a lightweight aluminum structure next to the Fremont factory. [Editor’s note: The structure has been widely described… Read more »
Tesla Autopilot adds “full self-driving features,” Roadster gets rockets
Tesla seems to be back into the pattern its investors love to see: Elon tweets out a slow drip of good news items, and the stock ratchets higher (as the media makes an about-face and the short sellers gnash their teeth). The latest tidbit is that the eagerly awaited Autopilot version 9 software upgrade, scheduled… Read more »
Tesla’s “responsible sourcing” policy for cobalt and other exotics
How do you solve a problem like cobalt? The blue metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries, but half the world’s supply of comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which child labor is common. Several automakers are already taking steps to reduce their use of the costly… Read more »
Elon Musk fends off a shareholder challenge and answers his critics at Tesla meeting
As expected, a shareholder proposal to remove Elon Musk as Chairman was voted down at the company’s recent shareholders’ meeting, as was an attempt to get rid of three board members that some see as not sufficiently independent. Elon himself made a lengthy speech in which he addressed many of the current criticisms of the… Read more »
Tesla hopes to improve Model 3 braking distance to earn a thumbs-up from Consumer Reports
Talk about shortening timelines in the auto industry – when Consumer Reports reported that it had found Model 3’s stopping distance to be unacceptably long, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded within hours, promising to look into the matter and do whatever it takes to improve braking performance. CR announced that it would not award Model… Read more »
Musk says Tesla Semi may have a 600-mile range
Now that the furor over Elon Musk’s rudeness to those poor little stock analysts has faded, let’s look at some of the interesting information that was revealed on Tesla’s quarterly earnings call. One of several tantalizing tidbits dropped by Musk: he expects the production version of the Tesla Semi to have a 600-mile range. When… Read more »
Tesla responds to Munro’s Model 3 teardown findings
The most interesting Tesla news in recent months (at least for those who are more interested in the company’s cars than the antics of its CEO or the gyrations of its stock) was Munro & Associates’ teardown of a Model 3. Automotive expert (a real one) Sandy Munro praised Model 3’s electronics and battery technology… Read more »