Intel’s recent acquisition of Mobileye, an Israeli provider of autonomous driving technology, for $15 billion, has three interesting implications. The first is obvious: self-driving tech is expected to be huge, and companies are busily investing money and R&D efforts to position themselves as players. The second point, also apparent to observers in the tech world… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Tesla"
Tesla raises $1.2 billion in new capital: good news or bad?
As expected, Tesla recently raised about $1.2 billion in fresh capital by selling stock and issuing new debt. The company sold stock at $262 per share, bringing in about $350 million, and issued convertible notes worth another $850 million, according to a document filed with the SEC. CEO Elon Musk personally bought $25 million in… Read more »
The Tesla of lawn mowers
Electrification is coming to vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from buses to ferries to aircraft. The humble lawn mower is no exception – for a couple of years, your correspondent has been happily tending his humble brown patch with a battery-electric mower, and will never go back to gas. My Worx mower cost only… Read more »
Former Tesla execs launch plan for European Gigafactory
A couple of Tesla alumni, with backing from Swedish investors, have announced a plan to build a massive Li-ion battery factory, perhaps in Sweden or Finland. Their ambitious goal is to bring the cost of batteries down to $100/kWh. Tesla’s former Vice President of Supply Chain Management, Peter Carlsson, and another former Tesla supply chain… Read more »
Elon Musk addresses Tesla employees about unionization
Unions and automakers have a long and fraught relationship. As Tesla has begun to evolve into a major automaker, the union has come calling, and Detroit execs are doubtless looking on with sympathy (or schadenfreude?) at the events of the past couple of weeks. Recently, Tesla factory worker Jose Moran claimed in a post on… Read more »
Tesla earnings report shows progress, but stock market is unconvinced
As expected, Tesla’s Fourth Quarter & Full Year 2016 Update depicts steady progress toward the company’s ambitious goals. Compared to Q4 2015, almost all the numbers are soaring. Vehicle deliveries are up 27%, gross margins are up 110 basis points, and revenue is up 88%. Of course, expenses are way up, but losses are down,… Read more »
Tesla Model 3 could take the title of most American-made car
The world car has been a reality for many years now. Automakers source parts and expertise from around the world, and they build vehicles in different regions to be closer to markets or to take advantage of cheaper labor. Buying American is a worthy cause, but it isn’t as simple as buying an American brand…. Read more »
Tesla’s new maintenance plans cost more but include hardware upgrades
EVs may require less maintenance than legacy vehicles, but cars will be cars, so it’s still prudent to keep up with regular scheduled maintenance. Especially for the affluent sorts who can afford to drive Teslas, it may make more sense to pay for a plan up front than to risk losing valuable time to a… Read more »
Tesla pauses production to tool up for Model 3
Tesla has announced that it will shut down production at its California assembly plant for a week to prepare to start producing Model 3. “This will allow Tesla to begin Model 3 production later this year as planned and enable us to start the ramp towards 500,000 vehicles annually in 2018,” said a Tesla spokesman…. Read more »
Repair your Model S under a shade tree? Tesla plans to open up its policy
The Right to Repair is a concept that aims to make our throwaway society a bit more sustainable by requiring manufacturers to sell replacement parts for their products, and make their diagnostic codes and service manuals available to independent repair shops. The Right to Repair is currently the law only in Massachusetts, which is thus… Read more »