Opinion: Tesla’s CEO needs help, but will he take it?

'Revenge of the Electric Car' premiere: Elon Musk arrives in a Tesla RoadsterJust as Tesla is beginning to straighten out manufacturing problems with its Model 3, the executive suite seems in the midst of a nuclear meltdown. In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times on Thursday, CEO Elon Musk admitted to being spread thin, having the most difficult and painful year in his career, and to hastily dashing off a...

Tesla board reportedly seeking No. 2 executive to assist Elon Musk

Elon Musk at Tesla Model 3 revealOn Thursday, The New York Times published an interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk that revealed that the company's board may looking for a new operational leader for the company. In the wide-ranging interview, Musk acknowledged that his tweet last week about having "funding secured" to take Tesla private was not cleared by anyone else, including...

Tesla faces more whistleblower allegations from a second former employee

Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada [CREDIT - YouTube user California Phantom]A second employee at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada has filed for whistleblower protection, alleging that the company covered up an investigation into drug trafficking at the factory. The latest report was first carried by Jalopnik. The latest whistleblower, Karl Hansen, worked in the automaker's internal security department and alleges that the...

Swiss authorities halts some diesel Porsche, Mercedes-Benz over emissions

2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel, 2012 New York Auto ShowAuthorities in Switzerland halted registrations of some new Mercedes-Benz and Porsche vehicles because their diesel engines skirted emissions regulations, Reuters reported Thursday. Registrations of the small Mercedes-Benz Vito vans equipped with 1.6-liter diesel engines, and Porsche Macan and Cayenne SUVs equipped with 3.0- and 4.2-liter diesel...

EPA staff disputed fuel-economy freeze would save lives

Gas pumpWhat's $132 billion between regulators? Such is the breadth of the discrepancy between the estimates of what the government's final proposal to roll back fuel-economy standards would save American drivers, and what EPA staffers said it would cost. A Reuters report on Tuesday revealed comments from EPA staffers disputing claims made in the Trump...

Tesla privatization bid, quality control face increasing scrutiny

Tesla factory, Fremont, CaliforniaTesla CEO Elon Musk is facing mounting pressure from regulators and critics since his tweet last week to take the company private and the fallout that has followed. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday (subscription required) that Tesla's board has received subpoenas from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding Musk's Tweet about...

Best deals on hybrid, plug-in and electric cars for August 2018

2019 Chevrolet EquinoxThis month, green-car buyers can find some screaming deals. These aren't just local programs or restricted to California buyers, either. As always, our list of deals comes from our partners at CarsDirect. This month, they have focused on deals available nationwide and on cars that are more shoppers can find (unlike, for example, the VW e-Golf, of...

Report: Rising electric-car production may strain unexpected resources

Tesla Supercharger site in Rocklin, California, before expansion    [photo: George Parrott]Despite electric cars producing no tailpipe emissions, not all of their effects will be environmentally beneficial, according to a recent report by McKinsey & Co. The group, which is often optimistic about electric car adoption, forecasts that by 2030, plug-in cars will make up at least 20 percent of car sales globally, and up to 35 percent in...

GM files patents for new active aerodynamic aids

Patent for Active Side Skirts filed by General MotorsGeneral Motors filed patent applications in June for three types of active aerodynamic systems that could make cars more efficient and potentially even give electric cars longer ranges. The three patent applications were all filed as part of Chevrolet's design for the new eighth-generation Corvette, but they could make their way to other GM cars...

2018 Chevy Bolt EV makes successful 2,000-mile road trip

David Edwards' Chevy Bolt EV draws a crowd while charging Readers like David Edwards periodically send letters about road trips they’ve made in their electric cars. While long road trips are becoming somewhat commonplace with Teslas, he points out that they still aren’t common for other electric cars. Just last year, reader Jay Lucas sold his Chevy Bolt EV after finding it too difficult to...

2019 Audi e-tron prototype first ride: Soothingly familiar

2019 Audi e-tron prototype drive, Pikes PeakAt 5 o’clock in the morning, the only sound heard at the summit of Pikes Peak, 14,114 feet above sea level, is the ceaseless whipping of the wind. Inside the Audi e-tron electric crossover SUV prototype, I hear almost no sound at all. Silence, like the e-tron itself, is soothingly familiar. That’s something that can’t be said...

Chinese electric carmaker Nio seeks public funding in US

Nio Formula E race car, EP9, ES8 and Eve concept carChinese electric carmaker Nio has filed for an initial public offering to sell its stock in the U.S., according to a Reuters report Tuesday. The company, which has built a Formula E race car, an exotic electric sports car, and an electric SUV for China, is looking to ramp up production and build a smaller, more affordable SUV. It will trade on the...