The Tesla Model S was once the darling of Consumer Reports, garnering high ratings in the magazine's initial tests. But more recently, Consumer Reports has found fault with the initial build quality of the Model X crossover, and criticized Tesla's Autopilot system. That build-quality problems meant Tesla's first appearance as a brand in the... Tesla falls even further as Consumer Reports ranks reliability
The Tesla Model S was once the darling of Consumer Reports, garnering high ratings in the magazine's initial tests. But more recently, Consumer Reports has found fault with the initial build quality of the Model X crossover, and criticized Tesla's Autopilot system. That build-quality problems meant Tesla's first appearance as a brand in the...
The Tesla Model S has been on sale for just over four years now, and its global sales seem to be staying steady. They're strong enough, in fact, that Tesla Motors claims the electric car dominates its competitive segment. That's a trend first noticed back in 2013, and a claim that relies on exactly how the competitive segment for the Model S is...
In the updated "master plan" for Tesla Motors he released in July, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla plans to continue pursuing self-driving cars, as well as a company-managed sharing service. Musk described a scheme in which owners could rent out their autonomous Teslas as part of a ride-sharing service, then summon them back when needed. Tesla took...
Yesterday morning, the state of California held a hearing on proposed rules governing self-driving cars. Both automakers and Google objected to the regulations as written, saying that the requirement to comply with voluntary federal regulations issued last month would hobble their development efforts. Then, last night, Tesla Motors announced a...
Three long-range electric cars at affordable prices will move the industry forward over the next year or two. The Chevy Bolt EV is within several weeks of arriving at the first dealers that will carry it, and a second-generation Nissan Leaf should go into production by the end of next year. That leaves the Tesla Model 3, unveiled this past spring...
One of the tools Elon Musk and Tesla Motors have used to defend the safety of its Autopilot software is the dark and perplexing art of statistics. After a fatal Autopilot-related crash in May, a company blog post pointed out that the crash was “the first known fatality in just over 130 million miles where Autopilot was activated.” The...
The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV is due at dealers within a couple of months, and little is known about the next Nissan Leaf. That leaves the Tesla Model 3 as the biggest question mark among electric cars. We know what the car is, since Tesla unveiled prototypes this spring. It's whether the company can get the Model 3 into production on schedule. DON'T...
China is not just the world's largest overall new-car market, it's also now the largest market for plug-in electric cars. With its ambitious plan to build 500,000 electric cars per year beginning in 2018, it would seem to make sense that Tesla Motors would make China a priority. But Tesla has struggled in China since it launched the Model S there...
Earlier this year, a group called Electric GT Holdings announced plans for a race series exclusively for the Tesla Model S electric car. While the Formula E series currently runs events around the globe with purpose-built open-wheel race cars, Electric GT organizers reasoned that fans would relate better to a series that used cars based on...
Last month, Tesla Motors announced new 100D versions of the Model S and Model X. A battery-pack capacity increase of 10 kilowatt hours over the previous 90D versions brings a bump in range, of course. But what about performance? DON'T MISS: The Tesla Model S P100D really, seriously goes over 300 miles this time Tesla claims the top Model S P100D...
Earlier this month, an application for a dealer license submitted by Tesla Motors was denied by the state of Michigan. It was the final decision in a process that kicked off in October 2014. That was when a last-minute wording change in state franchise law foreclosed the electric-car maker's ability to sell cars directly to buyers, its business...
The Tesla Model 3, a mass-priced electric car that's not yet on sale, has had a huge impact on the auto industry. The fact that Silicon Valley carmaker Tesla Motors could get more than 350,000 people to put down $1,000 each for a vehicle they wouldn't receive for 18 months or more was astounding enough. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk's goal of boosting...
Tesla Motors has, once again, been blocked from selling its electric cars directly to customers in Michigan. Over the past couple of years, Tesla has been engaged in a battle with Michigan's franchised car dealers who—like dealers in several other states—view Tesla's direct-sales model as a threat. Most recently, Tesla submitted an...