Tesla Model 3: beta phase to be skipped, will go straight to production?

Tesla Model 3Development of new vehicles, especially if they're on underpinnings that haven't been used in previous models, follows a very predictable schedule. First, a concept car is revealed. Often, it's a thinly disguised version of the future production car with some added design flourishes that won't make it onto the assembly lines. Then spy shots of...

Has GM really ‘already lost’ the electric-car race to Tesla?

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foLots of people like horse races, win-or-lose competitions, and rankings. They're easy to understand, and definitive. They may also lose the forest for the trees, which is what we're tempted to suggest about a new article that addresses the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car. GM's 238-mile battery-electric hatchback is rolling out...

Tesla exec turnover soars as Model 3 pressure builds

Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, CaliforniaTesla says it will put its mass-priced Model 3 electric car into production by July, and ramp up production extremely quickly from there. CEO Elon Musk hopes to be building 5,000 cars each week by the end of the year; he previously set a goal of producing 500,000 cars across all model lines by the end of 2018. The Model 3 is the vital linchpin of...

Have Tesla Model S and Model X electric-car sales plateaued?

Tesla Model 3 teaser image with Model S and Model X, March 2016Is there no middle ground in discussing electric-car maker Tesla Motors? The challenge of reading large volumes of Tesla coverage is that it tends to be either rabidly positive or sharply negative. And the company's stock is so obsessively analyzed both by supporters and detractors that sober analysis is often hard to come by. DON'T MISS: Tesla...

Tesla Model 3 prices: reader makes his guesses, via spreadsheet

Tesla Model 3 design prototype  -  reveal event  -  March 2016Since more than 350,000 people around the world put down $1,000 deposits to reserve a place in line, the Tesla Model 3 electric car has assumed larger-than-life status. Its maker, Silicon Valley-based Tesla Motors, recently reaffirmed that series production will start in June and that Model 3 deliveries will begin in the second half of the year...

Tearing down the Tesla Model S battery pack (video)

Tesla Model S battery pack teardown: frame from YouTube video by JehuGarcia, Feb 2017The lithium-ion battery pack is at the heart of any electric car. Its cost, energy density, and safety features do as much as any other feature of an electric car to determine its success. And battery packs from Tesla Motors differ from those built by virtually any other electric-car maker in at least one key aspect. DON'T MISS: Tesla Model 3...

Tesla has become a U.S. Big Three carmaker (by market value)

2017 Tesla Model STesla Motors has spent more than 10 years beating the odds for startup automakers. Most new, independent makers barely survive long enough to produce a handful of vehicles, let alone sell more than 100,000 and garner praise from both customers and the media—as the electric-car startup has done. Now the Silicon Valley automaker can claim...

Musk responds to Tesla line workers on wages, injuries, confidentiality

Tesla factory, Fremont, CaliforniaTesla CEO Elon Musk has responded vigorously to an employee's claims of low wages and commonplace on-the-job injuries. In an email to employees and statements to media outlets, Musk denied the claims and accused the employee who made them of being a paid union agitator. Earlier this month, Jose Moran said Tesla employees, "routinely work well over...

Will GM or Tesla buyers lose electric-car tax credits first?

Tesla Model 3A major contributor to electric-car sales is the program under which buyers of new electric cars qualify for a federal income-tax credit of up to $7,500. But these tax credits are not unlimited. Once a manufacturer reaches sales of 200,000 plug-in electric cars (after December 31, 2009), the credits start to phase out for that company's cars...

Tesla to sell 200 electric cars to Dubai taxi service

2017 Tesla Model SIf you wanted to start a green taxi service—and had ample funds to do so—Tesla electric cars would seem to be a good choice. The Model S and Model X offer plenty of interior space and range, and their popularity would like raise the profile of any taxi service using them. So perhaps it's not surprising that the Dubai Taxi Corporation...