Tesla’s Model 3 To Be Unveiled March 31
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the Model 3 will be unveiled Continue reading →
26-Year-Old Hacker Builts a Self-Driving Car…for Tesla.. in His Garage [VIDEO]
Tesla's Autopilot uses hardware from both Mobileye and Nvidia to control the Model S on highways. Apparently Tesla would like to discontinue using Mobileye’s system in favor of bringing it in-house, according to an email exchange between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and George Hotz, a software engineer mainly known for being the first person to jailbreak the iPhone.
A report by Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance would have us believe 26-year old hacker George Hotz has built a self-driving car from scratch in a month. Unfortunately for this urban myth, it's fairly obvious the 2016 Acura ILX he's using isn't a random choice.... Honda have offered Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Assist since 2013.
AcuraWatch Plus is a basic $1300 option available on this car that provides Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking & Road Departure Mitigation.. So this Honda can do what he's demonstrating off the showroom floor.
A more accurate description of Hotz's work is "reverse engineering".
Tesla Model S is the Fastest Selling Electric Vehicle in NSW
Nissan is celebrating 5 years of the LEAF and Tesla Australia is celebrating 1 year in Australia. With the upcoming New year I thought it would be good to look back at the history of electric vehicles in NSW.
Growth
Lets look at growth in NSW Tesla don’t share their data with VFACTS, the industry body for new car sales reporting but RMS/RTA do keep registration statistics on how many cars of a particular brand are sold and what type of fuel they use. Using those statistics we can look at how many “pure electric” vehicles are on the road in NSW. The first production EV was the Mitsubishi i-MiEV launched in 2010 before then the 44 or so vehicles registered as electric with the RTA/RMS where most likely conversions.
What’s included in this count? RMS count petrol/electrics separately so this count doesn’t include plug-in hybrids like the Outlander PHEV, Holden Volt or BMW i3 Rex. What it does include is listed below with their official release dates.
Release Dates :
Performance
If we look at registrations since 3rd Quarter 2011 when electric vehicles began sales to the general public we see 524 registrations to date at a rate of 33 vehicles per quarter. Breaking it down further we see three district rates of registrations:
With the release of Tesla Model S we see Tesla alone contribute 52.5 Registrations per quarter, all other makes and models only managing 14 per quarter since 2014. The best performing quarter is the fourth quarter of 2014 with 87 registrations 65 Tesla 22 others. The worst performing quarter since the release of the i-MiEV first quarter of 2014 with only 4.
Insights
Tesla has landed on our shores and has been welcomed with open arms with the fastest “selling” electric vehicle in NSW. Nissan/Mitsubishi was a steady seller until 2014. However Nissan have not released an updated model since 2012 in Australia, maybe it’s time for a new model LEAF that sell overseas. Mitsubishi also no longer have i-MiEV at dealerships, concentrating their efforts on the Outlander PHEV.
In terms of charging standards we’ve seen Tesla enter with their own version of a type 2 socket which is Mennekes type 2 compatible. Where as everyone else has been type 1 J1772 it’s a bit hard to gauge a direction while 30% of pure electric vehicles are Tesla we don’t have accurate numbers for other type 1 J1772 plug-in vehicles like the Holden volt, Audi a3 e-tron Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, BMW i3 REX, BMW i8 and the hybrid offerings from Porsche.
Over the last year we’ve seen a significant growth in electric vehicles, installing a type 2 socket universal charging station to suit all vehicles at your office, shop, restaurant, church or sports field will further enhance the growth of electric vehicles.
Source: Recharging NSW
reproduced with permission
Tesla Model S P85D 0-100km/h & motor sound [VIDEO]
No other car currently on the market is able to capture the curiosity of the greater public like the Tesla Model S P85D. It is a means of transport like no other, breaking a few world records in the process.
Tesla Model S P85D Versus a Bathurst spec Holden V8 Supercar [VIDEO]
Perfectly timed for the world famous Bathurst 1000 endurance race this coming weekend at Mt Panorama, the guys at CarAdvice.com have set up the ultimate drag race.
It's the world's fastest four-door sedan, the Tesla Model S P85D, against Australia's fastest four-door sedans, the Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore V8 Supercar and the Walkinshaw Performance W507 HSV GTS.
The Tesla Model S P85D rockets from 0-100km/h in just 3.3-seconds, while the V8 Supercar does it in 3.4-seconds, but weighs just 1400kg with the driver.
Tesla Model S P85D Versus a Bathurst spec Holden V8 Supercar [VIDEO]
Perfectly timed for the world famous Bathurst 1000 endurance race this coming weekend at Mt Panorama, the guys at CarAdvice.com have set up the ultimate drag race.
It's the world's fastest four-door sedan, the Tesla Model S P85D, against Australia's fastest four-door sedans, the Supercheap Auto Racing Holden Commodore V8 Supercar and the Walkinshaw Performance W507 HSV GTS.
The Tesla Model S P85D rockets from 0-100km/h in just 3.3-seconds, while the V8 Supercar does it in 3.4-seconds, but weighs just 1400kg with the driver.
Tesla Unveils its New Model X SUV
Wow! The SUV accelerates from zero to 60 miles in 3.2 seconds!
Tesla’s Model X ‘Signature’ with 762 hp starts at $132,000
Some future buyers of Tesla Motors Inc.’s Model X are configuring their vehicles this week, as details about the electric-car maker’s much-awaited SUV emerge.
Among the highlights: A Model X “Signature” edition will cost $132,000 and as much as $144,000 with upgrades such as the “ludicrous speed” mode. The car will be able to go 385 km (240 miles) between charges, 7 miles more than a Model S P85D, the sedan’s top of the line, which starts at $108,000 but can also go north of $140,000 with upgrades.
With AWD via a 190 kw (259 hp) front motor and 370 kw (503 hp) rear motor giving an 'insane' total output of 560 kw (762 hp), the Model X Signature can accelerate to 100 km/h (60 mph) in 3.8 seconds, a tad slower than the Model S P85D’s 3.1 seconds. The Model X top speed of 155 mph is the same as the Model S P85D and others.
Tesla fans have posted several screenshots of their invitation-only Model X configuration Web pages on the Tesla Motors Club blog, a forum for Tesla enthusiasts that is independent of the company.
These future Model X owners were the first to put down a deposit on the Model X, which is expected to roll out of the Fremont, Calif., factory on 29th September. People reserving their Model X now would get the car in early 2016.
Here’s what else is known about the Model X:
The car’s rear-door falcon wings, which differ from the gull wings of yesteryear as they are better at negotiating tight spaces, will have sensors so they won’t bump into ceilings.
Accessories like a hitch for bikes or skis are standard. Also standard are parking sensors and blind-spot warning.
The Signature series will offer autopilot with self parking and automatic lane steering, and flat-folding third-row seats. The series’ second-row seats — which Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk called “a sculptural work of art” — will be “independently operable,” although it is not clear what that meant.
See also: Tesla lower deliveries forecast irks Wall Street
The $10,000 “ludicrous” speed upgrade is also available for the Model X, as Musk had said. Other upgrades include a $1,000 subzero package, which comes with a heated steering wheel and a wiper-blade defroster, among other equipment, although Tesla warns that choosing that package could delay the car’s delivery by a month.
Those upgrades plus a $750 tow package push the price of the Model X Signature to $144,000.
Tesla Model S P85D Broke Consumer Reports’ Rating System [VIDEO]
Consumer Reports put the performance version of Tesla's all-electric Model S through its testing and found that it's fast and super-efficient, proving that car companies don't have to sacrifice to achieve superior fuel economy.
Tesla ‘Breaks’ Consumer Reports’ Rating System
The P85D scored 103 points on the magazine's 100-point ratings scale.