Tesla News & Blogs

A Tesla Roadster competing in this week's annual running of the Australian Global Green Challenge event has established what appears to be the official new record distance record for an electric production vehicle. Driven by owner Simon Hackett and Emilis Prelgauskas, it traveled 510 kilometers -- 313 miles -- on a single charge during the leg from Alice Springs in the Australian Northern Territory to the end of the stage at a point 183 kilometers north of Coober Pedy, in South Australia. Hackett says the car reportedly had three about three more miles of charge on board when it arrived at that point. The existing claimed record for a production EV was a 241-mile mark set by another Tesla Roadster that took part in the Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies...
Daimler has confirmed that the series build of its new second-generation smart fortwo electric drive models will begin in mid-November at the smart factory in Hambach, France. While it won't be offered to the general public until 2012, this zero-emissions electric vehicle (EV) version will undergo relatively large-scale evaluation in the hands of lease customers in Berlin and various other cities in Germany, France, Italy and Spain as well as designated -- but currently unidentified -- locations here in America starting in late 2009. Like its conventional cousin, the new fortwo electric drive sends power to the rear wheels, in this case motive force supplied by a 30-kilowatt (40-horsepower) electric motor that makes 120 Newtonmeters (88.5 lb.-ft.)...
It's not quite what you think. But the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has just passed the first legislation requiring solar-efficient glass to be used in all new cars sold in that state starting in 2012. Beyond literally keeping occupants cooler in the summer, the coincident reduction in the use of air conditioning will help improve average fuel economy and decrease the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. This new regulation will be enacted using a two-stage roll. From 2012-2015, all vehicle glass must be capable of rejecting at least 45 percent of the sun's total heat-producing energy, except for the windshield which will have a 50 percent rejection requirement. Starting in 2016, the numbers will rise to 60 percent all around. CARB data...
The Department of Energy today confirmed that the initial round of low-cost loans to support development of new strains of greener, more fuel-efficient vehicles will be going to Ford, Nissan and Tesla. The announcement, made at Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will see the three automakers split about $8 billion of the $25 billion total set aside by congress for this purpose under provisions of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVMLP) approved last fall. Ford is set to receive the lion's share of this financial support, with its $5.9 billion cut earmarked to cover updating and retrofitting existing plants in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio that will turn out 13...
In a move that can't help but bolster the fortunes of Tesla Motors, Inc and the fledgling electric vehicle (EV) industry in general, Daimler AG has purchased nearly a 10 percent equity position in the Silicon Valley manufacturer of electric cars. Key terms of the agreement, which was formally announced at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, include closer collaboration between the two companies in the areas of battery system development, electric drives and vehicle projects -- as well as making Prof. Herbert Kohler, Vice President E-Drive and Future Mobility at Daimler AG, a member of Tesla's board of directors.Prior to signing this new accord, Tesla had been working with Daimler to supply its Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs and charging...
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