Tesla’s Supercharger Is Free Only for 85kWh Models, Otherwise It Costs $2,000

The modern business and industry jungle adopts many techniques to convince people to buy a product.

There are also those techniques that make you buy a product you don’t really want, and eventually begin to feel its unsatisfactory nature, and slowly wake up from the ad man-induced trance, realizing that you spent $49 on another food blender you didn’t need, even if its Teflon-coated blade is sharper than ever, and its motor can chew through coconuts – it’s still a food blender, even if the company calls it the Super Food Master Chef Express 5000.

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Tesla Shares Hit Record of $117.18, Google Reportedly Interested in the Company

The only way for Tesla to go still seems to be straight up, especially after Elaine Kwei, an analyst for the Jeffries Group raised her per share target for the company, from $70 to $130. This alone reportedly caused an increase of 9.2 percent in share prices when the market closed, with a Nasdaq value of $117.18 and a peak during the day of $117.77.

Kwei also increased other estimates, including that for yearly Model S production that went up from 19,800 units to 21,500, as well as her Q2 output prediction, from 4,500 units to 5,000.

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Tesla Model S Driver Tries Willow Springs Track Day

Electric cars may not be the most adrenaline-inducing to watch on a race track, but they sure are effective, especially over short set distances like Pikes Peak, where the change in altitude gives them real purpose – all-electrics produce peak power regardless of how high you are from sea level. Read more »

Tesla Battery Swap Takes 90 Seconds, Technology Will Come This Year

Tesla Motors is doing all it can to make the electric car a more user-friendly proposition. One of the greatest disadvantages of EVs is battery-charging time, which takes a lot more than filling up a conventional car with petrol. Tesla Motors has been working on a solution to this problem and came up with a battery swapping technology.

Mind you, it’s not a novel idea, as the now-defunct Better Place company was the first to implement it. However, Tesla has great confidence in its technology, which was demonstrated to hundreds of owners of Tesla EVs last night. Swapping the depleted battery of a Model S takes just over 90 seconds, less than half the time it takes to refill a gas tank.

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Tesla Recalls 1,228 Model S Sedans for Badly Welded Seat Mounting Bracket

Upon learning that the Model S’ doesn’t suffer too much in cold weather, a major concern for any battery-powered EV, it seemed like there was really nothing standing in Tesla’s way on the road to reaching a nearly perfect record with its all-electric sedan that has so far stood up to all that has been thrown at it.

Still, not enough time has passed since its launch for the scene to give an accurate judgment of the car, and this latest piece of news we have regarding it is not of the positive kind.

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Norwegians Conduct Cold Weather Test of Tesla Model S, Find Range Satisfactory [w/Video]

It was only a matter of time before the Tesla Model S made its way into European hands, and after first arriving in Germany and the Netherlands, they have now arrived in the hands of the EV-loving Norwegians.

This has allowed Autofil Magazine to take an 85 kWh Model S and drive it from the country’s capital, Oslo, to Geilo, located some 243 km (151 miles) away, without any sort of right pedal restraint – the reviewer would drive it like any other regular car.

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How Many Quarter-Mile Races Can the Tesla Model S Do On One Charge?

Fears regarding the Tesla Model S’ one-charge range don’t only concern the more eco-minded drivers who are set to achieve the maximum range out of it, because those with a faster driving style who also happen to like racing the classic quarter mile also have to be catered for.

Now, the crew over at DragTimes wanted to know how many 400-meter drag races can be performed with a full battery and good weather conditions.

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Vossen Puts 22-Inch Concave Wheels on Tesla Model S [w/Video]

The Tesla Model S is no doubt a good-looking car, but that doesn’t mean it can’t look even better. This is what Miami-based Vossen Wheels specializes in, with the aftermarket company managing to make the electric sedan look fresher by simply fitting 22-inch VVS-CV1 concave wheels.

The Matte Graphite wheels, sized 22x9 at the front and 22x10.5 at the rear, complement the light blue paint of the car and even though their size is huge, the look of the Model S is not ruined. On the contrary, Vossen’s wheels give it a more dynamic and sportier appearance.

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Tesla Confirms Cheaper EV Model for 2016, Musk Says it will Cost Half the Price of Model S

Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur behind PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla Motors, has provided some new information while also confirming other details about his automotive venture's plans, during Tesla Motor's annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday.

Perhaps the most important bit of news shared by Musk was the confirmation of a smaller battery-powered model, currently known as the Gen III. "It will probably arrive at the end of 2016 I would say - the third generation vehicle, or the vehicle that is in a lot of ways a smaller version of the Model S at about half the price".

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It Has Been Ruled – Tesla Won’t Sell Its Own Cars in Texas

After a lengthy battle between Tesla Motors and the dealers’ association from the great state of Texas, it would appear that the Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of the all-electric Model S sedan will not be getting its way, so sales directly to customers, a move which would have bypassed the established dealer network won’t become a reality. Read more »

Tesla Model S Reportedly Going to China, Could Debut This Year

Tesla wants to expand its sale operations for the the Model S (and future models), as according to the Chinese media, the Silicon Valley-based automaker is bringing the all-electric sedan to the Chengdu motor show, in September. Already a pretty expensive car, the Model S could end up costing a lot more once it’s all-taxed up and legal in the country. This is important because its appeal hinges on it. Read more »

Elon Musk Announces Tesla’s Plan to Cover the US with Supercharger Network [w/Video]

Tesla’s Superchargers are an excellent way to try to dispel prospective buyers’ fears regarding the range and charging opportunities, and they offer free fast charging to all Model S owners. Currently limited to eight such stations in California and New York, the network is set to grow exponentially within the next two years, according to a video announcement by Elon Musk. Read more »

Watch the Tesla Model S Reach its Top Speed of 133MPH or 213KM/H

The Tesla Model S is turning into a success story for the Silicon Valley-based automaker, having received praise for many qualities and not only for being a good EV, but a good all-round practical car. All owners of the all-electric sedan seem to be into their cars, and I haven’t seen a vehicle catch people’s attention like this in a while, especially for a relatively new brand like Tesla. Read more »

Tesla’s Entry Level Model is A Sure Thing, Says Musk

Tesla has used the internet to achieve a very high level of notoriety around the world, and despite the fact that the facilities to build and sell cars in Europe or other places outside the US are not fully completed yet, the brand has attracted a big worldwide following, comprised mostly of eco-minded people who can’t even begin to consider affording their only offering, the rather expensive Model S. Read more »

Elon Musk Replies to Chrysler: You’re not American, You Still Owe $1.3 Billion

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is not one to back down from a public dispute. The latest one started with Tesla’s announcement that it had repaid in full its government loan, with the release adding that it is the first American carmaker to do so. This made Chrysler respond with a statement in which it said it was the first U.S. carmaker to have repaid the U.S. government loan in 2011, not Tesla.

Did you think Musk was convinced by Chrysler’s statement and stopped right there? No, he replied to Chrysler’s release on Twitter by saying the Detroit-based carmaker is no longer American, as it is owned by Fiat, and it still owes money to the government.

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Chrysler to Tesla: Not So Fast, We Were the First to Repay Government Loan

After Audi, it's Chrysler's to turn its guns on Tesla, only this time, it's not about a sales report from a news agency, but it regards a press statement made by the maker of the battery-powered Model S.

On Wednesday, Tesla announced that it paid off in full a $465 million loan that the Energy Department made in 2010, nine years earlier than scheduled. In the statement, the California-based company also added, "Following this payment, Tesla will be the only American car company to have fully repaid the government."

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"Loser" Tesla Repays Government Loan in Full, Nine Years Ahead of Schedule

Tesla Motors has announced that it has repaid the loan provided by the U.S. Energy Department in full, following today’s wire of $451.8 million. The company had also made payments in 2012 and the first quarter of 2013. In a press statement, the EV manufacturer said it is the first and only American car company to date, to have fully repaid the U.S. government.

Tesla added that it repaid the loan nine years ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers at least $12 million on the $465 million lent.

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Audi Responds to Report About Tesla Model S Beating its A8's Sales [Updated]

Tesla can add another star to its belt of pride after Audi of America came out with a rather lame press statement concerning a report from CNN Money, which said Tesla sold more Model S sedans in U.S. during the first quarter of the year (4,750 examples) than Mercedes-Benz S-Class (3,077), BMW 7-Series (2,338) and Audi A8 (1,.462) sedans.

Audi took issue with the headline from CNN Money, which said "Tesla sales beating Mercedes, BMW and Audi", and which we will agree with Ingolstadt's people, was misleading, but the chart below and the article itself clearly stated that the numbers concerned the Tesla Model S and the big sedans from the three German premium brands.

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Tesla Model S Reportedly Outsold Mercedes S-Class the U.S. in the First Quarter

The Tesla Model S is undeniably one of the stars of the electric car segment, but it is also marketed as a luxury car. So, while people expect it to sell well for an EV, when it comes to luxury cars, the competition is so tough than many don't give the Model S a chance.

Well, it looks like they were wrong, as Tesla’s electric sedan - priced from $70,000 (€53,960) - has outsold the benchmark of the luxury segment, and the soon-to-be-replaced, Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It happened in the U.S. in the first quarter of this year, with Tesla selling 4,750 Model S sedans. Mercedes-Benz sold 3,077 S-Class vehicles, BMW delivered 2,338 7-Series sedans and Audi sold 1,462 A8 models.

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Consumer Reports Goes Wild with Praise and Drifty Joy Over the Tesla Model S

The Consumer Reports test team is not easily impressed, and most of their opinions on cars are a balanced mix of pros and cons - one of the reasons why their reviews are so well-regarded. However, now that they’ve put their hands on their own all-electric Tesla Model S to test, they’re really struggling to say anything bad about it…

It's is not the full review, as this will be posted at a later date, once the car goes through the whole battery of CR tests, but that doesn't mean they haven't done a lot with the car so far.

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