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Tesla's first Model X electric SUVs sell for $132k
Now that Tesla's Model S has the world warmed up to the idea of classy-looking electric cars, it's ready to do it all again with a different form factor. After delays (and more delays), CEO Elon Musk announced the Model X in full specific detail -- much to the delight to those that put down some heavy deposits years back. A cheat sheet for what you'll get for waiting? Falcon wing doors to access the back; a scooch slower than the Model S; but also a taller and bigger interior than its forebear. It'll initially come in two models (at two prices): Reuters reports prices as $132,000 for the P90D Signature and $142,000 for the P90D Founder edition. (Update: The company has not said when the cheaper versions of the X will be available, but the CEO told press that the models will cost roughly $5,000 more than a comparable Model S).The future isn't cheap, but let's take a look at what alleged time-traveler Musk has crammed underneath those falcon wings.
World's first all-electric propulsion satellite begins operations
Boeing has announced that the first satellite using fully-electric propulsion has begun operating. Dubbed the ABS-3A, this 4,300-pound telecommunications satellite will provide C- and Ku-band service to South America, the Middle East and Africa. Unlike, well most every other satellite in orbit, the ABS-3A doesn't rely on tanks of inert gas for propulsion and orbit maintenance. Instead it relies on the Xenon Ion Propulsion System (XIPS) which employs a magnetic field to push ions around and generate thrust. The satellite is expected to use just 11 pounds of Xenon annually over the course of its 15 year operational life span -- that's a tenth the amount of propellent that a conventional satellite would require.
The 2016 Nissan Leaf touts 107-mile range thanks to a larger battery
If you're looking to get over 100 miles out of your next EV before needing to recharge, Nissan hopes its retooled Leaf will grab your attention. Two of the 2016 models claim an EPA-estimated 107-mile range thanks to a bigger 30 kWh battery. And yes, that's both best-in-class and 27 percent further than the previous power pack would take you. Looking to park one in your driveway? The base S model is priced at $29,010 before a $7,500 federal tax credit lowers the cost to $21,510. There are also SV and SL models, priced at $26,700 and $29,290 (after tax credit) respectively, if you're after a new ride with more options than the standard model offers.
That decked-out first-run Tesla Model X will cost you $140K
Tesla revealed its pricing scheme for its upcoming Model X electric SUV on Tuesday when it sent out online configurators to prospective buyers. The limited edition first-run, dubbed the Signature Series, will reportedly retail for $132,000. For the base model. Granted, the Signatures will come with most every feature Tesla offers, like Autopilot. But if you want every option -- including Ludicrous mode as well as both the towing and cold weather packages -- get ready to shell out $143,750. [Image Credit: Getty Images]
The new Formula E cars sound like upset cats
The second season of Formula E kicks off in October, and there's one key difference for the championship's sophomore year: custom batteries and motors. The teams are now able to experiment with the car's powertrain, which includes the e-motor, inverter, gearbox and cooling system. That means the cars will perform differently on the track, adding a little extra strategy and excitement to the proceedings. What we didn't expect, however, is the sound of the cars to change -- watch the video below for a glimpse at how they'll be screeching off the starting grid. Is it me, or do they all sound like confused felines?
Tesla's autopilot mode will get two awesome new features
Last fall, Tesla introduced an optional, semiautonomous "autopilot" mode on its Model S. Equipped with ultrasonic radar, the system can sense and avoid obstacles, other vehicles and even pedestrians. Hell, the thing even changes lanes for you with the flip of a turn signal. On Friday, Elon Musk revealed two new features that will do even more of the driving for you: highway autosteer and parallel autopark.
London's new Routemaster buses might not be as green as you think
London's Mayor Boris Johnson has long championed greener public transport, but his hybrid Routemaster buses are now being criticised for faulty batteries and an overdependence on diesel. According to MayorWatch's Christian Wolmar -- who hopes to be Labour's next Mayoral candidate -- 40 drivers from Holloway Garage have put together a dossier explaining the extent of the battery problems. They say the Routemaster buses are now relying on diesel for 90 per cent of their journeys, overworking the small, conventional engines that are only supposed to run while the batteries are charging.
London's getting another 51 all-electric buses
London's public transport is already going green, but there's still a lot of work to do before all of the city's buses are switched over to alternative energy sources. Just two weeks after mayor Boris Johnson announced the capital will host the world's first purpose-built all-electric double decker, Transport for London (TfL) today confirmed a further 51 green vehicles will hit the streets by autumn in a bid to lower carbon emissions and improve London's air quality.
London's getting the world's first all-electric double-decker bus
London's red double-decker buses are going green. No, we're not talking about a change to their iconic paint-jobs: Mayor Boris Johnson today announced plans to introduce an all-electric model in the capital. London is already served by hundreds of hybrid and eight all-electric single-decker buses, but the new double-decker variant is set to be a world first. That's not surprising, given such a large and heavy vehicle will require more, or higher capacity batteries to continue picking up passengers throughout the day. (Wireless charging can only help so much.) The new vehicle is being developed by BYD and will be trialled on route 16 between Cricklewood and Victoria Station from October.
Ford joins Tesla in opening up its electric car patents
One of the biggest issues in the automotive industry is that when car makers come up with an innovative new technology, it can take years for others to catch up. Tesla made a positive change when it opened its patents to further the adoption of electric cars, and now Ford is getting in on the act too. The company announced today that it will make at least 650 patents "dedicated to electrified vehicle technologies" available to other car makers, but unlike Tesla, is asking for an undisclosed fee. Ford already has six hybrid or all-electric models available to buy, but seems intent on increasing that number with a little help from its new facility located near Henry Ford's original labs in Dearborn. It intends to hire another 200 electrified vehicle engineers at Ford Engineering Laboratories this year, allowing it to "solve bigger challenges and help improve the industry." Now all we need is for Toyota and co. to follow suit.
Audi's R8 e-tron electric supercar can now drive itself
Slowly but surely, Audi is getting closer to realizing Will Smith's wildly futuristic motor from I, Robot. At CES Asia, the company has revealed an updated version of its R8 e-tron electric supercar with self-driving capabilities. A bevy of sensors have been rigged up inside, including a laser scanner, video cameras, ultrasonic and radar sensors. All of the environmental data is then fed through Audi's "zFAS" driver assistance system, which ultimately dictates how the concept car behaves on the road. It's not the first time Audi has experimented with autonomous and electric vehicles, but it's still hard to ignore this beautiful combination of the two. If you need a reminder, Audi's R8 e-tron wields two 170 kW electric motors capable of pushing it from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. With a top speed of 250 km/h and a two-hour charging time, it's certainly no Nissan Leaf.
Victory brings an e-bike to the world's best-known motorcycle race
Victory Motorcycles is better known for its burly cruiser bikes than racing, but it's about to challenge that reputation in a big, big way. The company has revealed that it will run a prototype electric motorcycle at the Isle of Man TT, arguably the world's most famous two-wheeled race. The machine will compete in 'just' a one-lap electric class competition on June 10th, but that still amounts to jumping in with both feet. The Isle of Man's 37.7-mile circuit is one of the most dangerous and grueling you can race -- there are many moments where you're seemingly a hair's breadth away from colliding with someone's house.
NASA's 10-engine electric UAV now flies as well as it hovers
NASA's ten-engine UAV, dubbed the Greased Lightning (GL-10), recently showed off a slick new trick in the skies over Hampton, Virginia. The drone, which is under development by a team at the Langley Research Center, had already passed its initial hovering tests last August; but that was the easy part. As the long and miserable development of the V-22 Osprey has shown, the real challenge is switching over from hover mode to conventional forward flight without the vehicle falling out of the sky. But on Thursday, NASA's battery-powered tilt-rotor aircraft successfully did just that.
Richard Branson hints at Virgin electric cars to rival Tesla
The Virgin giganto-brand already encompasses a media empire, a few airlines, wireless phone service, some hotels and an honest-to-goodness space program -- why wouldn't it churn out some electric cars for us, too? CEO Richard Branson hinted as much during a chat with Bloomberg, noting that Virgin's already got a team plugging away on high-speed electric car that'll participate in the Formula E racing circuit, but here's the bit that everyone's seized on: "We have teams of people working on electric cars," Branson said. "So you never know-you may find Virgin competing with the Tesla in the car business as we do in the space business. We will see what happens."
Audi promises an all-electric SUV in 2018
If you want an all-electric SUV, you don't have many options right now, although Tesla's Model X is on the horizon. Audi will have an answer if you're willing to wait, though. The company's engineering lead, Ulrich Hackenberg, has revealed that the company is planning to launch an electric "sports activity vehicle" in 2018. He didn't say much about it, but he briefly showed a conceptual drawing of the from-scratch design (above) and vowed that it would have a long range of more than 500 kilometers, or 313 miles. Even a Model S P85D is only expected to manage 270 miles, so this might be the EV of choice for taking the family on a drive through the back country.
Google's got a robot dog that stalks indoors, haunts dreams
This is how it starts: you feel bad seeing the robot "dog" get kicked, and the next thing you know it's nipping at your heels, pushing you back to work in the salt mines. Instead of using the film and TV trope to illustrate how morally bankrupt a villain truly is, Google-owned Boston Dynamics employs it to show off "Spot": its latest quadruped, with an amazing ability to self-stabilize. The bot appears considerably more lithe than the AlphaDog it races up a hill, and can even roam in a tight pack with another unit. And unlike the diminutive Little Dog, Spot has a sensor-laden "head" that Boston Dynamics says helps it conquer a variety of ground cover.
Tesla gets the go-ahead for five stores in Pennsylvania
If you Keystone Staters are looking for a more elegant, environmentally friendly way to transport cheesesteaks and Wawa hoagies, your time has nearly come. Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett signed a bill yesterday allowing Tesla to open up five "dealerships," which means you'll soon be able to buy yourself a Model S without jumping through all those traditional (and awful) hoops. Once you've visited a location to see Elon Musk's work in action, you order one online and wait. Simple as that. As the Associated Press points out, the law opens the door for any other electric car company to do the same, assuming it doesn't try to sell (or have a vested interest in selling) cars from other manufacturers. Hilariously, neither Senator John Rafferty -- the guy who sponsored the bill -- nor other state officials could explain how Tesla got the go-ahead when it opened one such store in mid-2013.
Harley-Davidson's first electric motorcycle is Project LiveWire and you can ride it
Legendary motorcycle builder Harley-Davidson teased an electric motorcycle with a video yesterday and now here it is. Project LiveWire is a part of Harley's attempt to expand its relevance beyond current riders and show off its new tech, with a not-in-production bike that it says is much more than just a trade-show prototype. Project LiveWire packs its electric motor into a polished case underneath the bike, and clearly the manufacturer is concerned about how customers may feel about losing signature touches like the V-twin engines and chrome pipes. The press release and video trailer promise "an unmistakeable new sound" like a jet on an aircraft carrier and tire shredding acceleration but don't have any specs to offer (according to Wired, the demo unit has 74hp, electrically limited 95mph top speed, 53 miles of range and charges in 3.5 hours). Built on a one-piece frame with dual-sided rear swing arm suspension, it has LED lighting all over and even a colorful touchscreen display for its rider. Of course, the best way to figure out if its customers want an electric motorcycle is to put them on one, and the company is doing just that with a demo tour this year.
BMW's all-electric i3 ready to roll in the US
At long last, BMW's eco-friendly i-series cars are reaching US buyers. The automaker has delivered its first all-electric i3 models to a handful of Americans that include both loyal ActiveE driver Charles Rabie as well as Ashlan Gorse Cousteau, the wife of documentary maker Philippe Cousteau Jr. As the photo you see here would suggest, BMW is also close to rolling out "hundreds" of further orders to patient customers who've been waiting the better part of three years to see the EV become reality. The sportier (and wealthier) crowd will have to wait until September to scoop up the i8, but the i3's arrival is good news if you have just over $41,000 to spend on tech-savvy, emission-free transportation.
Mercedes' first electric vehicle for the US has a Tesla heart and plenty of muscle
I shouldn't be imagining the sound of crickets when test-driving a brand-new Mercedes, but that's exactly what happened to me this week with the company's B-Class Electric. In this case, however, it's actually a good thing: The new US-bound EV, which should be hitting Stateside this summer for $41,450, is practically quiet enough for me to hear the nocturnal insects while driving. It's not going to be the most stunning car on the road, but as the first full-electric vehicle from Mercedes to hit US show floors, it's got enough appeal and oomph to be worth taking a closer look at.
