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Tesla 'Santa Mode' Easter egg turns your EV into a winter wonderland
Tesla is no stranger to offering Easter eggs that get you into the holiday spirit, but its latest is particularly... festive. Dive into the Easter egg section on your EV and you'll discover a reindeer button that invokes a Santa Mode. To say it brings a Christmas vibe to your car would be an understatement. It turns your car into Santa's sleigh on the dash display (and other cars into reindeer), but that's really just the start of the flourishes.
Tesla recalls 11,000 Model X SUVs for seat issues
Tesla is no stranger to voluntary recalls. The company issued notices to 90,000 Model S sedan owners for possible seatbelt defects back in 2015, another for 2,700 Model X SUVs in 2016 for a third-row seat problem, and one for 53,000 S and Model X SUV earlier this year over potential parking brake issues. It's the price of doing business -- and better that the company jumps ahead with a voluntary recall than a legally-mandated one after tragedy. Today, the automaker issued another for about 11,000 Model X's released last year, this time for the second-row seats.
Tesla envisions mobile EV battery swapping machines
Tesla has filed a patent application for a machine that will enable technicians to swap EV battery packs in as little as 15 minutes. The EV-maker initially toyed with the idea of building rigs that can quickly replace its cars' battery packs back in 2013 -- it even demoed the system at an event. That didn't quite pan out, but it clearly hasn't given up on its plans of providing customers a quick way to get their packs swapped out. As Electrek notes, the new design is more compact than the one it showed off a few years ago and could even be mobile, probably so it could easily be placed in strategic locations where Superchargers aren't available.
Tesla extends range on cars to help owners avoid Hurricane Irma
Tesla may have software-limited the battery capacities of some cars to upsell owners to pricier trim levels, but it's now clear that the company is willing to lift that limit during a crisis. The EV maker has confirmed to Electrek that it temporarily unlocked the full battery capacity on 60kWh Model S and Model X cars in Florida to give them the full 75kWh and help them escape Hurricane Irma. As you might guess, the extra range (about 30 to 40 miles) could be vital -- in one case, it helped an owner in a mandatory evacuation area optimize his escape route and get out in a timely fashion.
Tesla drops the price of its most expensive EVs
The prices of Tesla's top-of-the-range vehicles dropped overnight thanks to efficiency improvements in the way the brand's 100 kWh batteries are made. Better efficiency means lower production costs, and Tesla is passing its savings straight on to you. Discounts range from $3,500 to $5,000, include both the Model S and Model X, and put prices back to where they were before a small increase was added back in April. The discounts also follow a price drop for the Model X earlier this month, which came about due to its improved profit margins.
Tesla's music streaming service pops up in software update (update: a joke?)
Tesla has continued its foray into safe, eco-friendly and autonomous electric vehicles of late, as well as moves into the solar roof, municipal energy station and home-based power markets. Last month, however, was rumored that the energy company was in talks with major music labels to create a proprietary streaming service it could bundle with its cars. It looks like the reports were true, as a reader of website Electrek has found a spot for a new app, TTunes, in Tesla's most recent auto software update.
Tesla quietly upgrades Autopilot hardware in new cars
Tesla may have promised that all its newly-made vehicles from October 2016 onward would have the groundwork for self-driving capabilities, but that doesn't mean its technology is set in stone. Electrek has learned that Tesla is quietly equipping new Model 3, S and X production units with upgraded Autopilot hardware (HW 2.5). Don't put your barely-used P100D up for sale, though, as this isn't a night-and-day upgrade. Although Electrek says the new gear includes a secondary node to enable more computing power, a spokesperson says 2.5 is really about adding "computing and wiring redundancy" that "very slightly" boosts reliability.
Tesla lowers the Model X's price now that it's more profitable
Tesla might have ditched the Model X's relatively affordable 60D trim, but that doesn't mean it's insensitive to your price concerns. Elon Musk's outfit has lopped $3,000 off the price of the base 75D model, bringing the entry point down to 'just' $79,500 before tax credits -- right around where it was when the electric SUV launched nearly two years ago. As for why? Simple economics, Tesla says in a statement. When the Model X 75D launched, it had a low profit margin --"efficiencies" have let Tesla reduce the price without taking a hit to its bottom line.
Tesla is laying the groundwork to build cars in Shanghai
If you've been waiting to pull the trigger on one of Tesla's electric vehicles, the upcoming Model 3 probably looks pretty appealing. The car promises 215 miles per charge, ample seating, the tech for autopilot and it starts at just $35,000. Well, unless you're in China -- where imported vehicles get slapped with a 25-percent tariff. That fee is potentially disastrous to both customers' ability to buy Tesla vehicles in china and the company's bottom line. That's probably why Elon Musk's electric vehicle company is now talking with the Shanghai municipal government about opening a local manufacturing facility.
Tesla makes Autopilot 'smooth as silk' for current models
Just because your Tesla can periodically drive itself doesn't mean you'll always like it. Elon Musk himself acknowledges that the sometimes rough Autopilot driving can be "unpleasant." You won't be jolted quite so frequently in the near future, though. Musk has teased that a June update will give recent Model S and Model X variants (that is, any vehicle made in October 2016 or later) Autopilot control that's "smooth as silk." It should be "safer," too, suggesting that Tesla is determined to avoid even the slightest chance that it's responsible for a crash.
Tesla extends free Supercharger use to all existing owners
When Tesla put an end to free lifetime Supercharger access for new customers, it left more than a few people crestfallen -- one of the nicer perks of ownership just went out the window. However, Tesla has had a (partial) change of heart. As of now, any existing owner has free Supercharger use, even if you bought after the January 15th cut-off. And if you upgrade to a Model S or Model X in the future, you'll get to keep that gratis electricity. There aren't many people who'll need the offer right away (the Model S is only 5 years old), but this could give you a reason to upgrade quickly instead of holding on to your EV for as long as possible. And if you're a first-time buyer, don't fret -- you'll have a way of scoring free charging as well.
Tesla revives automatic braking in response to lower review scores
Apparently, public pressure works... to a degree. Tesla has reintroduced automatic emergency braking to the Model S and Model X through an update after their continued omission led Consumer Reports to lower its ratings for the electric cars. It's a tentative step, mind you. The feature currently only works at speeds up to 28MPH, so this won't save you if someone abruptly slows down on the highway. Higher speeds will come in stages, Tesla says. It's not clear just when you'll see the 90MPH braking that came with models released before October 2016.
Tesla cuts the price on its entry-level Model S by $5,000
Just because Tesla is ditching the Model S 60 and 60D doesn't mean that you'll be paying dramatically more to own the luxury electric sedan. Tesla has cut the price on its current entry-level models, the 75 and 75D, by $5,000. It's still $1,500 more expensive than the outgoing model at $69,500, but not so much so that you might balk if you were seriously considering the 60 before. It's certainly a better value if you were already looking at a 75 for the extra range. On top of that, Tesla is sweetening the pot by making key features standard.
Tesla's SUV demand is catching up to its sedan
You'd think that Tesla would sell far fewer units of its pricier, slightly frumpier-looking Model X SUV than its mainstay Model S sedan, but that's not the case these days. The electric car maker has revealed its production levels for the first quarter of 2017, and it's apparent that the gap has closed dramatically in recent months. Tesla delivered about 11,550 Model X vehicles at the start of the year, or just 1,900 shy of the 13,450 Model S cars that found owners in the same period. It's a stark contrast to a year earlier, when Tesla supplied 12,420 sedans and just 2,400 SUVs -- buyers are clearly willing to trade a bit of cash and style for some extra capacity.
Latest Tesla patch enables Autosteer at 80 mph for HW2 models
The new Autopilot features have been lurking in Tesla's latest electric vehicles for a few months and now they're ready to go live. For HW2 vehicles we're talking things like the Lane Departure Warning system, Autosteer at much higher speeds (80mph versus the previous 55mph), Auto Lane Change and the Summon feature. Auto Lane Change, as you might expect, will swap lanes after you activate the turn signal while in Autopilot. Summon is pretty self-explanatory as well, activating a self-parking-and-retrieval system that you can control via the Tesla mobile app or your key fob. The newer HW2 vehicles (produced after October 18th, 2016) rolled off the assembly line with better sensors and cameras, but this new patch brings the functionality up to par with the older HW1 models.
Tesla: Model 3 production is on track to start in July
Tesla's final earnings report for 2016 is most notable for what it tells us to expect in the upcoming year. In a letter to shareholders (PDF), Elon Musk & Co. report that Model 3 production is on track to start in July, ramping up to full-scale production in September. As our friends at Autoblog note, that means the earliest pre-ordering customers could see their cars by the end of this year.
Faraday Future is scaling back its EV production plans
The troubles for Faraday Future don't seem to have an end in sight. According to Reuters, the company's making drastic changes to its production roadmap: Rather than building seven electric vehicles in the foreseeable future, as was originally planned, that will shift to only two. But there's more. Faraday Future is reportedly also scaling down its vision for a 3-million-square-foot plant in Nevada, which is now expected to be 650,000 square feet -- quite a downgrade.
Tesla will have 'major' car revisions almost every year
If you're a Tesla buyer, you were probably miffed when you realized that the self-driving hardware revision rendered your car obsolete, even if it was just weeks old. However, you're going to have to get used to that feeling if you're going to stick with the brand. Tesla founder Elon Musk is telling customers that there will be "major" revisions every 12 to 18 months -- not quite yearly, but far more frequently than the every few years (at best) you see from conventional companies. He adds that retrofits would slow the company's progress "dramatically." For example, adding self-driving tech to earlier vehicles would require stripping the "entire car" and replacing 300 parts.
Tesla's big Autopilot update is now active on newer cars
Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot has been months in the making, but it's finally here -- no, for real this time. After days of laying dormant, the upgrade is now active for all HW2-era (that is, self-driving capable) Model S and Model X vehicles with Autopilot enabled. You may need to have Tesla technicians modify your camera angles first (the car will tell you if this is the case), but you're otherwise golden. Provided it works as promised, it should give you a more sophisticated take on semi-autonomy.
Tesla's latest 100D models focus on range, not power
Tesla has proved that the Model S P100D goes as fast as you'd ever want, and it now has a model that goes farther than ever. As expected, it quietly started selling the Model S 100D with the same battery as the P100D, but lacking the performance tweaks. The new 335 mile range (compared to 315 for the P100D) is the best ever for a Tesla (not counting the upgraded Roadster), and by far, the most range of any EV on the market. At the same time, Elon Musk's company released the Model X 100D with 295 miles of range compared to the performance variant's 289 miles.
