models
Latest
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 Model S safety concerns cost it Consumer Reports' top rating
Consumer Reports and Tesla really aren't getting along well lately. The what-should-I-buy magazine has lowered the ratings of Tesla's Model S and Model X after noting that a promised automatic emergency braking feature (originally due by the end of 2016) is still missing. The move isn't too damaging for the Model X, since a two-point drop from a modest score of 58 isn't likely to change buyers' minds. For the Model S, however, it's a big blow -- the move from 87 to 85 knocks the electric sedan from the top of the ultraluxury category to third. While few people choose a car simply because it's leading the Consumer Reports charts, it's harder to make your case when you're merely considered better than average.
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 kills its relatively affordable 60kWh Model S options
After April 16th, 2017, people will no longer be able to buy the most affordable Tesla cars available today. The automaker has decided to stop offering the Model S 60 and 60D options to "simplify the ordering process," according to a newsletter it sent to subscribers. Tesla launched the cars last year as a way to reintroduce the cheaper 60kWh battery option. The company first offered 60kWh battery from 2012 to 2015, before the Model S 70D took its place.
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.
Tesla Model S breaks acceleration record with Ludicrous Mode
Tesla's Model S P100D is the fastest accelerating production car in the world, thanks to a Spaceballs-inspired software update. In a recent Motor Trend test, the Model S P100D hit 0-60 mph in 2.275507139 seconds using a new Easter egg mode called Ludicrous+. No production car has ever cracked 2.3 seconds during the magazine's testing, it said. That's faster than Tesla's original promise of 2.5 seconds, and faster than the 2.389 second time recorded by the Tesla Racing Channel in January.
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.
Tesla's Ludicrous Plus mode beats Faraday Future's 0-60 time
Faraday Future claims its FF 91 SUV will be the fastest accelerating production vehicle to date with a 0-60 mph time of 2.39 seconds, but we're going to need a more precise stopwatch if the showdown with Tesla is going to continue. In a real-world track test, the folks from Tesla Racing Channel were able to just barely edge out the FF 91's time in a Model S P100D sedan with the latest Ludicrous Plus mode update unlocked. The Tesla's new track time? A blistering 2.389 seconds -- besting Faraday by just a thousandth of a second.
Investigation clears Tesla for fatal Autopilot crash
Last May a Tesla Model S ran into a tractor trailer in Florida while in Autopilot mode. The collision resulted in the death of the driver Joshua Brown and prompted an investigation by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Today that government agency concluded its investigation and found no defects with the vehicle's Autopilot or Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) features.
Tesla explains how much Supercharging will cost new buyers
If you've still yet to buy your dream Model X or S, we're afraid you only have a couple of days to get one with free lifetime access to Tesla's Supercharger stations. That perk ends on January 15th and will be replaced by a more limited offering. After the 15th, you'll get 400 kWh of free supercharging credits every year with a Model X or S instead of unlimited access, though you can top up if you're willing to pay more. Now, the automaker has revealed more details about how much it would cost to charge your car if you use up your credits before they're replenished every year.
You only have two weeks left to buy a Tesla with free supercharging
A few months ago, Tesla gave its customers the bad news: new buyers will have to pay for their own electricity. It was a small surprise, considering the fact that free use of Tesla's Supercharger network was a big bonus for buying the company's vehicles. The free access was supposed to drop off for any vehicle purchased after the start of the year, but the company seems to be offering a slight reprieve: prospective Tesla buyers now have two weeks to buy a car with unlimited free access to the charging network.
Tesla's superfast P100D offers tech-heavy luxury for the rich
When you drive the $134,000 Tesla Model S P100D, you want to tell the world that it goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. You're like a child excited about a new toy, stopping strangers on the streets to regale them with your tales of wonder. But to many, that staggeringly quick acceleration has little to no meaning. They have no personal barometer to judge it against. They really have to experience it.
Tesla's big Autopilot update reaches a handful of cars
Tesla didn't roll out its Enhanced Autopilot in mid-December as initially reported, but it is giving drivers something right before 2016 comes to a close. Elon Musk has revealed that the new Autopilot software is reaching about 1,000 HW2-era (that is, October and beyond) cars, with the rest of the HW2 fleet getting it the following week if there are no problems. The P100D performance update should hit on January 5th, too, so you'll have an extra treat if you splurged on a recent Model S or X.
Tesla hides two Easter Eggs in its latest software update
Tesla's latest firmware update comes with more than just bug fixes -- there are a pair of fun surprises just in time for the holidays hidden in there as well.
Tesla's upgraded Autopilot will start rolling out mid-December
Should you happen to be one of the first drivers to buy a Model S or Model X with Enhanced Autopilot support, you're probably wondering when you'll actually start getting those features. Well, the mystery's over. Elon Musk informs a new Model S owner that the Enhanced Autopilot update should start rolling out in "about three weeks" (as of November 26th), or sometime in mid-December. That's a nice holiday gift, we'd say. However, don't expect to receive everything that Tesla promised right off the bat.
Tesla self-driving demo shows you what the car sees
Sure, Tesla's first demo of full self-driving features was intriguing. But did you wonder what it was like from the car's point of view? You're about to find out. Tesla has posted another demo video that shows what an autonomous EV sees as it navigates local roads. As the clip illustrates, the cameras and sensors have to detect many, many different objects at any given moment: road lines, signs, lights, pedestrians and cars are among the many examples. The car even captures the "motion flow" of the environment to get a sense of where it's going.
