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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.
Tesla narrowly missed its 2016 sales targets
At the start of 2016, Tesla set itself the ambitious goal of delivering up to 90,000 new cars to customers, and by the end of the year it almost, but not quite, achieved it. The company has revealed that it managed to get 83,992 electric vehicles out to people over the year; it would have been more but for some production hiccups in the fall. It's a big year-over-year boost for the relatively small automaker, since it only managed to deliver 50,580 cars in 2015.
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 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 Autopilot avoids a crash before it happens
Tesla's Autopilot 8.0 has a particularly clever feature: it uses radar to track road activity two cars ahead, helping it avoid danger that you wouldn't normally see. And it now appears that this tech just averted a disaster. Dutch Model X owner Frank van Hoesel has dashcam footage showing his electric crossover reacting to a bad highway crash before it even starts. As you can hear in the video, the Model X's Forward Collision Warning system starts braking when it detects the SUV two vehicles ahead coming to an abrupt stop, even though the driver of the car directly behind it is unaware. The result? Van Hoesel's EV remained untouched when it could easily have contributed to a pile-up.
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 master plan was realized in 2016
Tesla started in 2006 as a niche electric sports car manufacturer. Its 2008 Roadster had an insane range of 244 miles and an equally bonkers price of more than $100,000. It was the first step in CEO Elon Musk's 2006 master plan to eventually bring a high-range, reasonably priced EV to the masses. Ten years later, that strategy is finally about to pay off.
Watch Faraday Future's prototype race Bentley, Ferrari and Tesla
Faraday Future is going more than a little overboard with promo pieces for its production electric car ahead of its January unveiling, but its latest clip at least has some substance. The fledgling automaker has posted a video showing its prototype EV drag racing against some hot competition: Tesla's Model X P100D (the obligatory electric rival), Bentley's Bentayga SUV and Ferrari's 488 GTB. It won't shock you to hear that Faraday Future's car wins each of these showdowns (why make the video if it lost?), but that's good news for acceleration junkies. It means that FF's vehicle is quicker off the line than even the Model X, which can hit 60MPH in 2.9 seconds using Ludicrous Mode.
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 cars will get even quicker through a software update
Tesla isn't done wringing every last drop of performance out of its electric cars, apparently. Elon Musk has revealed that a December software update will improve the off-the-line acceleration of both the Model S and Model X in their ultimate P100D trim levels when using their "Easter egg" (read: Ludicrous) modes. In both cases, it should shave a tenth of a second off both their 0-60MPH and quarter mile times. That doesn't sound like much, but it's a big deal for EVs that are already competitive with the quickest cars on the planet. The 2.4-second 0-60 time for the Model S could make Bugatti Chiron drivers nervous, and a 2.8-second launch for the Model X would put the Bentley Bentayga to shame.
Tesla asks new car buyers to pay for Supercharger access
It's not just your average Model 3 owner who'll have to pay to use Superchargers. Tesla has announced that anyone ordering one of its cars after January 1st, 2017 will no longer get unlimited free Supercharger top-ups -- yes, even if you buy a top-tier Model S or X. You'll get 400kWh of free credit every year (enough to recharge a P100D four times), but every charge after that will carry an incremental "small fee." The company is quick to note that Superchargers will "never be a profit center," and that whatever you pay (which may depend on local electricity rates) will be less than what it would take to fill a similar gas-powered car.
Tesla shows off its upgraded self-driving capabilities
Yesterday, Tesla promised that it would equip its entire fleet with self-driving hardware, and it has now showed off what that tech can do. It released a video showing a Model X do a fully autonomous drive with "no human input at all," Elon Musk tweeted. During the demo, the car emerges from a garage, takes to the suburban side streets, merges onto a freeway, and eventually ends up in a Tesla facility. From there, it drops off the "driver" at the door and finds itself a parking spot.
Tesla drops the entry-level Model X 60D from its lineup
We hope you weren't scrimping and saving to put the entry-level Model X in your driveway. Tesla has quietly dropped the 60D version of its electric crossover, leaving the 75D as your only choice. While the Model X wasn't exactly a budget vehicle to start with, that definitely raises the price of entry. You now have to spend $85,500 before tax credits to get past those falcon wing doors, or about $11,500 more than you did while the 60D was around.
Tesla's electric car deliveries surge by 70 percent
Tesla didn't have the best spring thanks to sub-par deliveries, but it made up for that in style this summer. The company reports that it delivered 24,500 electric vehicles in the third quarter, or a whopping 70 percent more than it did in the second quarter -- and over twice the 11,580 it shipped a year earlier. It's not simply a matter of clearing a backlog, either, as production was up 37 percent (to 25,185 cars) over the second quarter.
Tesla's major Autopilot update starts rolling out today
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to announce the latest update to his company's EVs will begin rolling out tonight. We've heard quite a lot about the "major overhaul" that is version 8.0 already, since it includes significant tweaks to the semi-autonomous Autopilot mode -- a reaction to the feature's role in a fatal crash this summer. Following the update, Autopilot will rely more heavily on radar, rather than these sensors playing second fiddle to camera feeds. The idea is radar is much more reliable than cameras when visibility is poor, such as when you're driving through snow or fog.
Tesla's next Autopilot update will rely more on radar
Today Tesla announced that its upcoming Autopilot 8.0 update will rely more on radar than previous versions of the semi-autonomous feature. To boot, it will penalize inattentive drivers.
Tesla may have disabled the Model X's door safety sensors
The latest firmware Tesla rolled out for Model X was supposed to fix its buggy doors, but it seemed to have brought new problems of its own. See, the car's sweet Falcon doors had been giving owners grief. One common complaint was that their inductive sensors, in charge of preventing those automatic wings from crushing precious fingers, were inclined to detect objects that weren't really there. Owners would sometimes have to try a few times to get them to close. According to the new firmware's logs, the update is supposed to improve this behavior. However, based on the tests conducted by MEtv Product Reviews on YouTube, Tesla might have deactivated those sensors altogether instead of issuing a proper fix.
Tesla unveils 100 kWh battery for Model X and S
Tesla's latest innovation is a 100 kWh battery pack for the Model X and Model S that can travel up to 315 miles non-stop, an improvement over its existing 90 kWh model. With the upgraded battery, the Model S P100D is the first and only electric car on the market able to exceed 300 miles of range on a single charge. The new battery module is roughly the same shape and size as the 90 kWh version, though it's more densely packed and features improved cooling mechanisms. The standard charging rate for the 100 kWh battery remains the same as its predecessor, while supercharging should hold a higher rate for a longer period of time.
Tesla preps an extra long-range battery for its electric cars
Tesla has dropped hints that it's ready to extend the range of its electric cars (there was an allusion to a "P100D" hidden in firmware), but it now looks like that long-distance technology is getting closer to fruition. Dutch regulators have approved 100D and P100D versions of both the Model S and Model X, hinting that a 100kWh power pack might soon hit the streets. If the listings are accurate, the Model S would get a whopping 380 miles on a charge -- no mean feat when the 90D can 'only' manage 294 miles. The Model X would likely have a shorter range given that the existing SUV officially tops out at 257 miles, but it's reasonable to say that you'd get over 300 miles on a charge.
Six Tesla inventions that aren't electric cars
By Cat DiStasio Tesla is well known for its electric cars, but you might be surprised to learn about all the other stuff the company makes. At some point in time, each of the amazing things Tesla is doing now was simply another one of CEO Elon Musk's crazy ideas. Now the company is working on batteries that can power your home, the world's largest building and a global network of thousands of zero-cost electric car chargers. Read on to learn about six incredible Tesla projects -- aside from electric vehicles, that is.
