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Inhabitat's Week in Green: A flying car by 2018, and more!
If you've been waiting forever for a flying car, you won't have to hold out much longer: The Terrafugia TF-X will take to the skies by the year 2018. In other transportation news, Singapore-based Vanda Electric unveiled an insane 1,500-horsepower supercar that can go from 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds. Tesla partnered with Radio Flyer to roll out a tiny Model S for kids. And a NASA scientist thinks that in the far future lasers could send a spacecraft to Mars in just 30 minutes.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The Detroit Auto Show, SOTU and more!
The North American International Auto Show kicked off this week in Detroit, and we hit the floor to bring you seven of the best green cars, including a hot hydrogen sedan and the world's first electric minivan. The Obama administration heralded the age of autonomous vehicles with a new plan to invest $4 billion in self-driving car technology. As usual, Tesla is ahead of the curve: This week Elon Musk announced that the automaker's first fully autonomous cars will hit streets by the year 2018. And Tesla also took honors as the Model S was declared the world's top-selling electric car of 2015.
Tesla brings Spotify Premium to non-US customers
Tesla announced on Monday that it is partnering with Spotify to integrate its Premium net-radio offerings into the Model S. But don't get too excited, the new service is only going to be available to customers in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong for the time being. It's reportedly coming to the US, however a release date has not yet been set. The integration will not require customers install the Spotify app on their phones or even have a Premium account of their own -- the account comes with the car and will only work with that specific vehicle. If you've already got a Spotify Premium account, you will be able to link that instead.[Image Credit: Getty]
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Tesla Model S recall, and more!
When a problem comes along, you must fix it. This week Tesla noticed a defective seatbelt in one of its Model S sedans, so the automaker immediately issued a recall for all 90,000 vehicles on the road out of "an abundance of caution." In other transportation news, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin beat out Elon Musk's SpaceX in the race to develop a rocket that can return intact from space. Porsche announced plans to offer a hybrid version of one of the most-loved sports cars of all time. We also spotted several outlandish infrastructural hazards: a three-day traffic jam snared drivers in Kenya and a highway suddenly lifted towards the sky and splintered into pieces in California.
Tesla recalls 90,000 Model S sedans to check possible seatbelt defect
Due to a possible defect in the front seatbelt assembly, Tesla issued a voluntary recall for the 90,000 of its Model S electric sedans currently on the road. The company added that the cost of recalling so many vehicles is "immaterial" as it checks to ensure the restraints are safe. First revealed back in 2012, the Model S is no stranger to safety issues, including a number of fires, all of which Tesla has been quick to respond to. The potential problem with the seatbelts was first reported to the company earlier this month when a customer in Europe turned to speak with back-seat passengers and the assembly broke.
Elon Musk responds to Consumer Reports' Tesla Model S downgrade
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is good at looking on the bright side of things, from space travel to clean energy and even people getting fired. After Consumer Reports revoked its "recommended" rating for the Tesla Model S this week, noting a "worse-than-average overall problem rate," Musk went on the optimistic offensive in a few tweets. Musk noted that the Consumer Reports reliability survey included "a lot of early production cars" with issues that have been fixed in newer models. He added, "97% of owners expect their next car to be a Tesla (the acid test)."
City of LA's electric vehicle fleet includes a Tesla Model S
For anyone who thought that Los Angeles' efforts to turn its traffic problems green would end after a partnership with Waze, think again. The City of Angels has committed to leasing 160 battery-powered electric vehicles and 128 plug-in hybrids for its municipal fleet. A post on the LAPD blog says that the police, fire, general services, water and power departments will split the former, while the general services will also take all of the latter. Mayor Eric Garcetti says that this move puts LA closer to its goal of becoming the "most sustainable city in America."
Tesla's 'Ludicrous Mode' takes the Model S from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds
Today Tesla announced a new "Ludicrous Mode" for its top-of-the-line Model S P85. The new mode reduces the 0-60 MPH time to 2.8 seconds with a quarter mile time of 10.9 seconds. The front engine now has 259 hp while the rear engine is pushing 503 hp. Wow! The new electronics pack that makes Ludicrous Mode possible for the Model S will cost new owners an additional $10,000. Current owners will be able to upgrade their vehicle for $5,000 for the next six months. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the new mode pushes the vehicle to 1.1Gs while accelerating and that it's "faster than falling." Musk also introduced a new 90kWh battery pack upgrade for the 85kWh Model S which increases the range five percent for $3,000. The 70 kWh rear-wheel drive Model S also got a price drop to $70,000.
Tesla can now sell its cars directly to consumers in New Jersey (updated)
Tesla's relationship with New Jersey is a little complicated. After first banning direct-to-consumer sales just over a year ago, then moving to lift the ban, the Garden State is finally following through. CNBC reports that governor Chris Christie has signed a bill into law allowing dealership-free sales of the electric vehicles. This gives Elon Musk and Co. the ability to establish "up to four" locations where Tesla could sell its cars in the state, according to Business Insider. Tesla wouldn't be the only company that can sell vehicles in this fashion, either -- the law applies to any auto manufacturer that doesn't have franchise agreements. We've reached out to Tesla for further detail and will update this post if we hear back. Update: Tesla's response is below.
Tesla Model S owners can pretend they're in a James Bond submarine
Elon Musk loved that Lotus Esprit car/submarine from Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me so much, he dropped $866,000 to buy it in an auction two years ago. By the looks of it, though, that's not all he did: he also paid homage to Bond's transforming vehicle by using it as a Model S easter egg. If you have one of Tesla's best-selling EVs, just hold down the T button while on the entertainment system's menu to trigger the Access Code prompt. Yup, you guessed it -- you need to type Bond's number code into the box (hint: it has two zeros and a seven). The screen on your Model S dashboard should then show the Lotus Esprit sub and a "Depth"drop-down menu with the max option of 20,000 Leagues.
Man lists his Tesla Model S as an $85-a-night Airbnb room
If someone tells you he's been sleeping in a car, you'd most likely think he's either traveling on a budget or going through a rough patch. And, you know what? Either answer's probably true -- unless he meant he's been renting a Tesla Model S to sleep in from Airbnb for $85 a night. Because, yes, that listing seriously exists. A man from Phoenix, Arizona has listed his electric car on the rent-a-place website, calling it the "world's first Tesla hotel." According to the listing, the Model S with an airbed in the back will be locked securely in his attached garage, though you'll also have access to his condo's kitchen and bathroom.
Tesla Model S update adds calendar integration and traffic-based navigation
If you look at the changelog for Tesla's Model S, you'll see most of the updates have been minor bug fixes; it's fairly rare that the luxury electric vehicle gets upgraded with new features. Every once in a while, though, Elon Musk and co. unleash a meaty update and as it happens, today is one of those days. The company just released the (previously leaked) version 6.0 of its software, which adds a built-in calendar that syncs with your smartphone, along with a remote-start feature and traffic-based navigation to help you avoid the busiest roadways.
Tesla adds drive unit to its infinite mile warranty following Edmunds report
A few weeks ago, Edmunds posted its findings after blazing the highways in Tesla's Model S for nearly a year and a half. In addition to falling short of the promised 265-mile range, a series of service trips saw the drive unit replaced three separate times. Today, CEO Elon Musk announced via the company blog that the warranty on that part has been extended to match the battery pack's infinite mile coverage. The unit will be replaced within eight years no matter the odometer reading. What's more, the new warranty terms apply to any Model S built thus far -- not just the popular 85kWh model cited in the report. "If we truly believe that electric motors are fundamentally more reliable than gasoline engines... then our warranty policy should reflect that," Musk noted in the post. [Photo credit: Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
The Tesla Model S doesn't have onboard navigation in China
Take a Tesla Model S for a spin in the US or Europe, and you'll have the help of a integrated navigation system to help you find your way. In China, you'll have to unfold a traditional, paper map. Local drivers are learning that the country's aversion to Google services keeps Tesla from employing its usual map solution, leaving the sedan unequipped to guide its users through the streets of Shanghai. It's an unfortunate situation, but it won't last forever -- Tesla says that it's working on a solution that supports Chinese voice and text recognition, and expects to update cars in the Chinese market with navigation features later this year. Check out Asysha Webb's ChinaEV blog at the source link below for Tesla's full statement.
Tesla Model S software update guards against faulty wiring
Amidst a recent spate of Model S fires, Tesla has upgraded the software on the EV to prevent unsafe charging, according to a tweet from Tesla S owner @ddenboer. If input power fluctuations are outside a safe range, the software will automatically reduce the charging current by 25 percent -- from 40 amps to 30, for instance. The change is supposedly a response to a recent Tesla S blaze, which happened in a California garage in November. Citing investigators, Tesla said the incident wasn't caused by the EV but by an overheated wall charger in the garage, a problem that the system can apparently now detect and help mitigate. Meanwhile, per Tesla's request, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is still looking into several recent fires, two of which were caused by road debris puncturing the batteries. Though the company has already changed the warranty to cover any and all fire damage, CEO Elon Musk hopes that such an inquiry will prove that the Model S is safe.
Tesla's West Coast Supercharger Corridor now open, charging the Model S from San Diego to Vancouver
Tesla Motors' Supercharger Corridor, which runs from San Diego to Vancouver, is now open for business. It enables the Model S to quickly recharge for free at a variety of locations along the West Coast of North America. At least six of those locations are already installed, and Tesla says "more than 99 percent of Californians and 87 percent of Oregon and Washington owners are now within 200 miles of a Supercharger." Company head Elon Musk says the West Coast leg of the supercharger network is just the beginning: "East Coast Supercharger network should be complete in a few months." A handful of locations already exist in the Northeast. The newly opened West Coast network follows Interstate 5 and US Highway 101, enabling passage across long stretches for folks otherwise tethered to a wall charge. Two demonstration vehicles are taking a 1,750-mile journey from San Diego to Vancouver (read: a PR stunt) using solely Superchargers for power along the way.
Tesla Model S deliveries begin outside of North America, starting with Norway
Tesla's four-door Model S has been trickling into North American garages for a couple of years now, and it seems that production has ramped up enough to finally begin deliveries internationally. Starting today, Model S buyers across various ponds will begin to see stock appear. As seen above, the action is starting in Oslo, Norway, where that guy in the driver seat looks particularly charged up about the parade that awaits. Sorry. It seemed funnier in the moment.
All Electric Vehicle Rally ends with Tesla S in top spot
There they were, a caravan of nine electric car enthusiasts with a lot of free time on their hands, "tearing" down North America's west coast in a bunch of environmentally conscious vehicles. That was just last week in what organizer Tony Williams called the All Electric Vehicle Rally, and nearly all nine participants arrived in the rally's end location of Tijuana, Mexico. The convoy started in Blaine, Washington and took to I-5 in four chunks. This year a Tesla Model S piloted by Jack Bowers and Georg Kuhnke arrived first, with just 41 hours of driving time -- a far cry from the eight days and five hours the course took Williams last year. The approximately 1,400 miles were covered by the winner at an average speed of about 34 MPH. Sadly, one Nissan Leaf owner got stuck charging their car for 15 hours in California due to a lack of CHADEMO chargers en route. Despite years of promises, CHADEMO sites haven't made their way south of the Oregon/California border as part of the west coast's Green Highway. Still, that we've reached the point where even some EVs can clear that many miles in under two days using only public chargers is pretty impressive.
Unofficial Tesla app for Google Glass lets Model S owners find, charge and unlock their car
We may still be looking for excuses to wear Google Glass in the office, but the headset's peripheral display is becoming more and more appealing in the garage: someone just made a Tesla Model S Glass app. The simply named GlassTesla is an unofficial suite of headgear accessible controls for the electric sedan, allowing users to start and stop charging, check battery levels, remotely lock doors and monitor and adjust the vehicle's temperature controls. More features are on the way too -- Sahas Katta, the app's creator, told Engadget that he's working on voice control ("ok glass, unlock my car"), charge completion notification and real-time vehicle tracking. Not bad, if you happen to own both a Tesla Model S and Google Glass. All three of you can find the app at the source link below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Visualized: Sergey Brin rides pink Teslamobile Model S, complete with Chromed out rims
Hello Kitty must be so jealous.
