Tesla

Rare Tesla offered as children’s fundraiser giveaway

Kimbal Musk, often cited as a global social entrepreneur, is conducting a fundraising campaign through Omaze for fans to the chance to win the philanthropist’s personal and fully customized Tesla Model 3, the sixth model ever made. Musk, the younger brother of Elon Musk and founder of Tesla, is considered the “founding father of the modern food movement.” Proceeds raised from the campaign will benefit Big Green, Kimbal’s initiative to provide healthier futures for kids through learning gardens and food literacy programs. Your donation will help Big Green establish a culture in schools that promotes youth wellness and reduces preventable diet-related health disparities. Funds raised can provide seeds, plants and supplies for a school’s garden; give students access to brand new

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Elon Musk delays production of Tesla Model 3 – again

Production of Tesla Model 3, the affordable electric sports car the manufacturer’s owner, Elon Musk, hoped would bring his vehicles into the mainstream car-buying market, has a weak battery. Tesla has announced it won’t begin full production of the vehicle until the end of June. It will mark nearly a year since the Fremont, California-based company began manufacturing the entry-level Tesla in limited numbers. Musk previously announced an expected production of 5,000 model 3s a week by December 2017. In November, he announced a delay of that goal to March 2018. Now the company said it would produce 2,500 Model 3s by March and the original goal of 5,000 by June. Tesla said it has between 400,000-500,000 refundable deposits of

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Episode 13, Tesla’s Woes, Farewell Danica Patrick

Elon Musk recently announced two new off-the-hook vehicles despite Tesla’s massive debt and abrupt company layoffs. What’s up with that? And Danica Patrick had an emotional announcement that she’s retiring after the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. We give our opinions on the polarizing luminaries. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers,

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Commentary: Is Elon Musk masking Tesla’s troubles?

Is there a better mastermind in the automotive business than Elon Musk? Whenever he talks, people listen. No more so than recently when he held court in fron of VIPs and the media to announce Tesla’s new electric truck and the second generation of its supercar roadster. To Musk’s credit, he’s changed the car industry. Tesla is the first electric supercar. Its innovation and “green” technology have rocked the automotive world. The Tesla has been tested by some industry publications as the safest car ever made. But Musk has also realized Tesla will never matter to the public at large and to his environmental causes until it becomes affordable. And that’s where caution prevails. Several major publications, including the Los

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Telsa announces rocket roadster with wicked specs

Elon Musk is a master promoter for his array of high-end electric vehicles. He’s just announced two new products, including what he’s marketing as the fastest street-legal roadster ever made. In addition to revealing plans for an electric semi-truck, Musk surprisingly announced the reboot of the roadster that launched his company. But it’s a far superior vehicle than debuted in 2008. According to Musk, the new generation of the roadster via prototype track testing will accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. It’s predicted to have a top speed of more than 250 miles per hour. And it will have a range of 620 miles on  one full charge. The new Tesla Roadster won’t be available until 2020

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Will Tesla be the first to offer affordable autonomous cars?

What company will be the first to make autonomous cars readily available in the United States? Will it be Tesla, Google or the Apple self-driving car? Or might it China and its manufacturers’ efforts? It’s hard to know what to expect or who will be at the front of the pack. Beyond pending infrastructure and legal issues, the successful company will likely be at the forefront with its design, functionality and affordability. Functionality involves ensuring the car can do what it is expected to do without failure. But how? Machine learning is a technology that allows machines to learn and adapt without specific programming based on data input from others. The more sources of input, the better and faster the

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Episode 3, Hybrid Hype

The 2000 Toyota Prius was the first nationally available hybrid vehicle in the United States. A few months earlier, Honda introduced the Insight, the so-called “Peanut Car.” But it’s never made much of an impact in its original edition or the current generation that debuted in recent years. Double click below to listen to the latest edition: But in the nearly 18 years since alternative fuel vehicles — gas/electric, electric only, natural gas, etc. — have been manufactured, has the technology made a difference? Environmental and green car advocates are likely to say “yes.” And every major manufacturer has at least one alternative fuel vehicle in its lineup. BMW to Mitsubishi and Ford to Lexus, manufacturers promote hybrid and other

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Tesla has reliability issues, owners passionate, forgiving

Tesla vehicles represent an automotive dichotomy. It’s the safest car ever tested, but more than one Tesla model has had reliability issues. Multiple issues have been reported by automotive publications and from owners of the Model S, which debuted in 2012. The Model X (2015) has also had reliability problems with its complex design. Tesla owners, however, have been more than forgiving, according to a new J.D. Power report titled: “Tesla: Beyond The Hype.” “Owners see themselves as pioneers who enjoy being early adopters of new technology,” said Kathleen Rizk, J.D. Power director, global automotive consulting, in announcing the study. The report details the owners of the high-performance electric car, like owners of other industry-changing car, care less about new

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Tesla woes continue with production shortfall

Tesla has had its second disappointment in a week. The luxury electric carmaker has fallen short of shipment targets for the second straight quarter, raising further questions of the manufacturer’s ability to meet production demands of its pending Model 3. The carmaker said it shipped 14,370 cars in the second quarter. It missed its target of 17,000. The shortcoming also put Tesla’s claim of delivering 80,000-90,000 cars this year in jeopardy. Further, the announced delivery date of late November 2016 for the affordable Model 3 has now also been questioned. About 400,000 wannabe be buyers of the new vehicle have paid a $1,000 deposit. Tesla blamed in driver death Production woes aside, Tesla has faced scrutiny since the death of

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Commentary: Tesla Model 3 could mean hybrids matter

The recent announcement of the high-performance Tesla Model 3, the all-electric, 200-mile range, reasonably priced sports car sedan attracted the consumers like no other recent new vehicle. If Telsa can meet the demand of 400,000 wannabe buyers who each deposited $1,000 to get the new model 3, the car industry could change. That’s if the Tesla delivers the vehicles in 2017, as promised. The car industry will finally have an alternative vehicle that’s infiltrated mainstream with a car that doesn’t have the look and stigma of the Toyota Prius. Tesla Model 3: Game Changer? Most major car manufacturers offer at least one hybrid model. But the family of Prius vehicles that includes five models combines to outsell all other alternative

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Tesla Model 3 unveiling, reservations streamed live

The Tesla Model 3, the first “green car” that will make a substantial impact on the automotive industry’s interest in a cleaner environment, will be available to reserve live at 7:30 p.m. PT on March 31. The live streaming of the unveiling will begin at 8:30 p.m. The reservation process and debut of the vehicle, anticipated for months, will be available HERE. Tesla suggests trying to log-in at least 15 before the debut time. A reservation can be made online for $1,000. It can be refunded in the event of cancellation — or applied instead to the purchase of a Model S or Model X instead. With its announcement, Tesla said it will give existing customers priority, but different geographic

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New $35,000 Tesla Model 3 reservations begin March 31

Reservations for the Tesla Model 3, the car that could change the automobile industry, will begin March 31 with a lot of fanfare and bravado from Elon Musk, the carmaker’s CEO. The reason it could alter the automobile industry is that the high performance and extraordinarily safe electric car will now be affordable to the middle class. The current and previous Tesla models don’t need re-introductions. But while Musk has already achieved a lot with his current vehicles, the introduction of the Model 3 will rectify Tesla’s major downfall. The electric sports car is the safest car ever tested by Consumer Reports and its performance numbers are superior. Tesla Model 3: $35,000 Plus Incentives But the car’s current base price

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Tesla announces Model 3 for 2017 with $35,000 price

Tesla may be the safest car ever tested. And company Elon Musk may have shaken up the car industry. But since its debut, Tesla’s inability to make an environmental difference with its high-performance electric car has been thwarted by one large problem. The Tesla and its six-figure price made the car unaffordable to most buyers. Now, it may all change with the announcement of the new Tesla Model 3, the manufacturer’s third platform. The base price for the Model 3 is anticipated at $35,000. The price does not include a $7,500 to $13,000 governmental rebate depending upon the state in which the car is purchased. According to Tesla, the unveiling of the Model 3 will take place in March, and

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Honda, Mazda, Tesla among 2016 Best Cars of the Year

The perennial best-selling Honda Accord, the innovative Tesla Model S 70 and the iconic Ford Mustang are among the 10 Best Cars for 2016, according to Car and Driver. And there’s a surprise: Mazda is the only manufacturer with two cars on the list. The authoritative automotive magazine announced its annual list Nov. 18 on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The list features a diverse group of vehicles, all priced between $18,000 and $80,000, the maximum price in the publication’s guidelines. Eddie Alderman, the publication’s editor-in chief, said “10 Best involves more than drawing up lists of our sub-$80,000 favorites. Every year we enter our weeklong evaluation looking for new and improved combinations of virtues: value and

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Tesla oddity: Safest car ever tested but unreliable? (VIDEO)

Telsa has revolutionized the automotive industry, but the super luxury electric car has just received its first major dubious honor. Consumer Reports has described $127,000 Tesla Model S has “worse than average” in reliability. The unexpected rating is odd considering the prestigious publication in recent months selected the Tesla as the safest car ever made. It’s also rated as the publication’s best performing car. According to the publication, results from the 1,400 responses from consumers detailed a long list of “maladies with the drivetrain, charging equipment, big-screen center console and evidence of a poorly-built vehicle with squeaks, rattles and leaks.” Tesla Model S sets record as safest car in history As a result, a Consumer Reports’ representative commented, “We are no longer

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Tesla debuts super fast $130,000 gullwing SUV

After nearly two years of delays, Tesla has unveiled its $130,000 sport utility vehicle Model X with the electric carmaker’s owner claiming it’s the “safest, fastest and most capable sport utility vehicle in history.” Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla, debuted the vehicle at the company’s factory in Fremont, California, and also gave keys to a handful of new customers. According to the Tesla website, the Model X can seat seven adults and accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds. There’s also an option for the standard 0-60 mph test in 3.2 seconds with Tesla’s “Ludicrous Speed Upgrade.” The new Tesla is equipped with a 90 kilowatt-hour battery, with the manufacturer stating the SUV can

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