Category: Tesla

Tesla disputes the employees’ claims, saying they were terminated for performance-related issues. July 10, 2019 3 min read This story originally appeared on Business Insider Three former Tesla workers have told The Guardian in on the record interviews that they were unfairly dismissed for matters concerning pregnancy and time off for childcare. Devon Beccera worked for Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada for 11 months from February 2018. She found out she was pregnant in July of that year, and informed the company of her plans to take maternity leave in February 2019. However, she was fired in December 2018. “Nevada is a right-to-work state, so they didn’t need any sort of reason for firing me, but it was very convenient to fire me two weeks before Christmas, and about 50 days before my maternity leave started,” she told The Guardian. A Tesla spokeswoman told Business Insider that the company terminated Becerra’s employment due […]

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Peter Hochholdinger had been at Tesla since 2016. July 2, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Tesla Motors is suffering from some significant brain drain. On Monday, upstart electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors announced that it is hiring Peter Hochholdinger, Tesla’s former head of production, to serve as its vice president of manufacturing, according to Reuters. Hochholdinger, who previously served as a longtime executive at Audi, officially left Tesla last week. Prior to joining Lucid Motors, Hochholdinger spent three years at Tesla. During his time at the company, he was tasked with improving the production of the company’s Model S and Model X vehicles. He also worked on developing a manufacturing program for the Model 3, which had its fair share of production issues before the company started producing them at a steady clip. Hochholdinger oversaw much of the production efforts at the Tesla Fremont factory, which drew the eye […]

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Following an investigation by Tesla, the Model S was found to have a single battery module fault which caused the vehicle to catch fire. June 28, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Back in April a Tesla Model S parked in a Shanghai car park burst into flames. Tesla just concluded its investigation into the incident and tracked the fire back to a single faulty battery module. As Reuters reports, the important part of the investigation for Tesla is the fact no systematic defect was found. It means there isn’t a general fault across the Model S range which would make these parked vehicle fires likely to happen again. The faulty battery module thought to have caused the white smoke and subsequent first was located at the front of the Model S. While the investigation was ongoing, Tesla released an over-the-air update for Model S and Model X […]

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Until self-driving cars are a reality, you’ll have to park to partake. June 14, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Tesla is setting the standard for electric vehicles right now, but Elon Musk is very keen to push the boundaries of what we expect a car to do in as many ways as possible. That includes gaming. As Engadget reports, Musk sat down with Bethesda’s Todd Howard for an E3 2019 chat and made a few gaming announcement for the touch screen Tesla vehicles all have mounted on the dash. They included the previously-announced Cuphead and Beach Buggy Racing 2, but Howard confirmed Bethesda is currently working on a version of Fallout Shelter for Tesla, so your little dwellers will “live in the car.” Playing such games really requires a feature vehicles don’t yet have, at least not legally: the ability to drive themselves while you relax. Musk admitted you’ll need to […]

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The National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report confirms Autopilot had been engaged by the driver 10 seconds before the crash occurred. May 17, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag On March 1, a Tesla Model 3 crashed into a semitrailer in Delray Beach, Florida, which sheared off the vehicle’s roof and proved fatal for the driver. A preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday confirms Autopilot was engaged when the crash occurred. As Reuters reports, the NTSB concluded in its report that Autopilot had been engaged by the driver roughly 10 seconds before the crash happened. However, the driver’s hands were not detected on the wheel for eight of those seconds leading up to the crash. It’s also key to point out that the Model 3 was traveling at 68mph on a highway with a 55mph speed limit. Tesla has pointed out that […]

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Yes, the warning was leaked. May 6, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Tesla has a rough history with leakers, and it’s apparently eager to remind employees of that fact. CNBC said it had obtained an email from Tesla’s security team (yes, the irony is thick) warning staff against leaking sensitive information. The message asserted that outsiders were “targeting” employees hoping to get vital data in a bid to “see us fail,” and pointed out that Tesla would crack down on leakers by firing them, making damage claims and filing charges. The EV maker pointed to a few examples, such as workers who posted production numbers and even an internal meeting’s phone number on social networks. Corporate missives discouraging leaks aren’t new. Apple in particular is well-known for warning staff of the consequences of leaking. For Tesla, though, there’s a certain sense of urgency to warnings like this. The company is dealing with financial […]

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The company says self-driving cars will be on the road this year. April 23, 2019 4 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Two days ahead of its first-quarter earnings disclosure, the company had an event to explain its autonomous technology to investors. The talks were probably denser than the average shareholder was expecting but it was an opportunity to see how Tesla will deliver a self-driving car and it announced that Tesla robo-taxis will be available next year. To kick things off, the company shared that it had built its very own computer for self-driving cars. The neural network chip was built from the ground up; the project started back in 2016. Each computer (which is stored behind the glove box) has redundancy so that if one chip fails, the second chip can take over. This is the company’s first time building its own silicon. CEO Elon Musk […]

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You might want to act quickly if you’re determined to get a Tesla vehicle with self-driving capability. April 15, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget You might want to act quickly if you’re determined to get a Tesla vehicle with self-driving capability. Elon Musk has warned that the price of the Full Self-Driving package will “increase substantially over time,” starting with a hike on May 1st. He didn’t give a ballpark of his own, but said it would be “something like” the $3,000 suggested by one Twitter follower. It currently costs $5,000 to add the (eventual) full autonomy when ordering a car, and $7,000 if you want it later. The increase comes on the heels of Tesla making Autopilot standard and won’t exactly thrill buyers who can’t buy before May. However, there is a reason for the move: Tesla is showing off its next-gen driverless technology, which comes in tandem with a new computer, at […]

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The vehicle lineup Tesla offers has been given an overhaul. April 12, 2019 3 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Tesla has been streamlining its vehicle options of late in a bid to make things simpler for consumers and optimized for production. More changes happened this week and it’s now no longer possible to buy the $35,000 Model 3 online. We’ve already lost the standard range Model S and the Model 3 Mid Range battery option got dropped. Prices have also gone up. Yesterday, further updates were introduced as detailed on the Tesla blog. Autopilot is now a standard feature on all vehicles, but importantly, it’s being added for a lower cost than the Autopilot option use to command. For example, Autopilot used to cost $3,000 when added to the $37,500 Model 3 Stand Plus, but now it comes as standard for $39,500. As to why Autopilot is now a standard feature, Tesla […]

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He describes it as roomier than a Model 3 while being less imposing than a Model X. March 15, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Now that the Model 3 has reached its promised $35,000 price point, Tesla is turning its marketing attention to what comes next. Yesterday, Elon Musk officially unveiled the next vehicle to join the Tesla range in the form of the Model Y. As The Verge reports, the Model Y is a compact SUV which Musk describes as roomier than a Model 3 while being less imposing than a Model X. It’s expected to achieve a five-star crash test rating and will eventually be offered as four model options: Standard Range, Long Range, Dual Motor AWD, and Performance. Inside looks very similar to the Model 3 while offering 66 cubic feet of storage space. The Standard Range model will be the cheapest at $39,000 and offers a […]

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It’s also deploying its next-gen Supercharger on March 6th. March 4, 2019 3 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Tesla is following up a very busy February with an even more hectic March. Elon Musk has announced that his brand will unveil the long-promised Model Y crossover at the LA Design Studio on March 14th. On top of that, you can expect the first “v3.0” Supercharger station to switch on March 6th at 8PM Pacific. Musk didn’t provide more clues beyond that, but you might already have an idea as to what to expect. The Model Y should be to the Model X what the Model 3 is to the Model S — that is, a more affordable version of an EV in the same category. You might see features comparable to the Model 3, just in a form factor that’s more suited to the SUV crowd. Tesla hasn’t said how many components the Model Y will share with the 3, although it might […]

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You can order one now. March 1, 2019 3 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget In a sort of surprise event (CEO Elon Musk tweeted it out two days ago), Tesla announced the $35,000 Standard Range Model 3 is available for order. The automaker has been working diligently to streamline its production line and lower unit costs of the Model 3. You can order it right now. The rear-wheel-drive car will have a 220-mile range, a top speed of 130 miles per hour and a zero to 60 time of 5.6 seconds. The $35,000 Model 3 will enter the market that’s becoming increasingly crowded. The Chevy Bolt, Kia Niro EV and Hyundai Kona EV are all in the same price point and have about the same amount of range. But none of them have the cache of the Model 3. The lower-priced Model 3 will have a few caveats including a new “standard interior.” That means […]

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Tesla slashes Model 3’s prices. February 6, 2019 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget If you visit Model 3’s “Design Your Car” page, you’ll notice that it looks a bit more affordable than before. Tesla has lowered its price across versions by $1,100, so you can now get the mid-range battery option for $42,900 before incentives. Meanwhile, the car’s long-range version now costs $49,900, while the performance option will set you back $60,900 before savings. Elon Musk said that means Model 3 now has a starting price of $35,000, though that’s after you apply tax credits and fuel savings — you’ll have to wait a bit more for a Tesla car with a $35,000 base price. “We’re doing everything we can to get there,” Musk tweeted. “It’s a super hard grind.” A spokesperson told Electrek that the price decrease was enabled by the cancellation of the “referral program, which cost far more than [the company] realized.” […]

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Musk on Twitter on Monday said that the factory would make Tesla’s Model 3, and that the Model S and the Model X would still be built in Tesla’s two U.S. factories. January 7, 2019 4 min read This story originally appeared on Business Insider Elon Musk has kicked off construction of his new Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, a project that could help him avoid tariffs on cars that have recently been inflamed by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China. Musk gave a speech at the site of the planned $2 billion factory in the Lingang district of Shanghai at about 3 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) on Monday. The new factory, first announced in July, could be a remedy to problems operating in China, which Tesla attributed partly to President Donald Trump’s trade war. Musk said the factory would be finished by the end of 2019 and might […]

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Elon Musk has revealed the expansion on Twitter. December 27, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Elon Musk has revealed on Twitter that Tesla is planning a Supercharger expansion that will cover “100 percent of Europe” next year. “From Ireland to Kiev (Ukraine), from Norway to Turkey,” he added, in response to a tweet that some parts of Ireland are badly in need of Superchargers. The automaker started preparing the Model 3 for European markets back in November, displaying it in showrooms in various countries across the continent. That time, the company also said that the vehicle’s European version will come equipped with Combined Charging System (CCS) fast charging-compatible ports. In addition, Tesla said it will upgrade its existing Superchargers in the continent with CCS plugs before Model 3 arrives. Yes. Supercharger coverage will extend to 100% of Europe next year. From Ireland to Kiev, from Norway to Turkey. https://t.co/7FQZgLCTVJ — Elon […]

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According to Musk, its cars could drive through it at over 150 MPH. December 19, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Tonight The Boring Company hosted a launch event for the test tunnel it successfully built in L.A. running from SpaceX’s property to “O’Leary Station” at a reported cost of about $10 million. In tweets, he showed off a Model X equipped with gear that guides the car between elevators at each end of the tunnel, where it then simply drives right back onto the road. The rig itself is really just a set of wheels, and TechCrunch reports that Musk said during a media briefing that they will be available as an aftermarket add-on for $200 to $300. Attendees have ridden the setup, with Electrek calling it “surprisingly bumpy” and CNN noting it mostly traveled at around 35 MPH. As Musk described it during his speech, it’s “like a highway system underground, basically.” By moving the cars […]

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The documents said it planned to produce 7,000 Model SUVs a week at its Gigafactory 1. December 4, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said its notorious Model 3 manufacturing issues almost bled the company dry. So it’s no wonder everyone is interested in whether it’s learned from past mistakes ahead of the launch of its new EV, the Model Y. The latest news suggests that as recently as October, Tesla was pursuing an aggressive production schedule for the crossover SUV. Citing internal documents sent to staff before Tesla’s last earnings call, Business Insider reports the company planned to produce 7,000 Model SUVs a week at its Gigafactory 1 in Nevada by December 20th, 2020. In addition, it was eyeing 5,000 Model Ys a week at its China Gigafactory by February 2021. The leaked documents also reiterate that the car will be based on the Model 3 platform. And, more […]

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It took the police officers in two vehicles seven minutes to outsmart Tesla’s Autopilot system. December 3, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag One day in the not too distant future, sleeping at the wheel will become commonplace because we’ll all be traveling around in autonomous vehicles. However, in 2018 that’s not the case, even if Tesla Autopilot is capable of driving a drunk man home. As HotHardware reports, California Highway Patrol officers recently spotted a Tesla Model S driving south on Highway 101 with what looked to be a person asleep behind the wheel. Sure enough, when officers looked more closely they discovered a man who was both asleep and unresponsive. That man was 45-year-old Alexander Samek, a Los Altos planning commissioner, and he was drunk. Related: This Is What It’s Like to Drive the Ferrari Hatchback, the World’s Most Practical Supercar Tesla’s Autopilot is quite an advanced autonomous […]

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Telstra (not to be confused with Tesla) CFO Robyn Denholm has been named to the position. November 8, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on Engadget As part of his settlement with the SEC over tweets about taking Tesla private, Elon Musk agreed to step down from his post as chairman of the board of directors. Now, while he’s still CEO and retains his seat on the board, Tesla has announced his replacement: Robyn Denholm. Already a Tesla board member, she is currently CFO and head of strategy for the Australian telecom Telstra, but will leave that post once her six-month notice period is up to serve as board chair of Tesla full-time. In a statement, Denholm said “I believe in this company, I believe in its mission and I look forward to helping Elon and the Tesla team achieve sustainable profitability and drive long-term shareholder value.” She’s previously held […]

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