Tesla Model 3Tesla Climate activist and scolder of world leaders Greta Thunberg will be travelling to various North American events this month including one in Montreal in a Tesla Model 3, courtesy of none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.The actor-turned-politician apparently made the offer after learning of her travel plans in Canada and the States during this leg of her climate crusade.While your author and many others associate Terminator and Predator movies with the former California governor, Schwarzenegger has lately been using his influence as a call to action on environmental issues. This friendship between Schwarzenegger and Thunberg may seem random, but the two have been on the same climate page for ages. The muscle-bound actor said he was starstruck after meeting the young activist earlier this year at an environmental summit in Vienna. Given his willingness to help her with her efforts right now on this side of the pond, its safe to say the sixteen-year-old made quite an impression on him.Schwarzenegger isnt new to the electric car scene, having had a Hummer H1 converted to electric power by an outfit called Kreisel Electric. Those of us with long memories will recall the actor was one of the first (if not the first) to take delivery of a civilian Humvee when they were released to the general public back in the 1990s. An electric conversion, then, ties the mans then-and-now interests together very well.After taking the world to task in a speech delivered at the UN last week, Thunberg continued to Montreal where she lead an estimated 500,000 people on that days climate strike. These events, held around the world, are intended to highlight climate change and spur people into taking real
Origin: Schwarzenegger sets Greta Thunberg up with Tesla Model 3 to Montreal
Tesla
Battery runs empty in Tesla Model S police car in mid-pursuit
A Tesla Model S police cruiser ran out of battery in the middle of a high-speed pursuit, the Fremont, California police department has confirmed.Fremont officer Jesse Hartman radioed in that he was chasing down a felony vehicle but that his Model S cop car showed just six miles (10 km) of range before the battery would be empty, reports The Mercury News.Hartman asked his dispatch to have another unit take over as pursuit lead after suggesting I may lose it here in a second; other gas-powered cars picked up the chase only to drop it shortly after due to the suspects driving getting way too reckless. The Tesla, meanwhile, had to recharge in San Jose before heading back to the station.The department told Roadshow its unclear why the Tesla wasnt charged that particular day, and noted the car had been through roughly two full shifts when the chase commenced at 11 p.m. on September 20. Though this was only the EV police cars second pursuit, a representative for Fremont PD said it performed well, and that theyre overall thrilled with the Tesla as a cruiser.Even gas-powered police cars have run out of fuel on the job, the representative noted, and other units were able to pick up this particular chase anyway before terminating it.While the car usually comes back with 40 per cent or 50 per cent of its battery range remaining, perhaps this will work as a lesson to remind them to always top it off at the end of every
Origin: Battery runs empty in Tesla Model S police car in mid-pursuit
The Tesla Model 3 just earned the IIHS’ top safety award
The Tesla Model 3 has earned its first award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and its a good one.In crash testing, Teslas cheapest model won the organizations top-tier award, Top Safety Pick+, which means that it scored good or better in the passenger-side small overlap test and the headlight evaluation, areas many automakers struggle with.The Model 3 earned big points for its performance in the driver-side small-overlap front crash test, one of the most challenging tests to score well at as well.The car held up fairly well, with the lower door pillar intruding only 8 inches, equal to a moderate risk of injury to the drivers lower leg, and no other injuries reported.Another aspect modern-day cars have to score big in is front crash prevention systems, and Teslas systems scored well in these areas, too, earning good marks for the 20 km/h and 40 km/h tests.Vehicles with alternative powertrains have come into their own, IIHS Chief Research Officer David Zuby says. Theres no need to trade away safety for a lower carbon footprint when choosing a vehicle.The fact the car scored so well is a great feat of engineering, as the Model 3 obviously doesnt have an engine in the front to absorb any of the impact. The battery is also very innovative in that it is rigid and fortified, which diverts crash forces away from the
Origin: The Tesla Model 3 just earned the IIHS’ top safety award
Tesla Sentry Mode catches couple mistaking Model 3 for their Hyundai Elantra
The Tesla Model 3’s new Sentry Mode yknow, the feature that turns on the parked cars cameras when the vehicle is disturbed has by now caught some very weird things on video, were sure.But this clip of a couple walking up to a white example and repeatedly reaching for door handles that arent there has got to be one of the more chuckle-worthy.The clip, posted to the TeslaMotors sub on reddit, shows the pair walking up the Model 3 from a nearby strip mall. The driver-side Sentry camera shows a man in a white shirt walk up, fumble for the cars retracting flush-with-the-body door handles about three times, pause to press the key fob to unlock the car, then try for the non-existent handle again.On the other side, his passenger fares just about as well. That moment you mistake a Model 3 for your Hyundai from teslamotors Footage from the passenger side of the parked Model 3 shows the couples also-white 2015-ish Hyundai Elantra just two spaces away and explains maybe just a little bit how they mistook one entry-level four-door for another.We get that walking up to and opening your car is something you do so often, thats so subconscious, that even the smallest distraction might throw your brain for a loop and why you might forget your car, last you checked, had door handles, ones that dont pop out via key-fob button.But its mistaking the Model 3 for the Hyundai in the first place you can see the latter at the bottom in the photo below, Model 3 on top that confounds us, unless youre really engaged in your conversation, we suppose. At the very least, I guess its sort of a compliment to Hyundai-designers-of-four-years-ago that people could confound the
Origin: Tesla Sentry Mode catches couple mistaking Model 3 for their Hyundai Elantra
Tesla takes on Porsche at Nurburgring, possibly with new ‘Plaid’ powertrain
The Tesla Model 3 PerformanceHandout / Tesla First there was derision. Then mockery turned into admiration. Now a battle is unfolding between two of the most revered names in the automobile world, Porsche and Tesla.The venue of the showdown: Germanys Nurburgring, the race track considered the most challenging in the world.The circuit boasts 73 tight turns (Silverstone in the U.K. has 18), changing elevations and a brutal length of more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) winding through leafy forest, earning it the nickname Green Hell.Its here that Porsches new Taycan Turbo S set the record as the fastest four-door electric car last month, clocking in at 7 minutes and 42 seconds. The feat wasnt lost on a rival sitting thousands of miles away in California: Teslas Elon Musk. Always one to relish a good fight, Musk picked up the gauntlet and has dispatched a Model S to the German hinterland to reclaim the bragging rights as king of the electric sedan.Model S on Nürburgring next week Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2019The car confrontation has all the ingredients of an epic battle between incubent and upstart, infused with social-media feeds that have energized die-hard fans on either side of the Atlantic wondering which of the two cars can shave those vital extra seconds off their lap time. Adding to the frenzy is former Formula One racing champion Nico Rosberg, who chimed in on Twitter to pilot the Tesla, an offer that Musk happily accepted.Musk has a lot riding on the challenge. After Porsche unveiled the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S as its first electric cars last week, Musk teased the brand for its turbo nomenclature, because a turbocharger is only found in a combustion engine. Following the initial ribbing, he found more charitable words in a later tweet, acknowledging that the Taycan does seem like a good car and that the Nurburgring track time is great.But Taycan does seem like a good car. Nürburgring track time is great. Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2019The stakes are equally high for Porsche, which has watched Tesla turn itself into a veritable alternative for customers seeking a high-performance car but with an electric engine, an open flank that the Stuttgart-based manufacturer now hopes to protect with the Taycan.Musk posted on September 6 that a Model S would make an appearance at the track next week. Indeed, a modified Model S has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, according to Car and Driver, which appeared to show the car on the track as part of a general driving session open to others. The model sported flared fenders and an enlarged opening at the front, probably for extra cooling.When exactly the car might attempt to break the Taycans record remains shrouded in mystery. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on its plans for the Nurburgring.Bolstering Teslas case, the company tweeted on September 11 that a Model S with a new Plaid powertrain beat the record for the fastest four-door sedan at Laguna Seca, a race track near Monterey, California, even though the time hadnt been achieved during a competitive event and wasnt officiated by staff at the track.*~ Some personal news ~*We lapped Laguna Seca @WeatherTechRcwy in 1:36.555 during advanced RD testing of our Model S Plaid powertrain and chassis prototype(That’s a second faster than the record for a four-door sedan) pic.twitter.com/OriccK4KCZ Tesla (@Tesla) September 12, 2019Pushing the round below 10 minutes is the ambition of all Nurburgring daredevils. The track is open to both professional and amateur drivers, and the fastest time with a street-legal sports car was 6 minutes and 44 seconds, performed in a Porsche GT2 RS MR on October 25 last year, according to the circuits web site.Thats an average speed of 185 kilometers an hour for the 20.8-kilometer
Origin: Tesla takes on Porsche at Nurburgring, possibly with new ‘Plaid’ powertrain
News Roundup: How to steal a Tesla in 30 seconds, what Lambo’s most powerful car looks like and more
Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Tesla thieves fool key fob system to make away with vehicleIt looks ridiculously simple. Two men walk into the yard of a home in a town near London, England, one holding a home-made wire antenna above his head, the other standing near the driver’s door of the Tesla. Less than 35 seconds later the two are off the property with the car. So what kind of top-secret hacker voodoo did these two employ to pull off this efficient heist? Actually, thanks to the fact Tesla and many other vehicles rely on key fob tech that actively transmits a signal that can be picked up by the right antenna in the right place, they probably didn’t use anything you couldn’t pick up at your local electronics store.Learn more about why you should always store your key fob in a safe space. Report suggests next-gen Subaru WRX STI will arrive fall 2020 with new 315-hp engineAccording to reports by a Japanese car site, Subaru plans to have the 2021 WRX on streets by next fall. The fifth-gen sedan will allegedly ride on a new platform – the same to be used on all Subaru vehicles moving forward, including the upcoming WRX STI, Japan’s WRX S4 and the Levorg wagon – and use a new direct-injected FA20 four-cylinder with 315 horsepower in place of the current turbo-four EJ25 in North America. A reveal has yet to be announced.Hennessey’s latest kit for the 2020 Mustang GT500 makes 1,200 horsepower The 2020 Ford Mustang isn’t even out yet and Hennessey Performance Engineering has already come up with three aftermarket kits to make the pony buck with a little extra spunk. The Hennessey GT500 Venomis the latest kit announced by the famous, horsepower-crazed tuning brand. It slaps twin turbos to the Mustang engine, bringing the total output up to 1,200 horsepower, some 200 more than Hennessey’s previous kits. It also get the appropriate “Hennessey” and “Venom 1200” badges, an improved intercooler system, upgraded transmission and other internal bits and bolts. New Lamborghini hybrid Sián is the brand’s most powerful piece to dateMeet the Lamborghini Sián, the famed Italian automaker’s juiciest vehicle ever, at least in terms of outright power. Using a combination of a V12 engine alongside a 48-volt e-motor tucked into the gearbox, the Sián promises 819 horsepower, which will push it to 96 km/h in 2.8 seconds.Lamborghini claims the car is the first to use a supercapacitor in a hybrid powertrain. Look for more of the Sián at the 2019 Frankfurt IAA Motor Show.Toyota Canada still won’t explain its sometimes months-long parts delayCanadian Toyota drivers who have been waiting for weeks or sometimes months for parts for their vehicles are getting fed up with the brand. The delay, which Toyota claims is the result of “Systems Transformation,” has meant that some Toyota owners have had their vehicles in the shop for far longer than they anticipated. In a report by the CBC, drivers from Nova Scotia to Ontario to B.C. sound off on the frustrations of being left in the lurch by one of the world’s largest automakers.
Origin: News Roundup: How to steal a Tesla in 30 seconds, what Lambo’s most powerful car looks like and more
Watch two thieves effortlessly steal a Tesla using a homemade antenna
Gone in 33 seconds! A video of two men apparently stealing a Tesla from a driveway in a town near London demonstrates just how simple it may be to fool a car’s electronic security system. From the time the man with the backpack antenna-transmitter walks through the front gate to the time the Tesla backs out off the driveway, about 33 seconds pass.The video was shot by a doorbell camera and allegedly shows the two men stepping onto the property, one walking toward the door carrying a bag on his chest and holding a wire above his head, the other standing next to the drivers side of the electric car.The process they use to get the Tesla open and running in seconds is known as a Signal Amplification Relay Attack (SARA). It’s pretty simple and works the same on any car with a fob key, not just Teslas. Basically, the makeshift antenna (the wire) grabs the signal being emitted by the key fob, which likely sits inside the door, transmits it to a transceiver probably concealed in the bag on his chest, which spits it over to a second receiver being held by the accomplice next to the car.When the Tesla senses the signal, which it thinks is coming from the fob, being broadcast near the door, it pops open. Then the pair drives off with their shiny new EV, probably headed to a chop shop to remove all the pieces that won’t signal the car’s whereabouts back to Tesla and the authorities. Theres a lesson here, and were pretty sure its this: park in the garage whenever
Origin: Watch two thieves effortlessly steal a Tesla using a homemade antenna
Tesla exempt from China’s new 10-per-cent car sales tax
Elon Musk with Shanghai mayor Ying Yong at the groundbreaking of Teslas first Chinese plantSupplied / Getty Images Tesla won exemption from a 10-per-cent Chinese tax on automotive sales, sidestepping trade tensions with the U.S. following CEO Elon Musks visit to the country.The exemption, which typically is reserved for domestic makers of electric vehicles, affects all Tesla models sold in China, the nations industry ministry said Friday on its website.Chinas concession to one of Americas most high-profile companies comes amid heightened uncertainty as to where the trade war between the two countries is headed. A week ago, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. companies to immediately begin looking for alternatives to China, only to later suggest that tensions were cooling.During a two-day visit, Musk made an appearance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, debating Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma onstage.He also spoke with local authorities and toured a new gigafactory being built about 70 kilometers away from the city center. That was followed by a meeting with Chinas Minister of Transportation, Li Xiaopeng, on Friday in Beijing, according to government news reports.The sales-tax reprieve could partially offset retaliatory tariffs that may be put on Teslas and other U.S.-built cars later this year. China announced last week that it would increase tariffs on American autos by 25 percentage points to 40 per cent on December 15, in reaction to new levies the Trump administration plans on Chinese exports. Analysts at Evercore ISI estimate that Tesla will incur US$620 million in incremental cost if the higher duties are imposed.Tesla currently imports all of the cars it sells in China but plans to make the Model 3, its best-selling vehicle, at the new plant starting late this year. The company on Friday raised prices in China as trade tensions weigh on the countrys
Origin: Tesla exempt from China’s new 10-per-cent car sales tax
Autocar confidential: Byton thanks Tesla, Fiat pumps out more Pandas, and more
As we chat to the motoring industry’s bigwigs this week, we hear how Tesla made life easier for Byton, how Audi will differentiate between each of its SUVs and more. Fiat Pandas to market demand It may be ageing but sales of the Fiat Panda have risen substantially this year, thanks to the popular new City Cross model. The high-riding, snappily dressed version looks like a four-wheel drive (a version you can still buy) but isn’t. Volkswagen: diesel’s not dead… yet Volkswagen sales and marketing boss Jürgen Stackmann says the brand isn’t giving up on diesel yet. “There is nowhere the date (we give up on diesel) is written,” he said. “We believe diesel is great for certain vehicle types and long-distance drives, with unparalleled efficiency. We’re the only manufacturer that has actually grown its diesel mix. We’ll give it a strong shot for EU7.” Ingolstadt draws up a plan Audi’s ever-growing SUV range makes varying the design of each model vital in order to identify its place in the line-up, according to Jakob Hirzel, exterior design leader of the recently facelifted Q7. “It’s about character, and identifying where it makes sense to make them different,” he said. “It’s a much bigger line-up now, so it’s a challenge to make sure they all make sense.” Byton boards the Tesla train Tesla’s early success helped lay the groundwork for other electric car makers, according to Byton CEO Carsten Breitfeld. “They did a great job to build up this premium electric brand. They changed the perceptions of people,” he said. Hiring designers and engineers for the upcoming M-Byte SUV was that much easier because “no one is questioning the potential of electric cars any more. No one would say an electric car is something
Origin: Autocar confidential: Byton thanks Tesla, Fiat pumps out more Pandas, and more
Porsche’s new Taycan EV will beat Tesla to a full vegan interior
Porsche could beat Tesla to a fully vegan vehicle cockpit by implementing an animal-products-free interior in its new Taycan EV.The German automaker revealed the much-anticipated sedans cabin late August, ahead of a full reveal September 4, and explained thered be two interior options available for the car, a natural olive-leaf-tanned Club Leather; as well as a fully leather-free vegan option with Race-Tex microfiber, made out of recycled polyester.Now, that fully vegan part does come with an asterisk, because there are still other parts of the vehicle that use animal by-products, such as the tires and various fluids and adhesives. Still, its a step in the right direction.Besides the materials announcement, the reveal showed off the Taycans classic five-gauge instrument cluster, which reminds us of vintage 911s except, yknow, now theyre completely digital and can be configured into different layouts. To the right of the floating glass pod is the 10.9-inch infotainment screen, and a touchscreen for the passenger. The centre console also has screens for a battery level gauge, handwriting inputs and climate controls. Apparently, the system is so powerful it can show a map on every screen without lagging. The screens can also all be turned off for a driver-focused cockpit.Teslas interior is almost fully vegan, with the steering wheel being the only piece that still puts real cow to use. Elon Musk has said the only reason Tesla steering wheels havent been wrapped in synthetic material yet is because its been difficult to find something durable enough that can handle a heating element, but synthetic will be happening
Origin: Porsche’s new Taycan EV will beat Tesla to a full vegan interior
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