Updates to Tesla Model S and X ranges Improvements to driving range, performance, and refinement are claimed Tesla has rolled out a series of upgrades for its Model S and Model X ranges, which include an increase in range by more than 10%, improved power and torque figures, and new adaptive suspension. Newly built models in the saloon and SUV line-up now see an estimated WLTP range of up to 375 miles for the Model S Long Range, and 315 miles for the Model X Long Range. The 100 kWh batter for both models remains the same as before, with the increase in range coming from a new drivetrain design. The revised electric motors also increase power and torque available to the driver, improving acceleration, though these new figures are not currently available. Faster charging capabilities have been added, increasing the charging speeds to up to 200 kW on the latest V3 Superchargers, and 145 kW on the current V2 Superchargers. Improvements enable customers to recharge up to 50% faster according to Tesla. The new fully adaptive suspension has been designed to provide an ‘ultra-cushioned’ feel when cruising at motorway speeds, and added responsiveness when in dynamic mode. A predictive model has been designed in-house to anticipate how the damping adjusts, based on road, speed, and other driver & vehicle inputs. Tesla has improved the levelling systems to keep the car low when at speed, reducing aerodynamic drag. The suspension system can receive over-the-air updates, meaning the system can be improved further in future. Other improvements have seen new wheel bearings and tyres fitted to increase range and refinement, while Tesla is bringing back an entry level Standard Range model, which starts the Model S line-up at £72,550, and the Model X Standard Range model starts at £76,550 – both including the UK Plug-in Car Grant. The former has an estimated WLTP range of 280 miles on a single, and the latter at 230 miles. Existing Model S and Model X customers who are looking to buy a new Performance version of either model will be offered the Ludicrous Mode upgrade free of charge. The revisions are already being added to models on the production line, with new orders benefiting from the upgrades.
Origin: Updates to Tesla Model S and X ranges
Tesla
Tesla shares video of Roadster’s wild acceleration
Tesla Roadsterhandout Tesla has released a short video showing the acceleration capabilities of its forthcoming Roadster, but we’re not sure why. The video shows the company’s new Roadster, an all-electric sports car with performance that’s promised to be wild. The video even has the caption of zero to sixty faster than you can read this caption, but the timing of this teaser is curious. The Tesla Roadster has been rumoured to hit 60 miles per hour from a standstill in just 1.9 seconds by using a specially named launch control system called Plaid Mode, as a reference to the movie Spaceballs — which itself references the hyperspace from Star Wars. View this post on Instagram Zero to sixty faster than you can read this caption tesla.com/roadster A post shared by Tesla (@teslamotors) on Apr 19, 2019 at 11:01am PDT The post is suspiciously timed, considering it was shared on the same day as security footage captured a Tesla Model S spontaneously erupting into flames in a parking garage. Could this be a way to deflect the attention from that and onto the California company’s upcoming model? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility. The security footage in question captured a first-generation Model S in Shanghai, bursting into flames without warning. There were no casualties, but that doesn’t make the incident any less alarming. The video was posted by ShanghaiJayin on Twitter, who also posted a video of a Nio ES8 setting fire at a repair centre. There have been at least 40 reports of new energy vehicles setting on fire in 2018, which includes plug-in hybrids, EVs, and
Origin: Tesla shares video of Roadster’s wild acceleration
Tesla spontaneously combusts in Shanghai parking garage
Tesla is investigating an incident in Shanghai where one of its cars apparently burst into flames while parked – and NIO Inc., its electric-vehicle competitor in China, is now doing the same. The video, taken by a closed-circuit camera and posted on Twitter by @ShanghaiJayin, shows a Tesla Model S parked alongside three other vehicles in an underground garage. Smoke initially comes out from under the front wheel wells, followed by what appears to be an explosion of flames from under the front of the car. Good or bad, negative or positive I will post anything about Tesla or EVs in China. This happened today in Shanghai, China 🇨🇳 1st generation Tesla Model S caught Fire 🔥 underground car park.#Tesla #TeslaChina #ModelS #Fire #China #Shanghai #特斯拉 #中国 $TSLA pic.twitter.com/HOwMcvulV1 Jay in Shanghai (@ShanghaiJayin) April 21, 2019 Fifteen hours later, @ShanghaiJayin posted another video, this time of a NIO ES8 on fire at a repair centre in Xi’an, China. Tesla said that, to the best of its knowledge, there were no casualties in the fire, while NIO said that no one was hurt in the fire at its repair facility. Both companies are investigating the cause of the fires. On April 17, 2019, a Tesla Model X sport-utility spontaneously caught fire and burned for several hours in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, three hours after it was towed to a repair facility. The vehicle was being inspected, as it had already caught fire in February while parked in its owner’s garage. According to several news outlets, a Tesla engineer had removed a fuse from the battery pack so it would be safe to transport to Monroeville. According to news agency Bloomberg, there were at least 40 fire-related incidents in China in 2018 involving “new-energy” vehicles, which includes electrics, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell vehicles. China’s government authority, the State Administration for Market Regulation, recalled more than 130,000 cars last year and is calling for more oversight on the quality of electrified vehicles. Other Twitter videos showed the aftermath of the Tesla fire, with the car destroyed and the vehicles beside it damaged. Reports are that the Tesla was not plugged in and being charged at the time. Tesla currently imports all of its China-market cars from its US factory, but is building a factory in Shanghai to produce the Model 3 for local
Origin: Tesla spontaneously combusts in Shanghai parking garage
Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
Tesla announced a series of changes to its vehicle lineup and pricing mid-April, including making it tougher to buy its newly available entry-level US$35,000 car. All Tesla vehicles now come with the Autopilot driver-assistance system as standard, the company said in a blog post late Thursday. The Model 3 with Standard Plus battery used to cost US$37,500, plus US$3,000 for Autopilot. I t now costs US$39,500 with Autopilot included. And a standard Model 3 costing US$35,000 just became harder for customers to actually order. Deliveries of the vehicle at that price point – the big promise of the Model 3 when it was first unveiled in March 2016 – are just beginning this weekend. Customers who want this version from now on won’t be able to get from Tesla’s online ordering menu — they’ll have to call or visit a store instead. Tesla’s constantly shifting approach to its lineup and retail strategy has rattled investors and stoked confusion. Ten days after signaling an almost complete withdrawal from physical stores, the company backtracked and said more locations would stay open than planned. The carmaker is now backing away from its online-only ordering approach with the standard Model 3. Tesla is also offering a Model 3 lease for the first time, though with a big caveat. Customers won’t have the option to buy the car at the end of the lease because the company plans to use the vehicles in a forthcoming Tesla ride-hailing network, according to the blog post. On its ordering website, Tesla’s default options are for customers to make a US$3,000 down payment and spend a total of US$4,199 at signing of a three-year, 10,000-mile annual lease. The monthly payment due on that basis is US$504. CEO Elon Musk first talked about his vision of a Tesla shared-vehicle fleet when he unveiled his Master Plan Part Deux in July 2016. After the company scheduled an event later this month for Musk and other executives to tout Tesla’s self-driving technology, the CEO hinted at the plan
Origin: Tesla just made it harder to buy its cheapest US$35,000 electric car
All about car 