– Green Cronyism Gone Wild: It Looks Like The State Of California Is Bailing Out Tesla
H/t reader kevin a.
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Tesla Motors
Tesla Spontaneously Catches Fire, Burns Down During Test Drive In France
– Tesla Spontaneously Catches Fire, Burns Down During Test Drive In France:
After Tesla’s latest problem involving a Model S crash in Beijing while in autopilot mode (which has since prompted the carmaker drop remove “autopilot” from its Chinese website), Elon Musk may have to return to a more familiar problem plaguing his vehicles: spontaneous combustion.
According to Electrek, as part of its ‘Electric Road Trip’ tour for the summer, Tesla stopped in Biarritz, France to promote Model S and Model X over the weekend. During a test drive in a Model S 90D, the vehicle suddenly sent a visual alert on the dashboard stating that there was a problem with “charging”. The Tesla employee giving the test drive made the driver park the car on the side of the road and all three (the driver, the Tesla employee and another passenger) exited the vehicle.
Read moreTesla Spontaneously Catches Fire, Burns Down During Test Drive In France
See Motorists Play, Read and Relax In Self-Driving Cars As Second Tesla Crashes (Video)
Jul 6, 2016
Description:
From playing patty cake to taking part in arm wrestling matches, these motorists appear to be concentrating on anything but the road. The startling videos posted to YouTube show people lounging around while their self-driving cars do all the work. A second serious crash involved a Tesla on autopilot has also been reported. Police in Pennsylvania say the motorist smashed into a guardrail and a concrete median before his car rolled onto its roof on July 1.
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Driver In Fatal Self-Driving Tesla Crash Had Recently Posted Video Praising Car’s Autopilot
In an image from an online video posted by Brown driving his Tesla Model S.
– Driver In Fatal Self-Driving Tesla Crash Had Recently Posted Video Praising Car’s Autopilot:
Call it a case of tragic irony.
Earlier today, Tesla reported (with a one day delay so that perhaps its stock wouldn’t get clobbered ahead of quarter end rebalancing) that a 40-year-old Ohio man, named Joshua Brown, was killed when his 2015 Model S drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler on a highway near Williston, Florida, sending Tesla stock lower nearly 3%.
Read moreDriver In Fatal Self-Driving Tesla Crash Had Recently Posted Video Praising Car’s Autopilot
Tesla signs $9 billion agreement to build factory in China, report says
– Tesla signs $9 billion agreement to build factory in China, report says:
Tesla Motors has reportedly signed a non-binding agreement with Chinese government-owned company Jinqiao Group to construct a Tesla production plant in the city of Shanghai.
All told, the investment could cost $9 billion, a person close to the matter told Bloomberg.
Read moreTesla signs $9 billion agreement to build factory in China, report says
Norwegian Car-B-Q: Tesla Model S Bursts Into Flames, Burns To A Crisp While Charging
– Norwegian Car-B-Q: Tesla Model S Bursts Into Flames, Burns To A Crisp While Charging:
The Norwegian owner of a Tesla Model S found an unexpected f(i)ringe benefit during a cold Friday afternoon when shortly after he had parked his luxury electric car at a supercharging station in Gjerstad, and left, he realized the car could serve as a very quick and efficient, if quite toxic, source of heating for the cold Scandinavian country, after the Model S spontaneously burst into flames.Read moreNorwegian Car-B-Q: Tesla Model S Bursts Into Flames, Burns To A Crisp While Charging
Tesla Loses More Than $4,000 On Every Car Sold
– Tesla Loses More Than $4,000 On Every Car Sold (ZeroHedge, Aug 9, 2015):
With the usual two year delay, others such as Reuters, are starting to notice that under the Tesla hood there are nothing but cockroaches. And now that the growth “story” has taken a back seat following the latest guidance cut in deliveries, fears that the company will have to dilute shareholders to keep the “story” afloat, are rapidly emerging. Case in point, Reuters calculation of a fact that was known to most observers but certainly not to retail enthusiasts who “bought the stock just because others bought the stock”, i.e., that Tesla loses about $4000 on ever car it makes.
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Nevada, Tesla Announce Huge ‘Gigafactory’ Deal
– Nevada, Tesla announce huge ‘Gigafactory’ deal (USA Today, Sep 5, 2014):
Tesla Motors and Nevada made it official on Thursday evening: the electric car company’s highly sought battery “Gigafactory” and its projected 6,500 jobs are coming to the Reno area.
Mutual congratulations between the electric-car maker and Silver State officials aside, the news of the announcement event in Carson City was the huge incentives the state will have to contribute to seal its end of the proposed deal: a package estimated to be worth $1.25 billion over 20 years.
Tesla Car Chase Ends In Flaming Car Wreck Explosion So Violent It Is Confused For Fireworks
– Tesla Car Chase Ends In Flaming Car Wreck Explosion So Violent It Is Confused For Fireworks (ZeroHedge, July 7, 2014):
With GM recalling virtually every car it has made since emerging from bankruptcy, another maker of flaming paperweights has quietly managed to slip through the cracks of public attention. So it was perhaps well-timed, if only for GM, that over the weekend we not only learned, but saw footage, of what happens when a Tesla is involved in a Police chase that results in a lamp post crash. Nothing short of complete obliteration.
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“There were fires after that that broke out,” Eric Martinez said. “I saw the firefighters — like 25 firefighters – standing around the white car with the Jaws of Life.” Martinez added that at one point, explosions could be heard. “We originally thought it was fireworks. Everybody thought it was fireworks that were just exploding,” he said.
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Tesla Model S Achieves Best Safety Rating of Any Car Ever Tested
– Tesla Model S Achieves Best Safety Rating of Any Car Ever Tested (Tesla Motors Press Releases, Aug 19, 2013):
Palo Alto, CA — Independent testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception. Approximately one percent of all cars tested by the federal government achieve 5 stars across the board. NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers, where the Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4 stars.
Of all vehicles tested, including every major make and model approved for sale in the United States, the Model S set a new record for the lowest likelihood of injury to occupants. While the Model S is a sedan, it also exceeded the safety score of all SUVs and minivans. This score takes into account the probability of injury from front, side, rear and rollover accidents.
Read moreTesla Model S Achieves Best Safety Rating of Any Car Ever Tested
Daimler invests in electric car maker Tesla Motors
Daimler’s investment in Tesla Motors provides both companies with something they desperately need and could be the first step down the aisle toward marriage.
The world’s oldest automaker hitched its electric wagon to Tesla on Tuesday when it bought nearly 10 percent of the company and a seat on its board. Neither side is discussing specifics of the deal, reportedly worth $50 million, but both sides walk away winners.
Tesla gets a much-needed infusion of cash and help building the gorgeous Model S sedan. More importantly, Tesla gains legitimacy as it continues raising funds. Having the company that invented the automobile as a partner makes you much more attractive to investors.
Daimler’s investment buys it a whole lot of battery know-how, something German automakers are short of. And a seat on the board gives Daimler gets a close look at Tesla’s business plan and financials so it can decide if it wants a bigger piece of the action.