Tesla Model S News

The electric dream is fast turning into a nightmare - Australian sales of electric vehicles have dwindled to a trickle.

Improvements to vehicle safety technology have been the focus of the 2015 Canstar Blue Innovation Awards - Automotive Industry.The inaugural awards for innovation have been judged by a panel of experts. Previously, Canstar Blue has bestowed awards on manufacturers in areas such as value and customer satisfaction, based off surveys of car buyers.Eight joint winners were announced today, with five directly improve the safety of both vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians.Ford's MyKey technology uses multiple keys to allow parents to set speed restrictions and limit radio volume when their children borrow the car.EyeSight - available in a number of Subaru vehicles - integrates a number of safety features including autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control by using multiple cameras to map out the road ahead of the vehicle and warn the driver of approaching obstructions.IntellisSafe Pedestrian Detection works in a similar manner, and has been devleoped by Swedish carmaker Volvo.Nuviz, based out of San Diego in the US, has developed what they claim to be first heads-up display for motorcycle riders. The Ride:HUD can be retrofitted to most existing motorcycle helmets and allows riders to use GPS and monitor bike telemetry without having to take their eyes off the road. Riders control the Ride:HUD using controls mounted on the bike's handlebars.Looking to help curtail the number of deaths and injuries that occur in driveways, electronics company Bosch developed Back Over Avoidance (BoA). BoA works in must the same way as AEB does, using sensors and radars to monitor the area directly behind the car, and automatically apply the brakes if it detects if it detects an obstruction.Hyundai's iCare capped price servicing program also picked up an award for providing transparency about servicing costs to consumers.Other award winners included Mercedes-Benz's Touchpad - which allows drivers to control the Comand multimedia system in the same way they would a typical smart phone - and the Tesla Model S electric car.Canstar Blue General Manager, Megan Doyle, said their research has found that 55 per cent of insurance claims involve an accident with two or more cars and that "anything that car manufacturers can do to improve the safety of our roads and driveways should be applauded"."The aim of these awards is to bring the latest and greatest innovations to the attention of consumers, and we have been hugely surprised and impressed by what we have found," she said.

The wheels have seized on the electric car revolution in Australia.

Tesla buyers will finally get their cars after the first nine examples were handed over at a ceremony in Sydney last night.Some have been waiting two years for the Model S, a battery-powered sedan, after putting down thousands in deposits and being given an original launch date of last year.US spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson said most knew they would need to be patient. "Owners were aware they would be waiting but the product is compelling and they're willing to wait," she said.Ms Georgeson said Australian buyers who ordered a car could expect it in March, in line with delivery times in the US. Local marketing chief Heath Walker said it was now full speed ahead for Tesla in Australia, with the brand's first retail centre opening in Sydney today and plans for a similar operation in Melbourne.He said Tesla would build a network of stations to counter anxiety over battery range, mirroring similar setups in the US and Europe.Superchargers take 20 minutes to deliver a 50 per cent recharge and the goal would be a station every 200km.Walker said the Model S offered an unparalleled blend of technology, performance and zero-emission driving that would draw buyers away from traditional luxury brands.Prices for the Model S vary from state to state because of registration costs, but start at $101,408 in NSW for the 60kWh entry car, which gives a 345km range.

Electric carmaker Tesla announces the first dual electric motor production car and new Model S safety and autopilot upgrades.Tesla has taken the wraps off a new flagship version of its Model S sedan, with the new P85D adding a second electric motor and all-wheel drive over existing versions.The all-paw upgrade is not just about improving traction and safety over the existing rear-drivers though, as the second motor brings supercar levels of performance to the pure-electric Model S.   While not quite in the same realm as the McLaren P1 or Porsche 918, the P85D should wipe the floor with BMW's high-tech i8 plug-in hybrid in terms of outright acceleration. Tesla claims the P85D is capable of hitting 60mph (96km/h) in a blistering 3.2 seconds – clearly significantly faster then the i8 with it's 4.4 second 0-100km/h official figure.The new Tesla is also significantly quicker to 100km/h than more traditional petrol-only performance sedans like Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S (3.6 seconds) or BMW M5 (4.2 seconds). Even the Audi R8 V10 Plus developing a massive 404 kW takes 3.5 seconds to reach 100km/h. Top speed for the P85D is also 40km/h faster than the single motor Model S P85 at 250 km/h. In addition to the P85D's impressive speed and performance, this latest version also introduces new autopilot and safety features that will be fitted to all new Model S variants.  The autopilot capability is quite revolutionary and a sign of things to come. The Model S is not yet able to take full control of the driving - regulations currently don't permit it anyway - but the technology is staring to get close. Using an array of sensors, radar and a camera the car can change lanes when the driver starts indicating and automatically steer back in the lane if you start drifting outside the lane markings. It can also avoid or mitigate front collision damage when it detects other vehicles or objects are in the way.The car can basically drop you off on the driveway and then continue to the garage by itself. The radar can see through fog and snow while the camera has image recognition capability to read traffic signs as well as detect pedestrian movements. The self-parking feature is a clever feature too, having the ability to take over and park in a pre-designated spot in your garage. The car can basically drop you off on the driveway and then continue to the garage by itself. US customers will take delivery of the first Model S P85Ds in December, while Australian buyers can expect to see it in local showrooms in June 2015. Australian pricing is expected to start at around $160,000 for the P85D performance hero, but dual motor Model S will also soon be available in less performance-focused and affordable 60D and 85D variants.

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $20,000-$40,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | over $100,000 LIGHT CARSBMW i3: BMW will bring the high tech i3 city car down under from September, with the pure-electric i3 BEV expected to start at about $60,000, and a range-extended i3 REX version with a 647cc petrol generator further up the price scale. (Approximately $60,000)SMALL CARSAudi A3 sedan: Audi will add a sedan version of its A3 small car to the existing Sportback hatch lineup from January, with the hot S3 version to follow in April, and the drop-top A3 Cabriolet (from about $57k) to complete the lineup in about September. (Approximately $65,000)BMW 2 Series: The discontinued 1 Series coupe will be replaced by the new 2 Series coupe in around May, and will likely mirror the petrol and diesel drivetrains of the existing 1 Series hatch. A soft-top convertible is also in the works, but its launch date is still up in the air. (Approximately $45,000-$85,000)FAMILY CARSInfiniti Q50: Infiniti models are set to become a more common sight on Australian roads before June, with the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series-rivalling Q50’s arrival, boasting fresh styling, rear-wheel drive, and a choice of diesel or hybrid drivetrains. (Approximately $51,900-$73,900)Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Mercedes' new C-Class sedan and wagon are due around mid-year, with a range of new engines and an 80mm wheelbase stretch to help combat the also enlarged BMW 3 Series and Lexus IS rivals. Drivetrain availability from launch will include the 115kW/250Nm 1.6-litre C180 and 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre C200 petrols, and the 125kW/400Nm 2.1-litre turbodiesel C220. A smaller diesel, diesel-electric hybrid and more powerful petrol engines will come later. (Approximately from $60,000)Tesla Model S: The long-awaited Tesla Model S pure-electric passenger car is due to arrive locally in the second quarter, with the five door hatch balancing style, performance, and all-electric tech in equal measures. (Approximately $80,000)Volvo S60 and V60: Volvo will introduce the first of its new Drive-E engines to the S60 sedan and V60 wagon range in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $49,000-$78,000)LUXURY CARSLexus RC: Lexus’ new RC coupe should arrive before the end of 2014 to take on the BMW 4 Series and Audi A5, with a choice of petrol V6 and hybrid drivetrains likely to expand to include a high-performance 5.0-litre V8 RC-F soon after. (Approximately $70,000-$130,000)SUV/4WDAudi RS Q3: The company’s first RS-badged SUV will arrive in February, with the RS Q3 borrowing its 228kW/420Nm five-cylinder heart from the TTRS, and promising 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds. (Approximately $81,900)BMW X1: The baby bimmer SUV is also in line for a refreshing in March, with styling and interior tweaks expected. (Approximately 46,000-63,000)BMW X5 sDrive 25d: BMW will add the first two-wheel drive X5 to the new 2014 lineup early in the year, with a price-leading $82,900 2.0-litre turbodiesel sDrive 25d undercutting the existing all-wheel drive xDrive 25d by $5000. (Approximately $82,900)Ford Territory: The Territory SUV will score SYNC-inclusive revisions by the end of the year, ahead of its 2016 fate. (Approximately $40,000-$63,000)Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: The stylish Range Rover Evoque is due for an update before June, with a new nine-speed auto delivering fuel economy gains of about 10 per cent, plus styling tweaks to bring it in line with the new full-size Range Rover and Sport models. (Approximately $50,000-$91,000)Porsche Macan: Porsche will add the new sub-Cayenne Macan SUV to its Australian lineup from June, with the cheapest diesel model forming a new entry point to Porsche ownership at $84,900. Twin-turbo 3.0 and 3.6-litre V6s will sit further up the price scale, with the 294kW top-spec capable of 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds. (Approximately $84,900-$122,900)Volvo XC60: Volvo’s new Drive-E engines will also appear in the XC60 SUV in March, with power and efficiency gains promised, along with a new eight-speed auto. (Approximately $57,000-79,000)SPORTS/PERFORMANCEAlfa Romeo 4C: Alfa will bring a limited number of its limited-build 4C sports car to Australia in around June, with the mid-engined, carbon-chassised performance hero expected to lob for as little as $75,000.Peugeot RCZ-R: Building on the brand’s reignited performance cred thanks to the excellent 208 GTi, the French brand will also add the hot RCZ-R to the lineup in the second quarter, with a highly tuned 199kW version of the existing petrol version’s 1.6-litre turbo. (Approximately $70,000)CONVERTIBLESBMW 4 Series convertible: The folding hardtop version of BMW’s 4-Series coupe is expected by March, and echo its hardtop sibling with 420d, 428i, and 435i drivetrains. (Approximately $85,000-$120,000)  

Whiz-Kid inventor Elon Musk is showing his snippy side. The Tesla Motors founder snapped back at Hollywood hunk George Clooney yesterday after the actor trash-talked Musk’s electric car company the previous day."In other news, George Clooney reports that his iPhone 1 had a bug back in '07," Musk tweeted.Clooney, in an interview in Esquire magazine, said he’s no fan of Musk’s vehicles."I had a Tesla. I was one of the first cats with a Tesla," Clooney bragged to Esquire. "But I’m telling you, I’ve been on the side of the road a while in that thing. And I said to them, 'Look, guys, why am I always stuck on the side of the f**king road? Make it work, one way or another'."The Clooney review came at a tough time for Musk, who has been battling concerns about the safety of Tesla’s popular Model S electric sedans following reports that some sedans caught fire after getting into accidents.This article originally appeared in the New York Post.

Tesla spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean said the fire on Tuesday was caused by a large metallic object hitting one of the battery pack's modules in the pricey Model S. The fire was contained to a small section at the front of the vehicle, she said, and no one was injured.Shares fell 6 per cent on Wednesday as video of the fire surfaced. The shares were down $US8.75 ($9.31), or 4.8 per cent, to $US172.20 ($183.17) in afternoon trading on Thursday. At that price, Tesla's market value has dropped about $US2.5 billion ($2.66 billion) in the past two days.Still, if an investor purchased a share of Tesla at $US35 ($37.23) on January 2, they're sitting on a gain of more than 400 per cent for the year. Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache told investors Thursday that he views the fire as an isolated incident and still expects Tesla shares to reach $US200 ($212.74).The liquid-cooled 85 kilowatt-hour battery in the Tesla Model S is mounted below the passenger compartment floor and uses lithium-ion chemistry similar to the batteries in laptop computers and mobile phones. Investors and companies have been particularly sensitive to the batteries' fire risks, especially given issues in recent years involving the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car and Boeing's new 787 plane.In an incident report released under Washington state's public records law, firefighters wrote that they appeared to have Tuesday's fire under control, but the flames reignited. Crews found that water seemed to intensify the fire, so they began using a dry chemical extinguisher.After dismantling the front end of the vehicle and puncturing holes in the battery pack, responders used a circular saw to cut an access hole in the front section to apply water to the battery, according to documents. Only then was the fire extinguished.The incident happened as the Tesla's driver was travelling southbound on state Route 167 through the Seattle suburb of Kent, said Trooper Chris Webb of the Washington State Patrol. The driver said he believed he had struck some metal debris on the freeway, so he exited the highway and the vehicle became disabled.The driver, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, told authorities he began to smell something burning and then the vehicle caught fire. Firefighters arrived within 3 minutes of the first call. It's not clear from records how long the firefighting lasted, but crews remained on scene for 2 1/2 hours.Tesla said the flames were contained to the front of the $US70,000 ($74,460) vehicle due to its design and construction. "This was not a spontaneous event," Ms Jarvis-Shean said. "Every indication we have at this point is that the fire was a result of the collision and the damage sustained through that."There was too much damage from the fire to see what damage debris may have caused, Mr Webb said. The automobile website Jalopnik posted photos of the blaze that it says were taken by a reader, along with a video.Shares of Palo Alto, California-based Tesla have risen more than 400 per cent this year. But some investors likely were alarmed that the fire could be an indication of a flaw in the company's battery packs, and Tesla shares fell $US12.05 ($12.82) to $US180.95 ($192.48) on Wednesday.  That was still enough to lower Tesla's market value by $US600 million ($638.23m) to just under $US22 billion ($23.4b).Also contributing to the stock's decline was a rare analyst downgrade. R.W. Baird analyst Ben Kallo cut his rating on the stock from "Outperform" to "Neutral," telling investors that while he's still bullish on Tesla's long-term prospects, the company has "significant milestones" during the next 18 months that come with risk.The company's battery system and the Model S itself have received rave reviews, including a top crash-test score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a tie for the highest auto rating ever recorded by Consumer Reports magazine.But lithium-ion batteries have raised concerns in other vehicles. Two years ago, battery fires broke out in three Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid cars after crash-testing, but NHTSA investigators determined that the Volt was no more risky than vehicles with conventional gasoline engines.Officials from General Motors and the government believed the fires were caused by coolant leaking from damaged plastic casing around the batteries after side-impact test crashes. At the time, they said there were no real-world fires in any Volts.Still, the fires tarnished the Volt's reputation and cut into sales. Recently, though, sales have recovered. Sales are up about 3 per cent this year, with GM selling about 17,000 Volts through September.Earlier this year, Boeing Co.'s worldwide fleet of 787s was grounded because lithium-ion batteries overheated or caught fire. Flights resumed four months later after a revamped battery system was installed.Under normal circumstances, investigators from NHTSA, the government's auto safety watchdog, would travel to Washington state to investigate the Tesla crash. But with the partial government shutdown, NHTSA's field investigations have been suspended. 

The Tesla Model S that will arrive in Australia later this year has earned the highest safety score in the history of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has offered up a few details about the next generation of the electric start-up's vehicles -- including a smaller and cheaper entry-level sedan.At its annual shareholder meeting yesterday, Musk revealed a few more tidbits of the company's future product plan.Joining its current Model S all-electric luxury sport sedan late next year will be the Model X crossover utility vehicle, with its top-lifting "falcon doors" and available all-wheel drive.But it's the new base model sedan that will be a driving aim for Musk, he said."What the world really needs is a great, affordable electric car," Musk told Bloomberg. "I’m not going to let anything go, no matter what people offer, until I complete that mission.”To that end, Tesla's third-generation car (known as Blue Star), will smaller -- about the size of a BMW 3-Series -- and about half the price of the Model S, which starts at US$69,900 in the US, but will be much more than that when it arrives here either late this year or early in 2014.Tesla recently axed the base level Model S, which had offered the chance of Australians getting it under the luxury car tax level. Tesla had previously said it would start the Model S range below the luxury car tax level, which would have meant the base variant coming in under $77,000. That leaves us with the prospect of the two higher variants of Model S -- 60kWh and 85kWh -- which will cost much more.And while just how much more has not yet been revealed, it's likely we'll see the 85kWh one at around $150,000. Tesla had claimed a range of 257 km for the 40kWh Model S, along with a 0-100km/h time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 177km/h. A 173 kilowatts motor generating 420 Newton metres of torque was specified, with production to begin this year.So the prospect of a smaller sedan puts a more affordable Tesla back on the table. The styling of the smaller sedan will bear a family resemblance to the Model S, Musk said.He said the new sedan would have a range of more than 330km, for a price cited as US$30,000 or less than US$40,000 in its home market -- which may reflect the effect of the $7,500 government tax credit buyers there will receive.The new, smaller Tesla will continue to use lithium-ion cells from Panasonic, one of several companies that has a minority stake in Tesla Motors. But they'll be of a new and more advanced chemistry designed specifically for use in electric cars.www.thecarconnection.com