Tesla – Page 6 – Impact Lab

Batteries, Electric Automobile, Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla’s readying a ‘million mile’ battery that could greatly lower the cost of EVs

June 7, 2020

Reportedly coming first to China

Tesla is getting ready to introduce a long rumored lower-cost, longer-lasting battery for its electric vehicles in China sometime later this year or early next year, according to a new report from Reuters. The battery — which has been colloquially called a “million mile” battery in reference to how long it can last in a car before breaking down — is being co-developed with Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) and was designed in part by battery experts recruited by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla is already the industry leader when it comes to squeezing range out of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, and it’s expected to reveal more about the new technology at an upcoming “Battery Day” for investors. Musk told investors and analysts earlier this year that the information “will blow your mind. It blows my mind.” The company originally planned to hold the event in April, but has had to reschedule it until at least late May thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company held a similar event focused on self-driving technology in April 2019.

Continue reading… “Tesla’s readying a ‘million mile’ battery that could greatly lower the cost of EVs”

Battery, Electric Vehicles, Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla’s next factory is going to be in Austin, Texas, and it’s going to happen quickly

June 1, 2020

A source familiar with the matter told Electrek that Tesla has chosen Austin, Texas, for its next factory, and it’s going to happen quickly.

The race to secure Tesla’s next factory is apparently over.

According to a reliable source familiar with the matter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is set on bringing the next Tesla Gigafactory, or now Terafactory, to Austin, or at least close to the city.

The people familiar with the project said that Musk has tasked the engineering team working at Gigafactory Nevada to start the process for the new factory, which is expected to make the Tesla Cybertruck electric pickup truck and the Model Y.

Tesla’s CEO also reportedly wants to move extremely fast.

Continue reading… “Tesla’s next factory is going to be in Austin, Texas, and it’s going to happen quickly”

Automobiles, Batteries, Electric Automobile, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla’s readying a ‘million mile’ battery that could greatly lower the cost of EVs

June 1, 2020

Reportedly coming first to China

Tesla is getting ready to introduce a long rumored lower-cost, longer-lasting battery for its electric vehicles in China sometime later this year or early next year, according to a new report from Reuters. The battery — which has been colloquially called a “million mile” battery in reference to how long it can last in a car before breaking down — is being co-developed with Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) and was designed in part by battery experts recruited by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla is already the industry leader when it comes to squeezing range out of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, and it’s expected to reveal more about the new technology at an upcoming “Battery Day” for investors. Musk told investors and analysts earlier this year that the information “will blow your mind. It blows my mind.” The company originally planned to hold the event in April, but has had to reschedule it until at least late May thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company held a similar event focused on self-driving technology in April 2019.

Continue reading… “Tesla’s readying a ‘million mile’ battery that could greatly lower the cost of EVs”

Batteries, Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla’s ‘million-mile battery’ could sound the death knell for combustion engines

May 30, 2020

New battery tech may make EVs cost the same as traditional smog spitters.

Tesla has long been locked in a battle with fundamental chemistry to reach its holy grail: the point on the curve at which its electric vehicles can be sold at a price comparable to gasoline cars. The company might be reaching that inflection point, with Reuters reporting that Tesla will soon introduce a low-cost, long-life battery in its Model 3 sedan in China. Given Tesla’s ongoing ascent and technological dominance in the EV sector, the news must be giving rival carmaker’s execs sleepless nights.

The report comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been teasing a “Battery Day” expected to take place in June, where he says the company’s announcements will make it “one of the most exciting days in Tesla’s history.”

Musk has made it clear repeatedly that the cost per kilowatt-hour of Tesla’s batteries has been a major roadblock to selling the cars at a price competitive with traditional internal combustion vehicles. That, in turn, has been an obstacle to their mass adoption. But beyond boosting sales, Musk envisions the new batteries having a second life on the power grid as storage devices, which could help him achieve another goal: A move to a sustainable-energy focused economy.

Continue reading… “Tesla’s ‘million-mile battery’ could sound the death knell for combustion engines”

Automobiles, Electric Automobile, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla’s electric cars require far less maintenance than gas-powered vehicles. Here are all the differences between them.

May 3, 2020

Traditional cars come with elaborate maintenance schedules that require owners to develop a close relationship with dealers and mechanics.

Tesla vehicles are mechanically simpler than gas-powered cars. As a result, they require less attention. Tesla also routinely improves its vehicles using over-the-air software updates.

Still, there are some areas of maintenance that Tesla owners need to keep an eye on.

Continue reading… “Tesla’s electric cars require far less maintenance than gas-powered vehicles. Here are all the differences between them.”

Automobiles, Camping, Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Check out these images that reimagine what Tesla’s Cybertruck camper add-on could look like

April 29, 2020

Tesla’s electric Cybertruck has more than 600,000 pre-orders and is scheduled to be released in late 2021, but in the meantime, a Canadian concept artist reimagined what Tesla’s camper attachment could look like.

The design renderings, which we first saw via Robb Report, take Tesla’s general camper design and run with it. Instead of imagining a more temporary camper with a pop-up topper or a tow trailer, the artist’s redesign depicts overhead space incorporated into the body of the vehicle. The renderings also showcase two different options for either a single or dual sleeper.

“So I’m liking something a bit larger, like this insert camper that you can add to the vault of the Cybertruck,” the artist wrote on Cybertruck Owners Club, a fan website. “These renders need work, but I want something in the vault so no need to tow and can travel almost anywhere all the time.

Continue reading… “Check out these images that reimagine what Tesla’s Cybertruck camper add-on could look like”

Coronavirus, Healthcare, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla unveils coronavirus ventilator prototype that uses Model 3 parts

April 20, 2020

The Model 3 infotainment system provides the basis for Tesla’s ventilator, hastily designed to combat device shortages around the world.

Ventilators are one of the most important medical devices in the battle against the coronavirus, helping keep patients with critical COVID-19 infections alive. But as the coronavirus pandemic has spread, hospitals in the worst-hit nations have found the devices in short supply. Fortunately, a handful of manufacturers have been trying to plug the shortfall including Tesla, the electric vehicle giant led by Elon Musk, which is using its New York gigafactory to help produce ventilators.

On April 5, Tesla engineering provided an update on the company’s own ventilator, which is “heavily based on Tesla car parts,” according to engineering director Joseph Mardall. A four-minute-long video was posted to YouTube revealing a prototype ventilator powered by many of the same components used in the Tesla Model 3.

Continue reading… “Tesla unveils coronavirus ventilator prototype that uses Model 3 parts”

Electric Automobile, Elon Musk, Record Breaker, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla produces its 1 millionth electric car

March 14, 2020

Tesla announced that it produced its 1 millionth electric car — becoming the first automaker to achieve the milestone.

Only a few years ago, many people didn’t believe that Tesla could produce electric vehicles in any meaningful numbers, but the automaker managed to ramp up three electric vehicle programs: Model S, Model X, and Model 3.

Now it is about to launch its fourth electric vehicle, the Model Y, and it is doing it on the momentum of a new milestone.

Today, CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla produced its 1 millionth car and released a picture of the car, a Model Y, and the team who made it:

Continue reading… “Tesla produces its 1 millionth electric car”

Automobiles, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Hackers stuck a 2-inch strip of tape on a 35-mph speed sign and successfully tricked 2 Teslas into accelerating to 85 mph

February 25, 2020

McAfee researchers were able to trick a Tesla’s autonomous systems.

Researchers at McAfee were able to trick two Teslas into autonomously speeding up by 50 mph.

The researchers stuck a 2-inch strip of tape on a 35-mph speed sign, and the car’s system misread it as 85 mph and adjusted its speed accordingly.

The safety of Tesla’s autopilot features has come under close scrutiny, but CEO Elon Musk has predicted the company will have “feature-complete full self-driving” this year.

It turns out all it takes to fool a Tesla’s camera system is a little tape.

Continue reading… “Hackers stuck a 2-inch strip of tape on a 35-mph speed sign and successfully tricked 2 Teslas into accelerating to 85 mph”

Automobiles, China, Electric Automobile, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Shanghai-built Tesla popular in China after new tax break

January 23, 2020

Tesla stores across Shanghai have been crowded with customers after a new tax break earlier this month, with most orders coming for the most affordable electric vehicle, the Model 3 sedan built at the city’s Gigafactory.

The Model 3 orders spiked amid a cooling electric vehicle market in China after authorities gave dozens of electric vehicle makers a new tax break which lowers the cost of buying a Tesla in China to less than 300,000 yuan (about 43,745 US dollars).

“We have more customers these days looking for test drives and more information,” said a salesperson in a Tesla store in Shanghai.

Continue reading… “Shanghai-built Tesla popular in China after new tax break”

Batteries, Elon Musk, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla patents new chemistry for better, longer-lasting and cheaper batteries

December 30, 2019

Tesla has made a lot of battery moves this year and it is closing the year by filing a patent on a new chemistry for better, longer-lasting and cheaper batteries.

Earlier this year, we reported on Tesla’s battery research partner, Jeff Dahn and his team at Dalhousie University, unveiling the impressive results of tests on a new battery cell that could last over 1 million miles in an electric vehicle.

The new battery tested is a Li-Ion battery cell with a next-generation “single crystal” NMC cathode and a new advanced electrolyte.

Since then, Tesla has been filing US and international patents on the new battery chemistry.

Continue reading… “Tesla patents new chemistry for better, longer-lasting and cheaper batteries”

Electric Vehicles, Entertainment, Science & Technology News, Tesla

Tesla Semi electric truck to be turned into mobile music studio by Deadmau5

October 20, 2019

Deadmau5, a DJ and music producer, announced that he is getting a Tesla Semi electric truck to turn into a mobile music studio for his 2021 tour.

When launching Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker said that the production versions of electric truck, which is a class 8 truck with a 80,000-pound capacity, will have 300-mile and 500-mile range options for $150,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Tesla expects that the price and specs will enable a cost of operation of $1.26 per mile, which should result in Tesla Semi providing $200,000+ in fuel savings and a two-year payback period.

Those numbers would revolutionize the transport industry in a big way, but several people have also seen an opportunity to use the electric truck for other purposes than just normal freight.

Deadmau5 is one of those people now.

Continue reading… “Tesla Semi electric truck to be turned into mobile music studio by Deadmau5”