Archive for category Car industry

Tesla Motors Just Repaid Entire 2010 Loan, 9 Years Ahead of Deadline

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Car industry on May 23, 2013

Good breaking news today: Tesla Motors repaid its entire loan to the U.S. Department of Energy that it received in 2010. This ends all kinds of malicious talks about them not having money or the government failing to back successful companies in the alternative energy/transportation sector. Here’s an e-mail I got from them a few [...]

Wanxiang Also Has Eyes On Fisker Automotive

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry on May 22, 2013

In business, sometimes death [read: bankruptcy] comes from a series of unfortunate events, as seems to have happened with Fisker Automotive. It’s been a story long in coming, but the end result is that Fisker Automotive can’t produce any vehicles. In spite of having a truly beautiful sedan and some big plans for the future [...]

Toyota Finally Venturing Into Lithium-Ion Batteries, In a Big Way!

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Hybrid vehicles on May 21, 2013

Toyota’s hybrid electric vehicles look like their going to get a boost in power and efficiency in the next few years as they make the switch to lithium-ion battery technology. Nickel-Metal Hydride [NiMH] rechargeable battery technology has been around for years, is exceptionally reliable, and has been the mainstay of Toyota’s hybrid electric vehicle program [...]

How Audi Told the World They’re Afraid of Tesla Motors

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry on May 21, 2013

Last week, we reported that Tesla Motors sales were outselling other luxury automobiles in its class. Audi says “Not so fast!” According to Green Car Reports and CNN Money, the Tesla Model S sold more in the first quarter of 2013 than other luxury sedans in its class, including the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, Lexus [...]

Light Hybrid Vehicles May be The Next Best Thing

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Efficient engines, Electric Vehicles, Hybrid vehicles on May 17, 2013

To reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, hybrid vehicles are a pretty good option that aren’t nearly as expensive as pure electric vehicles. In the hierarchy of vehicle pricing, though, it can be difficult sometimes to justify spending more up front for better technology, even if it’ll save you money at the pump. Given a [...]

“Full-Size Truck Sales Surge, Fuel Economy Doesn’t Matter,” Fox Business Puts Foot in Mouth

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Green Policy on May 16, 2013

This story appeared a month ago, but I thought I’d take a look at it again. Is fuel economy the driving force behind customer choice of vehicle? The simple answer is yes, but before I get to that, I thought the following quote was most telling: “The gas guzzlers reign supreme in the American auto [...]

Tesla Motors Set to Pay off DOE Loans Even Faster, Has to Raise the Cash First

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Green Policy on May 16, 2013

Tesla Motors has become quite a driving force with stock prices trending upwards, great reviews, and steady sales. Tesla Motors has also managed, in a market of other failing electric-vehicle ventures, to bring a great vehicle to market and make a profit while at it. Production is now at full speed and Tesla Motors expressed [...]

Tesla Motors Outweighs Fiat in NASDAQ Value

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 15, 2013

The rest of the automobile market may be saying that Tesla Motors is punching far beyond its weight, but what do you do with someone who’s breaking all the rules? Tesla Motors is a young company, just ten years old in a market sporting makers from as far back as the 1890s. It’s also a [...]

Battery Swapping May Soon Be Implemented by Tesla Motors

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 15, 2013

As usual, it all started with a tweet from Elon Musk saying “There is a way for the Tesla Model S to be recharged throughout the country faster than you could fill a gas tank.” What can you understand from that? The usual suspect would be battery swapping. Musk is now thinking that, while they’re [...]

Nissan and Renault Electric Vehicles Selling Better Than Most, Still Won’t Hit Targets

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 14, 2013

It seems that Nissan and Renault’s electric vehicle sales are doing pretty well, but have they set themselves up for disappointment? It’s easy to be pessimistic in an automobile market that doesn’t appreciate newcomers, especially electric vehicles. A little optimism can be good, but being too optimistic can also become a problem, which seems to [...]

Tesla Model S Outselling Other Luxury Vehicles

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry on May 14, 2013

It’s all good news for Tesla Motors these days. Production of the Tesla Model S is in full swing, stock prices are trending upwards and, perhaps best of all, it’s profitable! Another feather in Tesla Motors’ cap comes up after reviewing first quarter sales numbers for 2013. Tesla Model S is outselling everything else in [...]

China’s Turbocharged Future Will Reduce Vehicle Emissions

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Efficient engines, Green Policy on May 13, 2013

The main way to reduce vehicle emissions is to reduce fuel consumption. Typically, reducing fuel consumption requires reducing engine size and power, which isn’t very attractive to buyers. Admittedly, it is difficult to reduce engine size without impacting power too much. China needs to reduce vehicle emissions in a big way however, and automakers are [...]

Fiat 500e CARB Fodder After All, CEO Marchionne Calls it Masochism

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 13, 2013

Of all the fuel economy regulations, possibly in the world, those of California are the most strict, which is why electric vehicles [EV] like the Tesla Model S and Fiat 500e are such a great idea. CEOs of regular automobile companies that produce EVs aren’t as convinced that those regulations are very fair. California Air [...]

Chevy Volt Batteries to be Manufactured by LG Chem in July, Finally

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Green Policy on May 10, 2013

Sales of the Chevy Volt extended range electric vehicle [EREV] has been slow, but steady, meaning that support companies like battery suppliers aren’t as productive as they could be. True, the market for electric vehicles as a whole hasn’t been enough to justify handshakes and champagne. Much to the contrary, aside from dashing success Tesla [...]

Tesla Motors Profits First Quarter of 2013, Plans to Increase Production

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Green Policy on May 9, 2013

“Promises were made to be broken,” but not by Tesla Motors, which is good news for everyone, including investors and prospective clients. The driving force behind Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, has almost everything to do with how this high-tech electric vehicle has developed from idea to success. So many things can destroy a new company, [...]