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As Tesla ramps up its production for the Model 3, one of its partners is also planning to increase production of electric vehicle batteries halfway around the world. According to the Japan Times, “Panasonic Corp. said Friday it will start manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for electric cars in fiscal 2019 at its plant in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, expanding domestic production to meet growing demand for green vehicles across the globe.” It’s reported that, “Panasonic has been expanding its lithium-ion battery production both at home and abroad. The Japanese electronics maker supplies lithium-ion batteries to U.S. electric-car maker and energy company Tesla Inc., and the two companies also jointly run a plant in Nevada named Gigafactory that mass-produces the batteries.” Panasonic, including its output via Tesla’s Gigafactory, remains the industry leader for electric vehicle battery production worldwide (Source: The Economist) It turns out that Panasonic’s latest plant will be a factory conversion from LCD TV panel production to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. “The Osaka-based electronics maker is likely to spend tens of billions of yen on setting up production lines there… [and] within Japan, Panasonic already has five other lithium-ion battery production plants.” Panasonic’s latest plans are aligned with recent efforts to pivot its business towards the auto sector. Nasdaq (via Reuters) notes that, “Panasonic, the exclusive battery cell supplier for Tesla Inc’s mass-market Model 3, is reinventing itself as a provider of advanced auto parts to escape the price competition of smartphones and other lower-margin consumer products.” And Panasonic’s new direction is proving to be increasingly promising: “Panasonic sees batteries as a key driver for its plan to nearly double its automotive business revenue to 2.5 trillion yen ($22 billion) in the year through March 2022.” And that’s not all — the company is also opening a new battery plant in Dalian, China. In addition to Tesla, it’s likely Panasonic’s new plants will service multiple automakers, especially in light of changes occurring in the world biggest auto market, China. Panasonic said in a statement: “The global market for eco-conscious vehicles has been growing… [leading to] increasing expectations from auto manufacturers on Panasonic, the leading manufacturer of automotive lithium-ion batteries.” This story was originally published by Matt Pressman on EVANNEX. The post Tesla’s partner Panasonic to expand EV battery production in Japan appeared first on TESLARATI.com. Via

Dropping battery prices and increasing adoption will speed EVs along the price reduction curve. In little more than five years, it will be cheaper to buy and run an electric car than a gas-powered car. This, more than anything else, might be the tipping point that gets people off the gas teat. The figures come from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and rely on predictions that battery prices will drop and that sales of electric cars will jump, reaching 35% of global car new sales by 2040 or roughly 41 million vehicles. This would be a 90-fold increase on today’s electric vehicle (EV) sales. CHARLIE SORREL 08.16.16 9:45 AM In little more than five years, it will be cheaper to buy and run an electric car than a gas-powered car. This, more than anything else, might be the tipping point that gets people off the gas teat. The figures come from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and rely on predictions that battery prices will drop and that sales of electric cars will jump, reaching 35% of global car new sales by 2040 or roughly 41 million vehicles. This would be a 90-fold increase on today’s electric vehicle (EV) sales. "At the core of this forecast is the work we have done on EV battery prices, said BNEF’s Colin McKerracher in a press release. "Lithium-ion battery costs have already dropped by 65% since 2010, reaching $350 per kWh last year. We expect EV battery costs to be well below $120 per kWh by 2030, and to fall further after that as new chemistries come in." The people at Bloomberg also predict a recovery and rise of oil prices, which will make gas vehicles more expensive to run. Right now, EVs are being bought, like all new technology, by early adopters. But soon, like with cellphones, iPods and VCRs, the prices is supposed to drop and the rest of the population follows along. Eventually, driving your car to the gas station to fill up will seem as absurd as having to wait a week to get your photos back from the lab or queueing at the bank on a Friday lunchtime to withdraw enough cash to last the weekend. Another thing which may make electric cars cheaper is size, or a lack of it. A smaller car needs less power to move it around. Today’s huge cars are possible partly because gasoline is such an efficient way to store energy. You can move a lot of steel, glass, and plastic cup holders on a relatively small tank of gas. When we move to batteries, we might realize just how wasteful it is to haul around all that extra weight, and buy smaller cars instead. One reason people buy big cars is safety. When a big car hits a small one, the small one will come off worse. But if all cars were smaller, then that wouldn’t be a concern. The switch to electric and the rise driverless vehicles, presents a big opportunity for cities to rethink their infrastructure. Taking away parking spaces, or banning SUVs might be political suicide, but it’s a lot easier to control new things. For instance, subsidized charging could be banned in on-street parking spots or limited only to cars under a certain size. And as city centers are pedestrianized, delivery vehicles could be limited only to early-morning or overnight access (something already in effect in some cities), which means that small cars never have to meet big trucks. All this assumes that we keep using cars, when it might be better for everyone just to get rid of the things, in cities at least, and give all that space back to the people. That’s a long shot, though, so in the meantime we’ll settle for zero emissions, and silent electric motors over noisy machines that pump toxins into our air as they rumble by. http://www.fastcoexist.com/3062751/world-changing-ideas/electric-cars-could-be-cheaper-to-run-than-gas-cars-by-2022

Just one of those days... Shares of the electric car pioneer Tesla sank 8% Thursday on 1 business headline and 1 legal one: Both its car production and deliveries were down across every Tesla modelin the last quarter of 2018. Elon Musk visited court after ignoring an SEC order for Tesla lawyers to screen his tweets pre-tweet (the judge gave him 2 weeks to agree to a settlement with the SEC). 63K eCars delivered — But that's down 31%... And Tesla got right down to the excuses for coming up short: Ships take time: Tesla began exporting its lower-priced Model 3 to China and Europe. It takes a while for them to get there. $$$: That US government subsidy to encourage electric car purchases? Just got cut in half, making Teslas more expensive for customers. THE TAKEAWAY Tesla shares have no chill... The polarizing CEO attracts lovers and haters (think pineapple on pizza). Thursday's report makes Tesla's goal for 360K-400K car deliveries this year look unreachable, so investors piled on the hate and sold shares. They think it'll run out of money. Others still think it's the car company of the future.

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It was a transaction concocted on Twitter — and in a few short weeks, declared official: Tesla is helping to bring power back to Puerto Rico. Early this month, Elon Musk touted his companyÂ’s work building solar-plus-battery systems for small islands like Kauai in Hawaii and TaÂ’u in American Samoa. He suggested a similar setup could work for Puerto Rico. The U.S. territoryÂ’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, tweeted that he was game. Musk replied quickly: “Hopefully, Tesla can be helpful.” After earlier reports of the companyÂ’s batteries arriving at San JuanÂ’s port, Tesla announced today that it has started constructing its first microgrid installation, laying out a solar field and setting up its refrigerator-sized Powerpack batteries to supply electricity to a childrenÂ’s hospital in the Puerto Rican capital.   Read more: http://grist.org/article/tesla-and-solar-groups-put-puerto-rico-back-on-the-grid/

Home Depot announced that it is aligning with Tesla and GE to add solar installations at 50 stores as it pushes forward with its sustainable energy plans. The company said that the installations areessentially creating mini solar farms out of unused rooftops.” The initiative will reportedly reduce annual electricity grid demand by around 30 to 35 percent at each Home Depot store. The company wrote that this is “the equivalent of powering 2,300 average U.S. homes for a year.” The average Home Depot roof is about 104,000 square feet and is slated to accommodate 1,000 panels. 22 stores in New York and California will be outfitted with the solar panels, six of which with Tesla Powerpacks so as to store and dispatch energy as needed. The remaining 28 stores will be powered by GEÂ’s Current. Those stores will be located in New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Source: The Home Depot PR “Our alternative energy projects are important elements of our sustainability and operations efforts as they reduce carbon emissions while also lowering our energy costs,” said David Hawkins, Home DepotÂ’s vice president of labor and operations. The company says that the solar additions to 50 selected stores will bring the companyÂ’s overall alternative energy footprint to more than 130 MW. Home Depot is aiming to utilize 135 MW of renewable energy by 2020, which will be in close range once the solar paneled stores come to fruition. The rooftop miniature solar farms are Home DepotÂ’s latest foray into clean energy. The company also boasts Solar Power Purchase Agreements in Delaware and Massachusetts and fuel cells at more than 170 stores and distribution centers. The company also announced the Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in Texas this January and in June added the Zopiloapan Wind Farm in central Mexico. Tesla Powerpack in Mira Loma Substation (Source: Tesla) As for TeslaÂ’s involvement, its Powerpack is the companyÂ’s commercial battery systems. Powerpack was recently in the news after Transgrid, an Australian transmission operator, announced it would utilize a 250 kilowatt, 500 kWh Powerpack installation in New South Wales. The goal of that Powerpack was stated to be an ensured management of fluctuating energy demand as well as a preventive strike against blackouts. Home Depot says that the 50 stores will continue undergoing construction throughout the rest of 2017. SourceÂ

THE MODEL 3, Tesla's long-awaited mass-market electric vehicle, launches Friday to what will no doubt be significant fanfare. The unveiling isn't only a coming-of-age party for the nascent car manufacturer; it feels like a significant moment in EV history, too. “It is the car that has been promised to us since the inception of this industry,” says Terry O’Day, who heads up marketing at the electric charging company EVgo. “It’s the moment that we demonstrate a mass-produced vehicle that is affordably priced and has features that don’t require consumers to compromise in any way.” That's a lot of pressure for the relatively small carmaker. What if it doesn't live up to expectations? The answer to that question almost doesn't matter. At least not for the general public. If the Model 3 does well, it's a win for the electric vehicle market. And if the worst happens—say, a factory grinds to a halt and creates gigantic production delays—future EVs can coast off Tesla’s cultural cache. This is the company that managed to make electric vehicles cool. (Remember when Tyler the Creator bought a Tesla?) So, in a sense, no matter the outcome, Tesla has already succeeded by pushing EVs into the public consciousness—and onto the market. The less sexy, but cheaper, Chevrolet Bolt is on the roads. So is the fully electric BMW i3, which will be followed by fully electric Minis and X3s in the next three years or so. Volvo’s making an electric pivot come 2019. Battery technology continues to improve at a surprising rate, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts the number of electric cars on the road will overtake internal combustion ones by 2038. Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-model-3-electric-market/

Tesla has confirmed that it is now in talks with the Shanghai municipal government to build a Gigafactory and manufacture cars in the city’s tech sector, according to Reuters. “While we expect most of our production to remain in the U.S., we need to establish local factories to ensure affordability for the markets they serve,” Tesla said in a statement. [Photo credit: Tesla] Chinese regulations require Tesla to enter into a joint venture with a local company to manufacture vehicles in the country. While Tesla hasn’t announced a partner yet, all eyes are on Tencent Holdings, the Chinese internet company that holds a 5% stake in Musk’s company. The EV company has not said which vehicles it plans to produce in China if and when the deal goes through, but the Reuters report cites a supplier source who says the company is considering Model 3 and Model Y production there. The company plans to release more finalized plans by the end of 2017. Tesla has previously shared that it is looking to build vehicles and batteries in China which would allow the company to avoid a 25% tariff on vehicles it sold in the country. Last year, Tesla’s sales in China tripled to over $1 billion, or roughly 1/7th of its total sales. The company currently builds all of its vehicles in its Fremont factory in northern California and ships them worldwide, though the other half of its supply chain is firmly rooted in batteries. Tesla produces its newest 2170 lithium ion battery cells – the same cells being used in Tesla’s Model 3 – exclusively at Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada. Tesla shares popped 1.5% at the news of the talks, leading to $382 in midday trading.

Assistant Attorney General Rock Wood, who represented the legislators, told Judge Ellen Carmody Thursday that courts generally only lift the veil of internal communications for criminal cases and for civil cases involving voting rights and redistricting, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “There would be no reason to make an exception for the Tesla lawsuit,” Wood said. Wood went on to say that if Carmody allows access to lawmakers’ records in such a case, there will be a raft of lawsuits aimed at harassing and intimidating lawmakers to the extent that “legislators are spending all their time on this, and can’t legislate,” Wood said. Tesla attorney John Bursch, a former state solicitor general, said there’s no privilege for communications between lawmakers and third parties, such as lobbyists. And because the case is about potential economic discrimination that harms consumers and violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, communications among lawmakers and between lawmakers and their staff members are also subject to subpoena, Bursch told the court. The electric automaker had subpoenaed records from Governor Rick Snyder, Senator Joe Hune and Representative Jason Sheppard and others in its federal lawsuit against Snyder. Tesla especially zeroed in on Senator Hune, who has received contributions from the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association. According to the Detroit Free Press, Tesla attorney John Bursch said in court Thursday that Hune was subpoenaed because he introduced the last minute amendment that effectively created the Anti-Tesla law and that his wife, Marcia, “works for the auto dealers” as a registered lobbyist employed by a firm that has the Auto Dealers of Michigan as a client. The Hunes had not responded to Detroit Free Press’s request for comment and Sheppard declined a comment through a spokeswoman. The subpoena also included Representative Sheppard, who wasn’t in office at the time. His inclusion comes from his statement to a Tesla representative that Michigan auto dealers and manufacturers don’t want Tesla in Michigan, “so you’re not going to be here,” as recounted by Bursch. The subpoena hearing stems from a lawsuit against Snyder, Michigan’s Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and state Attorney General Bill Schuette over a 2014 state law that has colloquially become known as the Anti-Tesla bill. The law bans automakers from selling vehicles directly to consumers, which is Tesla’s sales model. Tesla’s complaint outlines that the law’s purpose is “to reward the dealers’ generous lobbying efforts by handing them a monopoly,” as we previously reported. Tesla is seeking two things from the lawsuit: a declaratory judgment that Michigan’s ban on direct-sales violates the Due Process, Equal Protection, and Commerce Clauses of the Constitution as applied to Tesla and a permanent injunction preventing state officials from enforcing the law, including the October 2014 amendment. The post Tesla subpoena hearing update: Claims of corruption in Michigan appeared first on TESLARATI.com.

This story was originally published on EVANNEX. Renowned mutual fund manager and investment icon Ron Baron of Baron Capital is well-known for his conservative, long-term approach to stock picking. He’s been compared to Warren Buffett (both for his investing style and outstanding track record) and has said that Tesla “may be the most interesting” company he’s ever invested in over his 46 year career. Yesterday, CNBC interviewed Baron for his views on Tesla [NASDAQ: TSLA]. What is his forecast for the stock? “I think it is going to be about $500 to $600 next year, and I think it is going to be $1,000 in 2020.” At that time, Baron said, he expects the company to have $70 billion in revenue and to be earning $10 billion in operating profits. By 2020, Tesla says it expects to be selling one million cars per year. Baron is a major Tesla shareholder. He noted that he bought about 1.6 million shares at an average share price around $208 to $210. Marketwatch reports that “Tesla is the fifth largest holding in the Baron Opportunity Fund which first bought shares back in June 2014… [and] so far this year, the Baron Opportunity Fund has absolutely crushed the S&P 500 and its fund peers, surging 26%.” And Ron Baron is not alone when it comes to his outlook on Tesla. Yesterday, Teslarati reported that Berenberg (based in Germany) is also extremely bullish on Tesla — upgrading its price target to $464. Berenberg’s Alexander Haissl explains, “With no clear pathway to high-volume EV production for these OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] before the mid-2020s, Tesla will be given a near-monopolistic opportunity to gain market share and outcompete the incumbent automotive industry.” Berenberg’s Haissl also believes that Tesla’s “best-in-class cost base and production processes” will allow it to generate 50% more profit per vehicle than its competitors in the coming years. Haissel notes, “Tesla’s disruptive potential encompasses the vehicle, the entire production process and the product-to-market strategy. Once the business reaches scale, the cash generation potential is significantly superior to existing premium OEMs.” The post Billionaire investor sees Tesla (TSLA) crossing $500 in 2018 and $1000 by 2020 appeared first on TESLARATI.com.

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Tesla CEO Elon is the best car salesman in history. And as CEO of SpaceX, he's declared his intention to retire on Mars. But what are supercar-fast electric vehicles and low-Earth orbits in the face of ... roofing. Against all odds, Musk has become perhaps the biggest booster in the history of the roofing business, thanks to a new Tesla product, the Solar Roof, that officially went on sale Wednesday. It's the first post-Solar City-acquisition product that Tesla is selling, and it sounds as if it's been occupying at least as much of Musk's attention as the forthcoming launch of Tesla's Model 3 car. I can honestly say that I've never heard anyone express such enthusiasm about the top of house. As someone who has owned a few houses, my general reaction to discussions of roofs has been dread. They have to be replaced periodically, and that's expensive. Also, they have to be repaired. And they leak. Musk doesn't share this dread. Just as he has a vision for Tesla's vehicles and for SpaceX's Mars-colonizing ambitions (as well as traffic-beating tunnels and artificial intelligence), so he has a vision for roofs. And it's actually rather exciting. Musk introducing Solar Roof in October of 2016.Tesla http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-solar-roof-elon-musks-best-product-2017-5

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Sacconaghi: Bullish on Tesla long-term Thursday, 9 Mar 2017 | 12:20 PM ET | 05:46 Elon Musk's Tesla is a growing player in China, where the global fight to develop electric, self-driving cars is raging hot. Hong-Kong traded Tencent, a company best known for its WeChat messaging app, disclosed in a Tuesday filing that it's taken a 5 percent stake in Tesla for $1.78 billion. The investment follows Tencent's new stake in taxi-hailing app Didi Chuxing, which can be accessed through WeChat. "I think Tencent likely wanted exposure to a company that was growing very quickly in electric and autonomous" vehicles, said Tasha Keeney, an analyst on the ARK Industrial Innovation ETF (ARKQ), whose top holding is Tesla. "We think the autonomous mobility as a service market could be $10 trillion in gross sales globally by the early 2030s, and companies like Tesla or Baidu could take a cut of that," she said. Tesla declined to comment to CNBC. Tencent did not respond to emailed requests for comment. A Tencent spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that "Tesla is a global pioneer at the forefront of new technologies. Tencent's success is partly due to our record of backing entrepreneurs with capital; Elon Musk is the archetype for entrepreneurship, combining vision, ambition, and execution." Tesla has 24 stores in mainland China, 114 supercharging stations and 348 regular charging stations, according to the automaker's website. Last year, China imported 11,839 Tesla vehicles, nearly five times the prior year, according to China market research firm JL Warren Capital. The firm's analysis also showed that China's market share in global shipments jumped from 5 percent to 16 percent last year. "In general, Tesla's done very well in China," said Brendan Ahern, chief investment officer at KraneShares. Tencent is one of the top holdings in KraneShares' exchange-traded fund KWEB. "There's a lot of effort in electric cars in China to help address the pollution issue," he said. Another Chinese tech giant, Baidu, has its own autonomous driving project, while Chinese automakers have joined the Western giants in the race to develop a viable electric car. The investment money has flowed the other way as well: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is a top shareholder in Chinese automaker BYD. "If it weren't for Tesla, I don't think the state of the electric car market would be anywhere close to where it is," said Kevin Carter, founder of The Emerging Markets Internet & Ecommerce ETF (EMQQ). "Everyone is working on the electric car now, and almost everyone's working on the self-driving car, but the actual hardware of it [is made primarily by] BYD, Tesla," he said. "Who knows how this plays out? There's lots of things getting stirred together in this pot, lots of players, lots of money." http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/28/tesla-is-sending-a-lot-more-cars-to-china.html

A fun, quirky perk about owning a Tesla is that you can always look forward to a new Easter Egg. In the past, Tesla owners have been able to turn the car shown on their infotainment screen into the the submersible Lotus Esprit S1 from the James Bond movie, "The Spy Who Loved Me." They've also been able to virtually drive down "Mario Kart's" rainbow road. Now, Model X owners can trigger a Christmas light show by holding the "T" button on their infotainment screen and entering the code "holiday." Doing so will prompt the Falcon Wing doors to swing open and a light show set to the tune of "Wizards in Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra will begin: http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-christmas-light-show-easter-egg-2016-12

Last weekend, Will.i.am's customized and heavily modified Tesla Model S was spotted street-parked in Beverly Hills. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your aesthetic sensibilities) for us, someone captured a walk-around video of the thing. From the detailed video shot in the dark, we can see that the rear doors have been made into rear-hinged suicide doors. However, they still retain the stock handles that extend as the driver gets near. http://mashable.com/2016/08/30/will-i-am-tesla-model-s/#dMH6UNAmy5qb

An exterior view of a Tesla showroom in Corte Madera, California, on April 4, 2016. JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES ELON MUSK, A man not known for subtlety or lack of ambition, has a plan to dominate the transportation sector. He doesn’t call it that, of course. He gave it the far more benign name Master Plan, Part Deux. Beyond creating a vertically integrated company that builds electric vehicles, batteries to store the power to propel them, and the solar panels to generate that power, he wants to create whole new vehicle lineups. Some of them sound like they’re in advanced stages of development. The plan, which Musk posted to the Tesla Motors blog on Wednesday afternoon, comes a decade after Part One, which essentially laid out the company’s plan to make boatloads of money with the Model S so it could produce the more affordable Model 3. Having crossed those things off his to-do list—while also outfitting an automobile factory, a battery factory, and, oh, running SpaceX and Solar City—Musk has moved on to the second phase of his plan. Even as the company scrambles to produce the Model 3 sedan that Musk remains convinced will bring EVs to the masses, Tesla Motors, according to the Master Plan, Part Deux, sees itself creating a compact SUV and “a new kind of pickup truck.” Beyond that, Musk says, “there are two other types of electric vehicle needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport.” He means big-rigs and buses, and says both are the early stages of development—and could be revealed next year. “We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate.” Now, electric buses are nothing new. San Francisco is crawling with them. But a Tesla bus? You know it would be gorgeous. Musk says they’d be smaller than you’re used to, but offer plenty of room for wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes. They’ll be quick enough to keep up with traffic, and deliver a smooooth ride. Where things get really wild, though, is his claim that Tesla buses would not have to stick to pre-determined routes like the busses that rumble past your office. A little intelligent planning with smartphones and mapping (think = Uber Pool) can deliver people right to their door. He’s even put some thought into what people without smartphones will do. They can use fixed summon buttons at existing bus stops, which will otherwise be redundant. Looking a little further into the future, Tesla will continue developing its autonomous technology so all of these cars and trucks and buses do the driving. And then come the autonomous ride-sharing services in which Telsa owners let strangers borrow their cars or Tesla operates urban fleets “ensuring you can always hail a ride from us no matter where you are.” Individually, none of these ideas is at all radical. You’d be hard-pressed to find an automaker that isn’t following Google in the race to autonomous cars, Daimler recently unveiled an autonomous big-rig, and a Tesla co-founder has developed a pretty sweet electric garbage truck. What is staggering here is the scale. Musk wants to do it all, immediately, and tie it all together in a cohesive system. It’s so crazy it’s brilliant. And if Musk’s record so far is any indication, don’t bet against him pulling it off. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/teslas-plan-world-domination-includes-buses-semis/

Air pollution has a significant and pervasive impact on public health. According to the World Health Organization, it is now considered "the world's largest single environmental health risk," with more than three million people dying every year as a result. This is more than twice the number of people that die in vehicle accidents each year. Health and safety are important to us. Just as we've designed Model S and Model X to avoid collisions or protect their occupants when one happens, we felt compelled to protect them against the statistically more relevant hazard of air pollution*. Inspired by the air filtration systems used in hospitals, clean rooms, and the space industry, we developed a HEPA filtration system capable of stripping the outside air of pollen, bacteria, and pollution before they enter the cabin and systematically scrubbing the air inside the cabin to eliminate any trace of these particles. The end result is a filtration system hundreds of times more efficient than standard automotive filters, capable of providing the driver and her passengers with the best possible cabin air quality no matter what is happening in the environment around them. The air filtration system was put to the test in real-world environments from California freeways during rush hour, to smelly marshes, landfills, and cow pastures in the central valley of California, to major cities in China. We wanted to ensure that it captured fine particulate matter and gaseous pollutants, as well as bacteria, viruses, pollen and mold spores. We then decided to take things a step further and test the complete system as we would on the road, but in an environment where we could precisely control and carefully monitor atmospheric conditions. A Model X was placed in a large bubble contaminated with extreme levels of pollution (1,000 µg/m³ of PM2.5 vs. the EPA's "good" air quality index limit of 12 µg/m³). We then closed the falcon doors and activated Bioweapon Defense Mode. The plot below shows the subsequent evolution in pollution levels inside the vehicle and inside the bubble. In less than two minutes, the HEPA filtration system had scrubbed the air in Model X, bringing pollution levels from an extremely dangerous 1,000 µg/m³ to levels so low as to be undetectable (below the noise floor) by our instruments, allowing us to remove our gas masks and breathe fresh air while sitting inside a bubble of pollution. Not only did the vehicle system completely scrub the cabin air, but in the ensuing minutes, it began to vacuum the air outside the car as well, reducing PM2.5 levels by 40%. In other words, Bioweapon Defense Mode is not a marketing statement, it is real. You can literally survive a military grade bio attack by sitting in your car. Moreover, it will also clean the air outside your car, making things better for those around you. And while this test happened to be done with a Model X, the same would be true of the new Model S now in production. Tesla will continue to improve the micro-geometry and chemical passivation defenses in the primary and secondary filters, which are easily replaceable, so this will get better the longer you own your car. Suggestions for improvement are welcome. *According to the World Health Organization, average annual PM2.5 levels (the most dangerous form of pollution) reach 56 µg/m³ in Beijing, 25 µg/m³ in Mexico City, 21 µg/m³ in Hong Kong, 20 µg/m³ in Los Angeles, 20 µg/m³ in Berlin, 17 µg/m³ in Paris, and 16 µg/m³ in London. Based on the findings of a 2013 study conducted at Harvard, these levels of pollution would result in population-averaged life expectancy reductions of 23 months in Beijing, 10 months in Mexico City, 9 months in Hong Kong, 8 months in Berlin and Los Angeles, and 7 months in Paris and London. Source: https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/putting-tesla-hepa-filter-and-bioweapon-defense-mode-to-the-test

As the new Tesla Model 3 electric car was unveiled last week, hundreds of people in Montreal lined up to make a $1,000 deposit to reserve one of the cars. Montrealer Guillaume Tardif stood in line for three hours in the rain outside the Tesla dealership on 5350 Ferrier Street. Despite being caught in the bad weather, Tardif said it was worth the wait. "We weren't prepared for this weather. We thought they would set up tents or something instead of making us freeze," he said. 'We're buying a dream'- Guillaume Tardif, Soon-to-be Tesla owner "I worry if I wait too long that we won't get the government incentives. If this becomes a mass market car like they think it will, then the incentives are going to be pulled out. So if you save $8,000 by being here this morning it was worth it." Details about the car were unveiled by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk in Hawthorne, California on Thursday and more than 130,000 people have already put down payments on the vehicle. The Tesla Model 3 electric car was unveiled in Hawthorne, California Thursday night. (Tesla Motors Canada) The going price for a Tesla Model 3 starts at $35,000 US and Musk confirmed the new model will go at least 345 kilometres on a single charge. The vehicles are expected to go into production in 2017 and buyers in Quebec are jumping at the chance to take advantage of the provincial rebate. Quebec buyers are eligible for rebates between $6,000 and $8,000, while buyers in Ontario are eligible for up to $14,000. Like many, Tardif put his deposit down site-unseen. He's not worried about what the final product will be like. "We're the early adopters. Right now we're buying something, even on paper, we're buying a dream." Others travelled from out of town to reserve their spot in line. 'This is the future' Ian McKay drove down from Ottawa on Thursday to pay his deposit. " partly because it's fun to do and partly because they are making them to order," McKay said. "So it makes a big difference getting a reservation, because otherwise you'll be waiting months and months while all the orders get processed before you can buy off the line." McKay said he has faith in the company's product, considering their successes with the Model S and Model X. "They've proven that they can make a good car off the bat," he said. Millie Amoros went by the dealership last November to test drive the Model S, before deciding to put the deposit down on the newest version. "It drives amazing. If [the Model 3] is anything like what I drove it's a good deal," she said. "I do think this is the future." Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/tesla-model-3-quebec-rebate-1.3516325

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