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Tesla is constantly improving its assembly process and the vehicle itself, especially on a new configuration like the D. Would you rather get you car "on time" or a few weeks later and get the benefit of some of those early production tweaks?

Environmental arguments against electric vehicles usually focus on two areas: • Power plant emissions created by charging electric cars • Electric car battery manufacturing Numerous studies around the world have determined that even when the electric grid is primarily fueled with coal...

Elon Musk has said on more than one occasion that electric commuter jets could be a reality in the next few decades, replacing the least energy-efficient segment of air transport.

Tesla welcomes the "competition." As far as they're concerned, the more the merrier. Tesla's mandate since the company's founding ten years ago is to convert the world to sustainable transportation. They know they won't do this alone. It's a job that will require a commitment from other...

The outside experts don't know what they don't know. Tesla may not have shown all their cards yet. The company has thrown out a battery cost reduction estimate of 30 percent, but it could be much more, not only through manufacturing efficiency, but perhaps also through better batteries. If this...

Winter in Denver can be full of surprises—an unexpected foot of snow in November or 65 degrees in January. If there is even the slightest chance that you'll be heading west on I-70 in the winter, snow tires would be prudent and perhaps legally required at higher elevations. I suggest a set of...

I had a similar reaction when I first saw the Model S up close in the fall of 2012. But I later realized that the only way to look at the Model S is in its totality. If you start nitpicking little things, it's easy to miss the big picture. First and foremost, what you are getting in a Model S...

A Swiss study published in 2010 (granted, prior to the Model S, but two years after the Tesla Roadster release) concluded that the greatest environmental burden of an electric car is its operational phase, not its manufacture... "The study shows that the environmental burdens of mobility are...

There is THIS, which is awesome... I ordered it from formytesla.com

That might be the case on hilly San Francisco streets, but in my experience it's no problem on secondary roads or mountain roads. Was the regen on your demo car set to Standard or Low. I'm willing to bet it was set too low.

Tesla's all-electric platform and digital control makes it a better candidate for driving automation. Other manufacturers have to double the complexity of their vehicles to achieve similar functions because they're starting with mechanical systems and adding servos and actuators to allow...

I'd like to see a CO2 concentration chart superimposed on top of OPEC's chart, along with a chart of catastrophic weather events per year. OPEC is in complete denial about global warming. In the meantime, we have solar energy—a carbon-free source of energy with a feedstock cost of zero. For an...

What about charging with solar? - - - Updated - - - So true. I keep going back to Elon's 2013 appearance on TED where he walks through the thought process that led him to determine that the combination of solar power and electric cars (with Li-Ion batteries) was the best solution for both...

I don't agree. The P85D is substantially more expensive than the P85. This will make the used P85's more attractive to buyers wanting to get in at under $100K. There are multiple levels to the used Model S market.

Vermont has a very similar profile. Here, the incentive for solar is economic. For the energy I generate, I get paid $0.06/kWh above the cost of the energy I consume. As electric rates rise (3%/year on average nationally), it gets even better because I'm paying a fixed lease payment instead of...

ADDENDUM to my original post... I think it's important to remember that a Model S is more than simply an electric car; it's a rolling announcement about the arrival of electric transportation. Sure, there may only be about 60,000 Model S on the road — hardly enough to have a measurable effect...

It may surprise you to know that I came to the Model S as a car guy, not an environmentalist. I founded the Vermont chapter of the Ferrari Club. My attraction to the Model S was its performance, design and technology. The green aspect of it was a nice extra, but certainly not my motivation...

I hear you. We may be able to double the average gas mileage of cars over the next decade, but the number of cars will have doubled during the same period. So where's the gain? And at some point, we will reach physical limits on gas mileage. The beauty of the EV/solar combination is that it...

I agree with you. A Model S is not for everybody. And when you come right down to it, most people buy cars with their wallet, not their social conscience. But the recent UN report on global warming does add a new factor, I believe. In my mind electric cars have gone from "nifty curiosity" to...

After reading about the latest UN report on global warming, I was inspired to write this blog piece... Digital Toaster: EVERYONE Who Can Afford a Tesla Should Be Driving One Even among my own circle of friends, I know people who could make the switch if they felt compelled to do so. When the...

No, not a problem because the Model S automatically turns on its brake lights when it senses deceleration.

I just installed this stainless steel dead pedal cover. It really dresses up the interior. Nicely done. I found it at: formytesla.com

I would personally prefer a wagon, but the initial version of the Model III should be a sedan, which would have a significantly larger market.

The Supercharger Team already seeks locations that have services nearby. Tesla's cash is better spent on more supercharger locations. When the Model III comes online, the volume of supercharger traffic will increase substantially and the notion of exclusivity will fade.

You have to consider the context in which Elon made this statement. There were probably car dealers in his audience at the time. It makes sense that he would throw this out to send a message that says, Tesla is open to whatever works best for the company and its customers. He is not on a mission...

I experienced the same thing with a 50A breaker at a KOA RV campground. Even charging at 32A was enough to overload it. Clearly the breaker was worn out. If a 40A breaker gets hot to the touch or gives off an electrical odor while under a 30A load, you need to replace it.

In some instances, these variations could be due to conditions in the car itself and often change after a few minutes of charging. I've seen this effect with my car. The supercharger varies its output based on realtime data coming from the vehicle. This effect is quite obvious when driving in...

Did you try opening the frunk while the car was in motion?

I agree. Same goes for the screen buttons.

You're right! I assumed that Tesla incorporated an out-of-park lockout on the frunk release, but they didn't. Even the remote will open it while the car is in Drive, but not moving. Perhaps there is a speed threshold lockout, but I'm not going to be the guy who finds out. This was an oversight...

There's a lockout feature in the software that requires that the car be in Park to open the frunk. When using the cable-operated backup release from inside the car, there is a dual latch like on a conventional car. I suspect that what may have happened here is that the frunk was not fully...

I'm sorry, but you are drawing a nonsensical connection between animal rights and the environment. Association≠Causation. Elon Musk would be one of the first people to point this out. How would you explain your thinking to native peoples around the world who've depended on animal meat and skins...

That film would be a result of the carpeting and adhesives used in manufacturing, not the leather.

Add a 20kW solar array and you'd have the perfect setup.

People waiting in dealership lounges for their oil to be changed! (Actually, I admit that I read TIME. They still have some very good writers. I get both the paper version and the iPad version, but I prefer the paper version. Same goes for WIRED.)

Once Tesla's contractor gets started, things should progress quickly. They've probably been waiting for other site contractors to get finished first. If this was a preexisting site, Tesla would have finished up some time ago.

Here's a link to a pdf of NADA's 4-page infomercial in the November 3, 2014 issue of TIME: Dropbox - NADA This ad contains the usual NADA arguments about the "superior" customer experience one finds at franchised dealerships. I'm sure most Tesla owners would be hard pressed to agree with them...

The Ford GT shows what Ford is capable of when they put their minds to it. Granted, the GT was based on traditional technologies, but the drive train and suspension are pretty impressive for a company that doesn't produce high-end automobiles. I have to wonder, though, when Ford's engineers...

I disagree. The customers you refer to ordered their cars weeks or even months before delivery. Tesla was under no obligation to treat them any differently. It is not uncommon for Tesla to deliver cars earlier than originally promised. Apple faces very similar challenges when introducing new...

"Posawatz said that instead of unveiling another high-priced vehicle at its recent event, he would preferred to have seen the automaker working toward making a lower-cost, high-volume electric vehicle. He thinks that’s one key to their future success." Clearly stated by someone who is not...

I believe the ambient light sensor is on the forward-facing (back) side of the interior rearview mirror. If the sun is behind you around sunrise, it's not surprising that this is a problem. I have never found the auto-brightness or the day/night feature to work perfectly in every light...

A large-scale taxi operation like this one would be an ideal candidate for a private supercharger. Yes, you read that correctly. Tesla can and will supply supercharger hardware to individuals and businesses that require fast charging on a daily basis. Base-level superchargers that can charge two...

Technically, Tesla is not "subsidized" by the U.S. government. The income tax credits some customers can take advantage of go to the customer, not to Tesla. Would this be a deal-breaker for a car in the $75K to $125K price range? I doubt it. The federal tax credit program for electric vehicles...

Have you read your purchase contract? I would be willing to bet that there is language in it that gives Tesla the right to improve its products without prior notice to customers in the order queue. Case closed. What Tesla has done is to equip some vehicles with new hardware ahead of the actual...

Here's another way to look at the P85+ dilemma. Tesla is constantly making improvements to their cars at the assembly line level. Most of these changes go by unnoticed, and owners are unaware of most of them. By taking delivery of a P85+ now, you are receiving a car that has had the benefit of...

Welcome Jasvo! I'm not sure what you mean by "so many." Occasionally, you'll see low-mileage Model S cars at non-Tesla dealers, often with every available option on them. This, to me, says one thing: buyer's remorse. Probably bought by someone who did no research and bought the car on a whim...

I'm not sure exactly what Elon said prior to the D unveiling, but I imagine what he meant to say was "current Model S owners would be able to trade up to the D." Tesla does accept used Model S cars for trade-in. I can see where retrofitting the autopilot hardware would be very tricky for the...

If you ever plan to go out of town in your car, this option is a no-brainer. Do you really want to sit at a level 2 charger for 7 hours, vs. 20 minutes at a supercharger? Another way to look at it... That $2,000 is only 25 $80 fill-ups in a gasoline powered car. Most people would spend that much...

Cadillac tried this in 1963. One of the obvious drawbacks is that it won't go to low beams when approaching a car from behind. Tesla's new vehicle radar might be able to accomplish this, but probably not at great enough distances.

This question has been posed by many people since the D introduction. I imagine that it has to do with the gross weight and size of 4 motors vs. 2 motors that deliver the same overall performance. In-wheel motors have never been considered a viable option because of the added unsprung weight...