Following our earlier coverage of comments made by an exec at DHL that the Tesla Semi would pay for itself — pay for the difference in cost between the Tesla offering and a conventional diesel truck, that is — within a very short amount of time, competitor FedEx has announced that it has placed a reservation for 20 Tesla Semi trucks as well.
The top 20 CleanTechnica stories of the past week were led, for once, by a non-Tesla story! But there were still 9 Tesla stories in the top 20. 🙂 Check them all out here:
New analysis of the US solar market by GTM Research has revealed that SunPower leads the way as the foremost US commercial solar provider, followed by Tesla and NRG.
Having owned a Tesla Model S, and one of the lucky few to have spent time driving the Tesla Model 3, I have a unique perspective on how the two stack up in real life.
Bloomberg reports it is seeing a late surge in Tesla Model 3 production as we head into the final week of Q1. It now estimates Tesla is building well over 1,000 cars a week on the Model 3 assembly line.
Ever wondered what’s inside a Tesla battery cell? Well, don’t do what this guy did in a pair of videos from ARIES RC. Opening lithium-ion batteries is a ticklish business. They contain carcinogens, caustic acids, and flammable chemicals that shouldn’t be handled without gloves, if at all. But whatever damage the video host may have done to his own health, there’s no harm for us in watching.
Like most larger companies, Tesla tightly controls its employees’ interactions with the press. The celebrity execs hold court with a selected circle of hip media outlets, but the rank-and-file employees are trained to avoid reporters like dangerous sharks. So Business Insider scored quite a coup when it secured permission to speak with four employees who have “some of the coolest jobs at Tesla.”
Tesla isn’t a car company. It’s a battery company that sells most of its batteries with wheels attached.
Automobile magazine recently awarded the Tesla Model 3 “2018 Design of the Year,” calling the car “simple and straightforward, perfectly proportioned with minimal extraneous detailing.” The magazine goes on, “It has all been done with unmistakably good taste. … We have the impression that the studied simplicity of both interior and exterior will let this car age extremely well, that in 10 years it will still look contemporary and beautifully understated.”
February had 1,058 registrations in February 2018, up 116% compared to February 2017, with fully electric cars (BEVs) making for the vast majority of the market (85%). The strong BEV month contributed decisively to the current 2.8% plug-in vehicle (PEV) market share, a good improvement over the 2.2% share of last year.
