SpaceX animation shows the ideal outcome for the Falcon Heavy launch

SpaceX will attempt to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time tomorrow. It's no small feat and a lot could go wrong, but SpaceX has a released a video showing how the launch will work if everything goes according to plan.

Tesla CEO teases crossover and sports car EVs for 2016

Tesla Model X introduction with CEO Elon Musk

Tesla founder Elon Musk would like to remind you that the Model X isn't the terminus of his company's electric car ambitions. Far from it: Musk tells Wired that Tesla's 2016 plans include both a crossover SUV akin to the BMW X3 as well as a pure sports car that goes beyond just a Roadster redux. The racier vehicle will have speed, but "not supercar pricing," the CEO says. He also elaborated on already-known plans for an 'entry' sedan in 2015, which should resemble a 20 to 25 percent smaller Model S and cost about $30,000 if all goes well. There's a wide gap between promises and reality in all those statements, but Musk has a reputation for largely delivering on target -- which gives us hope that there will finally be Tesla EVs within range of everyday budgets.

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Tesla CEO teases crossover and sports car EVs for 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

Around the world Tesla Roadster tour back on track after swift repair job

Around the world Tesla Roadster tour back on track after swift repair job

While we might not have enjoyed the full story arc just yet, we came within an electric whisker of seeing the electric Roadster's around the world trip derailed completely. The team at Tesla service in Munich, however, obviously love a fairytale ending -- which is why they pledged to fix-up the car in the fastest time possible. Just four days after that show-stopping accident, de Mestre is back in the game, and heading south to Barcelona. The journey won't end there though, as to make up some lost miles on the French Citroen team, he'll travel back up to Strasbourg, and in turn roll over the virtual 25,000 km finish line. Assuming no other problems along the way, we'll be mentally cheering the him along.

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Around the world Tesla Roadster tour back on track after swift repair job originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  source80e Days  | Email this | Comments

Tesla driver fails to complete world tour after crash on the home straight

Car accident stops 80eDays Tesla Roadster from completing world tour

An unfortunate traffic accident brought Rafael de Mestre's electric trek across the globe to an abrupt halt today, stopping his Tesla Roadster a scant 600 miles from the finish line. "Game over," the world traveler wrote on Facebook and Twitter, posting a picture of the damaged vehicle and assuring readers that he survived the ordeal. Since then, he's only offered a small update, lamenting the loss of his faithful electric carriage and sharing a short video of the accident's aftermath. Lend the dejected driver some moral support (or just engage in digital rubbernecking) at the source links below.

Update: We initially reported that Rafael was just a kilometer from the end of his race when he crashed, but he in fact wiped out 1,000km from the line -- still very unlucky considering he'd traveled 24,000km unscathed.

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Tesla driver fails to complete world tour after crash on the home straight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceChargelocator (Twitter), Electric Race (Facebook)  | Email this | Comments

Tesla Roadster driver now halfway around the world, catching up with Citroen team (video)

Tesla Roadster driver now halfway around the world, catching up with Citroen team video

Human antagonists can bring far more stress to a journey than a ticking clock. Phileas Fogg learned that, and now Tesla Roadster owner Rafael de Mestre is discovering it too. He wants to be the first to drive a standard EV (i.e. not solar- or hydrogen-powered vehicle) around the world, and just like Jules Verne's hero he intends to do it in 80 days -- but he's not alone. Two Frenchmen in a little Citroen C-Zero (a sibling of the Mitsubishi i) have the same ambition, and although they've budgeted a comfortable eight months for their trip, they already have a three-month head start over de Mestre. As things stand, the Roadster is on a ship bound for China, while the Citroen duo are trundling up through Malaysia. Fortunately, de Mestra's figured out another bit of racing wisdom: the importance of demoralizing your enemies with YouTube clips like the one after the break.

Continue reading Tesla Roadster driver now halfway around the world, catching up with Citroen team (video)

Tesla Roadster driver now halfway around the world, catching up with Citroen team (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAutoblog Green  | Email this | Comments

Tesla publishes Model S efficiency and range stats, expects 350 highway miles per charge

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We've spent our fair share of time behind the dash of Tesla's gorgeous Model S, though there hasn't been an opportunity to push the all-electric vehicle to its limits on the fuel battery front. The sedan still isn't quite ready for a full-on range test, but the manufacturer has provided a teaser in the form of some updated stats, with a line graph demonstrating consistent improvements over the Roadster. Assuming constant highway travel at speeds of 50-70 miles-per-hour, the Model S is expected to continue rolling for 250-350 miles on a single charge, with the car possibly exceeding 400 miles at slower speeds (think 35 mph and below, but still on the highway). There's an 85 kWh battery on board (compared to 55 kWh on the Roadster), and despite taking a massive hit for size and weight, the Model S only consumes about 10 percent more power than its more-svelte sibling. Those figures apply to the mph listed above, and speed demons can expect to see a massive dive in range. Sounds like we can expect some fiery performance on the road -- just, hopefully not in the garage -- when the sedan begins making its way to customers next month, ahead of the original July ship proposal. Hop on past the break and hit up our source link for some nifty graphs, along with Tesla's findings in full.

Continue reading Tesla publishes Model S efficiency and range stats, expects 350 highway miles per charge

Tesla publishes Model S efficiency and range stats, expects 350 highway miles per charge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 18:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTesla Motors, Reuters  | Email this | Comments