Although Tesla may still sometimes be finding its way in terms of how to build cars themselves, it retains a distinct advantage over pretty much every other automaker in one respect: superb power management. Buried in the company’s third-quarter 2018 financial results—hailing a profit—were some numbers worth boasting about more…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
GM confirms it will reach EV tax credit ceiling this year—then phaseout begins
Beginning next April, buyers of General Motors’ electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids won’t be getting the same break on their purchase as those who buy those vehicles from any other brand. Any other brand but Tesla, that is. GM has confirmed to Green Car Reports that it will reach 200,000 deliveries of vehicles eligible for the…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
Tesla teardown redux, smaller fast chargers, dirty battery manufacturing: Today's Car News
![Munro & Associates teardown of Tesla Model 3 [Autoline]](http://www.libertyplugins.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/munro-associates-teardown-of-tesla-model-3-autoline_100676157_t.gif)
A much-publicized Tesla teardown from earlier in the year reveals some lessons and missed opportunities. Battery manufacturing happens to be in places with dirty power sources. And DC fast chargers have the potential to downsize. All this and more on Green Car Reports. The teardown (disassembly) analysis of a Tesla Model 3 earlier this year…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
Tesla Model 3 teardown underscores missed opportunities
Last year employee parking lots overflowed at Tesla’s Fremont, California, plant. By comparing the headcount of Tesla’s factory at present versus historically, it’s easy to grasp why the facility has seemed so crowded. At its heyday, Toyota and GM needed 4,400 people at Fremont. Tesla has an on-site workforce estimated to be…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
Tesla Short Reverses Course: Automaker Too Compelling To Ignore
Oh, look, a flying pig!
Citron made its fortune by betting against companies, shorting their stocks. Basically, they look for signs of weakness and place bets that their share price will fall. They are a long time trader of Tesla shares and have released a number of notes in the past about their bets against the automaker. Today, though, just after the Silicon Valley company announced it will release its financial earnings on Wednesday (which was rather short notice), Citron published a 9-page note (see gallery below) saying it has reversed its position for the moment and is now long. If you were also short TSLA, bring a heavy duty umbrella when you leave the house today because the forecast calls for a chance of sun and flying pigs.
The reversal of tone is remarkable. Five years ago, Citron said in a note of the Model 3, “By the time this product is even approaching market, there will be multiple other 200-mile range plug-ins that have been out for years.” Obviously, this prediction has turned out to be wrong. Sure, the Chevy Bolt is out there, but its sales pale in comparison to the relatively much more expensive Model 3. It’s not even a contest.
If you’re a Tesla fan, the report makes for great reading and is full of pithy comments. For example, “Like a magic trick, while everyone is focused on Elon smoking weed, he is quietly smoking the whole automotive industry.” Basically, though, the message boils down to this quote, “Tesla is destroying the competition.”
Interestingly, Citron was one of the companies caught off guard by “The Tweet” from CEO Elon Musk about taking the company private and lost about $10 million because of it. They are still suing the company over that issue. Yet, they have now placed bets in the market that the share price will increase. Speaking of which, the company’s stock, TSLA, is up $15.20 (5.82%) today, as of this writing.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow when we report the final, official quarterly numbers and then follow the call with analysts in real time.
9 photos
Source: Citron
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Mercedes invests in pilot program to keep fuel cells alive
Mercedes-Benz is launching a new trial for fuel-cell cars in Germany, with aims to study real-world use patterns. Mercedes will begin leasing its GLC F-Cell fuel-cell SUVs to fleet customers in Germany for $917 a month, according to a report in Automotive News Europe (Subscription required.) No information was available about how many GLC F-Cells…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
New fast charger is more efficient, smaller, and half the cost
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a 50-kw fast charger that they say costs half as much as conventional DC fast chargers, is more efficient, and only 1/16th the size. Instead of being mounted on concrete slabs, sometimes in two locations, with a transformer behind a fence and a charge station box by a parking space, the…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
Report: Battery production could offset emissions gains from electric cars
A new report shows that emissions from producing large battery packs for electric cars could cancel out improvements from their low emissions for years. The report comes from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which is usually optimistic about electric cars. In May, the analytic arm of the finance publishing house predicted that electric cars will make…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
EPA deadline, BMW electric reality check, Mustang hybrid tease: Today's Car News
If you have a strong position regarding the EPA’s proposal to freeze fuel economy standards at 2020 levels through 2026, speak out. Tomorrow is the deadline for making public comments that are part of the legal record. A zinc-air battery project is backed by a big name and claims to have achieved the $100/kwh cost barrier and plans to find its way…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
How soon can all new-car sales realistically be electric? Take our Twitter poll
Israel and Britain recently joined a growing list of countries that plan to phase out sales of gas and diesel cars and trucks. Most of the countries have set a target date between 2030 and 2050 to convert all new-vehicle sales to electric power. A few, such as China, have announced plans to set such a date in the future but have not yet determined…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews
