Tesla Motors's Liquid-Cooled Charger Cable Means Quicker Charge Time

Tesla Motor introduces its latest innovation, liquid-cooled Supercharger cables.

Tesla Motor Inc’s new liquid-cooled Supercharger cables are reported to result in quick charge time. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in the latest annual shareholder’s meeting, held on June 9, that the company has "just introduced" the new charging cables in a bid to cut back on EV charge time, reports Greencarreports..

Mr. Musk, the CEO of electric vehicles manufacturing company said that the latest, thinner, and more flexible charging cable "have the potential for the increased power of the Supercharger long term." It is widely believed that the innovative technology will help reducing energy lost by way of heat; the cooling mechanism will result in a lighting fast-charge time, saving the driver’s time; increasing convenience.

Although according to recent Tesla Motors reports, Mr. Musk refrained from providing more details as to how many liquid-cooled charger cables will be installed or by when will the installation process be completed, but reports claim that the first such charger cable has been installed at the Supercharger station close to the Model S maker’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California.

The latest liquid-cooled charging cables coupled with Tesla’s increased number of supercharging stations in the country will prove to be a bonus selling point for the company to market its EVs even more. The move is likely to turn into Tesla’s favor as the company is all set for a Model X, Tesla’s crossover offering in the next few months, greater convenience in charging the EV help the company to attract more consumers.

Despite the company’s effort in streamlining its EVs into the industry, some analyst still argue if the high-speed superchargers will ever be able to fully compete with a quick gasoline fill up, which offers a much greater milage figure as well coupled with a massive network of gas stations around the country.

In other news, the EV maker was reported to be in line in achieving its goal of introducing its mass-market Model 3 in 2017. However, the recent development in the news is that the chief technical officer, Jeffrey B. Straubel, stated that the entry level EV will be available in two variants, sedan, and crossover, as well in a bid to capture a wider audience.

Tesla Beats Illumina Inc By Being Declared As the Smartest Company

The firm is showing massive signs of growth for near future which has made analysts quite positive.

Recently, a list of 50 smartest companies in the auto industry was released in which Tesla Motors managed to successfully secure the first position, beating out the previous winner in the race, Illumina Inc, which is a biotech firm working in the United States. The auto making giant, on the other hand, has been declared as the most innovative firm in the industry to be working on new technology ideas and bringing out the best out of it. In the report that was published, it was stated that the electric car makers have been making it big with their smart cars and have become one of the most competitive companies in the auto industry.

Tesla business is also being planned by the owners to expand more as it has become common news that the hybrid car makers are working on a new business in the battery business where it has settled to establish a new battery making plant that will solely work towards the product of lithium batteries. This step of the firm was initially taken with mixed opinions from analysts but over the passage of time, this has received quite a positive response from not only the analysts but also the investors.

Tesla was seen to reply to the success that it received in its future plans and how it plans to carry them out. The firm’s management informed the press that the actual plan is to bring about such a change in the society where people use electric smart cars on a mass level and get rid of cars that not only consume oil and gas but which also emit harmful chemicals by burning that gas. Taking into consideration the fact that customers start using hybrid cars only that are run by electric batteries chargeable by solar energy, many positives can be expected in the future.

Therefore, Tesla currently plans on focusing on expanding its business out to more and more people. Presently, the cars being produced by the firm are declared as luxury cars because of the price tag they carry but over the period of time, the company has decided to launch cars that carry a mediocre price which is reachable for people of almost all classes. Furthermore, the fact that the batteries in these cars will be chargeable by solar energy gives the customers more to think about and consider buying an electric car for them.

Only in the last quarter that the firm went through, the reported sales exceeded the expectations of the analysts by a mile, making the rivals in the industry believe that the auto giant is here to stay.

Ford's 2015 lineup

Ford's lineup is a monster, first with Saleen Black and now Shelby

Earlier yesterday, Ford brought out its Shelby GT350R-C Mustang race car, which is expected to make its on-track debut this weekend in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge at Watkins Glen.The top speed car is expected to be a beast in terms of speed with a friendly design.

The car is expected to make an impression at TopSpeed. Larry Holt of Multimatic Motorsports said: “We like the endurance format, and the racing is always intense. Strategy plays a big role; the cars must be fast and reliable, and there are always at least 10 contenders running door-to-door for two and a half hours. It is the perfect home for the GT350R-C.”

Not only this but, Saleen Automotive, the inventor of high-performance sports cars including powerful Mustangs, and the striking Saleen S7 supercar also announced earlier this year that it will be detailing the three variants of the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang. From the perspective of their specifications, the Yellow Label 302 is fitted with an engine capable of giving an output of 715 horsepower, and 595lb/ft. of torque.

The new variant although fitted with the same supercharger found in the Yellow Label, but the supplementary parts installed include higher-flow fuel injectors, which makes the Black label capable of giving out higher performance of 730 horsepower, and 600 lb/ft. torque. Other high-performance parts fitted by Saleen include anti-sway bar, springs, shocks, and bushings for better suspension. A 15-inch brake rotor is capable of giving the Black Label higher braking performance. The supercharged vehicle is supported by some great tires, providing the car with tremendous road grip, as they include 275/35 R20 front and 275/40 R20 rear tires.

As reports state, the new Black Label variant will not be cheap – the predator in the Mustang lineup is priced at $73,214, which is almost double the price of a Mustang GT.

Dave Pericak, the director of Global Ford Performance said, "Like so many Mustangs before it, the Shelby GT350R is a car born to race. We’re taking it to the track as the GT350R-C and we’re ready to see what it can do against the best competition in the world.”

Is Fords Motors Carrying Out Positive Business Plans Under CEO Mark Fields?

Analysts believe that the kind of planning Mark Fields is carrying out for the company's future is going to take it ahead and head to head with rivals in the industry soon.

Fords Motors has been in the news again, this time around for investors and analysts wondering where the auto company is headed and if any new plans are being adopted by it or not. Before ex- CEO Alan Mulally had hold of the smart car making company, it was seen that the firm was seen to undergo some massive changes within the management that helped it to boost upwards on the scale.

In the year that Mulally was seen to join the firm, the loss that was reported by the auto giants came around at $30 million. Despite the fact, the firm did not become bankrupt as it was handled quite perfectly by the CEO. From that point onwards, the hybrid car makers did not look backwards and only showed massive signs of growth. Since the time the control of Fords has been given to new CEO Mark Fields, questions are now being raised as to where the firm is headed under his guidance. The investors wish to know the current situation of the auto giant that they are investing on and whether or not under Fields rule is the company going to perform any better.

As per the analysts believe, the firm needs to carry out a lot of plans in order to compete with the rivals in the industry. Some of these plans include the bringing back the Lincoln brand which has been long ignored an also apply the much needed changes in the company that are taking place in the industry at quite a quick pace.

Lincoln has been targeted by analysts in their researches as the luxury brand supported by Fords Company has long been forgotten due to the struggles it has faced in the market. The CEO of the firm was seen to inform its investors that the fact that they are not yet a proper part of the luxury car industry is something to be taken into consideration and it will be looked after by the management soon. The first step towards success is establishing Fords cars into the luxury vehicle industry which is going to make their position clear on the front.

Fields also believes that if the correct amount of attention is given to Lincoln luxury cars, then the profit that can be raised from the sector will be huge for the firm. The auto makers are also planning to release these cars to China as well, within a given time period of 2014-2020 by spending around $2.5 billion for the process to be carried out perfectly.

Tesla Likely To Face Competition For Its Storage Batteries

Tesla to face tough competition with UET entering the industry with its storage products.

Tesla Motors Inc. is an electric car giant that is one of the prominent automotive brands in United States but since a relatively short span of time, the company is establishing its position as ann energy storage brand. The company recently diversified its portfolio and unveiled a diversified range of lithium ion storage products that can be used for powering household and commercial buildings. At the same time, the company is spending a substantial amount on establishing its first Gigafactory in Nevada.

However at this point the company now has competition at stake since a new startup namely UniEnergy Technologies (UET) powered by a group of scientists and engineers is gearing up to give a tough time. This startup has the backing of United States Energy Department. Thus, the Tesla Powerpack has a strong competitor ready to enter its domain. As reported by Clean Technica, the new company is likely to come up with products that have minute manufacturing costs and better life span.

According to the green energy website, the breakthrough of UET is part and parcel of a smart grid energy storage project situated in the state of Washington that is designed in a manner to consume wind energy resources within the state efficiently.

It needs to be noted here that Tesla’s move to enter the energy storage industry makes certain analysts believe that they could literally supersede the growth of electric cars. However, this has also acquired mix reviews where opinion is at times poles apart. Moreover, those analysts who are skeptical about this venture of Tesla Motors believe that this initiative might have the negligible potential for the firm.

Tesla at this point needs to take several existing and emerging competitors into consideration and if they do not do so then they might just get suppressed.

UET at this point has made several claims regarding its products and if they all are factually true then Tesla might not just be a real rival to them. However, the chief executive officer of Tesla, Mr. Elon Musk holds a relatively different opinion where he claims that his products offer more value than any other competitor in the market.

According to a press release issued by the chief executive officer of UET, “UET is not shy to say it has the best grid-scale energy storage solution at the best-Levelized cost, maximizing value for the customer.”

Hence, Tesla needs to understand that it is not as easy as they might consider it to be and adequate steps to sustain need to be taken.

Tesla Model X Will Disrupt The Automotive Industry

Tesla Model X likely to do well.

Tesla Motors Inc. is all set to deliver its recent breakthrough a cross over SUV electric car that has been named as Model X. the deliveries are likely to commence from September, the fiscal year of 2015

The company was successful in selling 20,000 units of its popular Model S sedan during the first two trimestral. So now the company needs to work on its delivery mechanism if it wishes to supersede its annual target of selling 55,000 electric cars across the globe.

However at this point, Tesla has been doing relatively well and might be just on track to achieve its goals since the number of pre-orders for the Model X are relatively promising. Moreover, the company’s production rates at their sole Fremont manufacturing plant also indicate that the Model X cars might just keep pace with the demand and thus smoothly drive past the Fremont facility ramps by the end of this year.

The demand for Tesla cars has not been a major issue for the company ever; this can be governed through the numbers. The sales of Tesla’s Model S sedan which is priced at $70,000 before tax credits are taken into consideration have actually been capped since the company has the potential to manufacture a car of this nature. So the same is the case with Model X.

The company has not really unveiled the exact specifications for the Model X cars but still they have been successful in gaining more than 20,000 pre-orders for the crossover SUV already.

There are two reasons behind the influx of some many customers opting for a Model X. firstly, the trend of a crossover SUV is extremely prominent amongst America. This encompasses a masterstroke from the company since they are targeting a market with immense potential now the usually goes untapped i.e women.

According to Mr. Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of the company, almost more than half of the pre-orders have been made by women who recently are becoming active as car buyers.

According to BidnessETC, “Tesla’s Model X, in addition to being vastly different than the Model S and the discontinued Roadster, is also specifically designed to cater to women’s needs. The company’s design engineers used data from a focus group with women conducted last year.”

Furthermore when we assume that the company will start to deliver Model X in September. This will result in a short lived four-month window to bolster their unit sales digits for FY15 which is a relatively tough task.

Tesla Plans To Expand Its Supercharging Stations All Over Britain

The electric car giants have decided to build more energy charging pumps all over Britain as promised to customers.

According to latest Tesla news, it has been seen that the automaking giant is planning to expand its supercharging business that it has initiated to charge its cars. The electric car makers have been in a dispute with Ecotricity which is an established energy supplier that has been in contract with the smart car manufacturers for quite some time now. However, due to a dispute that started between the two companies, the expansion of the energy project was delayed until further notice. The automakers have reportedly been assuring the customers of the electric cars in Britain that they will be receiving excessive power supply in their country without any issues.

Tesla has informed the British customers as per previous reports that it will be building up Supercharger pumps all over the states where the smart cars are being used. The firm was also seen to give the customers a chance to travel anywhere within the country relying on the new technology charging network that was to be established by the firm, that could help them obtain free energy from wherever these pumps were situated. However, all these plans were overlooked when the firm was thrown towards a lawsuit dispute with Ecotricity. This dispute resulted in a delay which made the customers quite unsure of what to expect next. Except for the energy filling pumps that were already installed, no more were being built.

As for the most recent update on Elon Musk’s automaking company, the dispute has now been settled between Tesla and Ecotricity which has opened up new spaces to cover. The hybrid car producers have recently announced that they will be building more energy pumps in the country following the same place which was to be followed if the hindrance hadn’t occurred. The installation of more pumps will determine the expansion of the project that the auto giant has been planning to carry out since a long time now.

The routes that will be covered are going to be from West Scotland to Eastern England, as per the reports. The firm is currently looking towards establishing around seven more site plants for the purpose of battery charging in the country. Both the companies that got involved in the dispute have announced new progressive plans recently which show that they are looking forward to making productive changes in the industry soon.

As per the press releases, the problem between the two firms started when it was reported by Ecotricity that Tesla is not being completely open about its plans which were causing many problems in operations.

General Motors To Compete With Tesla In Battery Production

Following Tesla's steps, General Motors has decided to give a try at the battery producing business too.

The most recent Tesla news is all about the fact that the automaking giant is already being threatened by rivals in the battery making industry that it has just entered and this is keeping the hybrid car producers on their toes. It has just been two months since the electric car makers announced their entry into the battery making business which it has planned to initiate from a battery producing plant in Nevada. The firm has also reported that it will be making two kinds of batteries, known as Powerwall and Powerpack, which will be immovable energy storage for home based purposes as well as for its electric smart cars.

However, rival General Motors has decided to step up to the firm to by announcing that it is also planning to invest into the battery storage industry, following Elon Musk’s company’s footsteps. This could be taken as a threat by the automaking giant, but analysts believe that GM is planning on a very different space to follow in terms of production of batteries. As per the press releases, it has emerged that the GM will not be investing much in the business unlike Tesla, which has reportedly put in a massive $5 billion into a battery-making plant. Instead, GM will be using old thrown away battery packs and bringing them to use by recycling them. These batteries will be the ones that are disposed of from the electric cars made by the Michigan-based firm only.

In a press release that took place on Tuesday, June 16, it was seen that the firm has plans of using a battery pack consisting of five used batteries which will then be used as an extension for powering cars and homes, using both solar energy as well as energy produced by the wind.

According to an article published by Fortune, it will be seen that the recycling procedure that is being followed is going to be compatible with primary usage as well. But consistent recycling needs to be done in the case, as they will be charged from the solar energy received daily.

On the other hand, it is being seen that the batteries General Motors is planning to launch will be saving quite a lot of energy for rainy days, which has come around to a massive 80 percent. However, a supply problem has been identified by the automakers as the recycling will only be done from the already used batteries of electric vehicles and the usage of those cars has not been as much as the usual cars.

Ford To Release Mustang In Europe Soon

The automaking company has sent its first shipment to the European states with great sales expectations.

Ford Motors has recently announced that it has successfully managed to carry out a shipment of Mustangs for the first time to Europe, and the smart cars are expected to make the customers in the region quite excited about the launch. According to a news article published by USA Today, it is expected that by the time the auto making company’s car are launched in the region, the sales of the cars manufactured by the firm are going to gain momentum by a mile. The new cars of the auto giant have been seen carrying some really exciting features which are predicted to bring about a stir in the European markets.

Previously, the firm has sold around 100,000 cars in the European region in around 20 markets in the west. These sales did raise not even the total sales of American cars in the continent but they also helped the firm to receive an increase in sales by around 1.5 percent as compared to the previous quarter. On the other hand, the firm is looking towards expanding its business and not restricting itself to one country only which is why such steps are being taken.

If only the current year is taken into consideration, it will be seen that around 9.3 percent rise has been recorded in the sales of the Fords cars and only in the first five months of the year 2015, the total cars that have so far been sold to the customers have come around at 542,000, a number that is definitely to be reckoned with.

These sales have not only surprised the analysts but also the investors in the company as the auto industry has so far shown a growth in sales of around 7.2 percent only, which has been surpassed by Ford in a successful manner. This time around, the firm has broken its own records as it has scored massively after two years of struggles. Furthermore, it will be seen that the first half of the year has been taken a little slow by the management of the auto making company. However, the pace will be quickened in the upcoming months, as the firm is planning to strengthen trade even more than before.

Fords has been witnessing a flat share in the stock market for the past 12 months, but the firm has decided to change that by coming into some much needed action. Previously the share that the hybrid car makers had in the market was around 7.8 percent, and as per recent news, the share has now been upgraded to 8.1 percent.

Tesla Motor 3 Line-Up To Feature A Crossover

Tesla upcoming Model 3 line-up to boast of a crossover.

Tesla Motors Inc. does not really say much when it is about the mass market of their Model 3. But, the firm’s chief technical officer, Mr. JB Staubel has unveiled certain details regarding third third-gen vehicle. According to the Wall Street Journal, the electric car manufacturer will launch the Model 3 that will be under the crossover and sedan category where he claimed that it is not a conventional car model.

As reported by Market Watch, the EIA Energy Conference which took place on Monday showcased the Model 3 portfolio as “cars beyond”. According to the company, Tesla has forecasted that almost one million vehicles will make their way to the roads by the end of this decade. Moreover, the company has plans to touch 0.4 million EVs when it comes to the annual production capacity.

Wall Street Journal reported that Mr. Straubel believes that the EV technology will play a substantial role in shaping the future of the automotive industry. It is likely that the battery-powered vehicles “will become the predominant and primary fuel for light vehicles,” and thus it will allow them to match the “internal combustion engine (ICE) systems’ potential.”

In order to make this happen, the company has started to work on their Gigafactory. This is a venture worth $5 billion that showcases lithium ion batteries. According to Tesla Motors, this factor will become the largest battery factory that is like to boost the costs of EV battery in order to make vehicles affordable.

This can be governed through the price of Model 3 which is said to be $35,000 before it was $75,000 tax credit reports the automaker. This actually means that great mart for the company’s EV’s prices will be lower than the price of the Model S Sedan.

Tesla Motors Inc. that is currently only selling the EV brand Model S now wishes to expand their portfolio. So in order to make this happen a crossover Model X is likely to be launched in the times to come. This rollout is expected in the coming three to four months. According to the up gradation of Model S and Model X, will help the company to gather their effort and launch Model 3 in the times top come.

However at this point, Tesla is maintaining its secrecy to hide its future projects but the future holds that the future of EVs is relatively strong and Tesla will have a strong position in the industry in the times to come.

Analysts Raise Concerns Over Tesla's Excessive Money Borrowing

The electric car makers have been borrowing more money than before which has raised concerns from analysts.

Tesla Motors is in the news again, this time for a completely different reason. On Friday, June 12 the auto making giants announced that it has successfully managed to receive a facility that has a worth of around $500 million. This property that has been taken by the electric car makers is going to prove as a useful entity to cover up corporate services and purposes that are for the department of handling capital. This just shows how much the hybrid car makers are currently seen to be taking more and more money loans which is bringing about a negative effect on the analysts who were previously holding a bullish stance about the activities of the firm.

Currently, it will be seen that the Tesla Motors has been carrying out activities which has made analysts and investors quite bullish about the future of the company. The massive sales and growth that is being experienced by the firm lately has made the analysts quite positive but the fact that the smart car makers are taking too much of loans is not going to take it anywhere. By the time it was made public that the electric car producers are borrowing money has not turned out to be a surprise for the analysts as it has been made common that the firm is looking for cash inflows to run the firm in a better way.

After the first quarter of the current financial year got over, it was announced by the firm that the cash revenue Tesla owns has come around at $1.5 billion. However, in the upcoming quarters, the high tech car producers have planned to spend around that much only which shows that more money is needed to carry out further tasks. The massive expenditures that are expected to be made by the firm are because of the upcoming launch of the Model X cars that the company is seeking to make.

Furthermore, the Gigafactory that is reportedly being built up in Nevada for the production of ion-lithium batteries is also going to need a massive amount of money too. Therefore, analysts are of the opinion that hence it is vital for the firm to take the loads to make sure the business activities are being carried out in the perfect way.

As for the credit facility, it has become evident that the firm has received it from around five banks, while Tesla has made plans of doubling the money it receives from $250 million to around $750 million. The firm has also been found in possession of letter of credit of around $100 million.

Fiat Chrysler Might Not Be A Good Fit For Toyota

Toyota has not been approached by Fiat Chrysler yet for a merger.

Bloomberg recently reported that the Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor Corp.’s North American Unit, Mr. Jim Lentz mentioned to reporters recently that the automotive manufacturer was not ready to associate itself with other automakers and has also not been approached by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles seeking a merger.

The CEO was addressing reporters during a round table conference before the inauguration of their Toyota Technical Center that is situated near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mr. Lentz mentioned in a statement, “It’s something we would not be interested in At 10 million (vehicles), we have enough scale right now to do what we need to do. There really would be no advantage for us.”

Mr. Lentz mentioned examples like the Ford Motor Company which faced bankruptcy since it started to offload extra brands like Aston Martin, Volvo, jaguar and Land Rover. Thus, they started to retain their focus on a relatively smaller manageable portfolio.

He further added that to him a relatively large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). He now believes that it is relatively difficult for them to take on Chrysler considering that was initially very successful for Ford. He further added, “FCA has a very strong Jeep brand, and especially today with fuel prices, it’s a great brand to have … but it really isn’t a fit for what we need at Toyota.”

Apart from this, Ford has also acknowledged that it now does not wish to pursue any merger. The company mentioned this during an investor event the previous week. Bob Shanks, the chief finance officer has admitted that there is a requirement for automakers to consolidate through technology and supplier alliances through other companies in this business. However, “we’re not a suitor for FCA.”

Mr. Shanks also claimed that when Mr. Marchionne did not really approach Ford directly. However alliances on a small scale with companies like Fiat Chrysler along with another automaker “would make sense.”

According to a senior analyst, at Kelley Blue Book, Mr. Karl Brauer has that opinion that Mr. Marchionne is likely to find a partner sooner or later it will become the industry giant. “Honestly, I think most other large automakers feel they have enough challenges to manage. Poor Sergio, always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” he said.

Bidness Autos - Tesla Fails To Receive Permission To Sell Cars Directly In Connecticut

The automaker's attempt to receive permission for direct sales in Connecticut have been overlooked by the senate.

Tesla Motors has recently received a bad news from the government of Connecticut. Formerly, the automaking giant has applied for a license to receive the permission to make selling transactions within the state directly, without a middle carrier. However, the bill that was expected to pass by the electric car makers, failed to come into action which resulted in the firm not obtaining the authority to sell their smart cars to the customers in the state. According a spokesperson of the auto making firm, this has happened due to the state of passivity that was seen in the senate which was supposed to further pass the request.

Tesla had reportedly filed a bill in the senate house of Connecticut in May but due to the deferral in the decisions made by the government, the results were not only delayed but also happened to be not in the hybrid car making company. However, in more recent news, it was seen that Elon Musk’s auto company is not ready to give up yet and plans to reapply for the bill to be accepted.

The management of the electric automakers has reportedly been making plans to submit the bill again to the general assembly which can then take it into consideration in a session that is scheduled to take place soon. There are, on the other hand, speculations about whether lawyers and lawmakers will think of taking it seriously or not. The firm has also informed that in case the nothing comes out of the special session that is going to take place in the senate, the automakers will file another bill the next year.

The spokesperson of Tesla cars was also noted to say that the firm might even try another strategy to make the law makers agree to the permission they wish to attain. However, it is believed by the firm that no reason can be found which should become a reason for not being granted the bill. The firm has a strong position in the industry and a full right to ask for equal rights to make sales of its cars in the state.

Tesla’s vice president of the business development department was recorded to say that the auto giants are looking towards welcoming new customers to try the smart cars being manufactured by them and by receiving the authority to make direct sales in different states of the country, the process will become easier. Currently, the automakers have around twenty stores all over the country and are planning to expand as much as possible.

Bidness Autos - Tesla's CFO To Retire This Year

The CFO of Tesla Mr. Deepak Ahuja to retire this year.

A part of the several announcements Tesla Motors Inc. made during their annual stakeholders meeting that was recently held at the Computer History Museum situated in Mountain View California, Mr. Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of the firm reported that Deepak Ahuja the chief financial officer of Tesla will be retiring this year.

Mr. Ahuja is one of the most prominent figures for Tesla Motors that has been associated with the company since the start. He has seen the company progress and has also helped them to undergo various rounds of funding along with initial public offering (IPO) in 2010.

Mr. Musk mentioned in a comment, “Together, we overcame the challenges of the early days at Tesla.” He further added, "As our first CFO, he guided us through several investment rounds, led the effort to take Tesla public, helped us become a strong business based on solid gross margins, and built a very strong finance team."

During Mr. Ahuja’s tenure, Tesla has grown from a styumbling company that was underfinanced into a massive brand that is highly valued in the electric car industry. In a short time, the company has developed the potential to compete with industry giants like BMW and Audi.

Despite the company has been dealing with financial constraints, but even them they are able to keep pace with the growth targets which deal with expansion of their product range that will allow them to manufacture three electric cars in FY17. Moreover, the storage batteries will again be a massive breakthrough for them considering the industry prospects.

Mr. Musk acknowledged the services of this veteran and in order to pay homage to this Mr. Ahuja, the CEO invited him on stage to thank him personally and appreciated him for being around during thick and thin.

But the company will not let go of Mr. Ahuja like this until they find someone who can take his legacy forward. Mr. Ahuja was delighted on Mr. Musk’s king words and gestures and summed up his experience as “nonstop adrenaline rush”. He stated that the company is more of a child to him and letting go is not easy, but then again he has other things on his agenda too.

Hence, the departure of Mr. Ahuja is a major setback to the company but it's all in good spirits and his efforts will always be remembered by the electric car giant. The company will continue to progress and carry forward is agenda.

Bidness Autos - Tesla's Elon Musk Clears Misconception Regarding Energy Storage

Tesla utility batteries are an asset considering their functionality believes Musk.

The chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Inc. Mr. Elon Musk recently felt that it was high time to address the increasing concerns by analyst regarding the newly unveiled battery products. Recently, while Mr. Musk addressed the annual convention at Edison Electric Institute, the man behind the success of this firm mentioned to the owner that investing in its battery products will be beneficial for them since there are no potential; threats associated to the batteries.

The purpose behind such remarks was to engage the utility owners since these firms can collaborate to provide solutions that result in a greener environment. According to Bloomberg, Mr. Musk mentioned at the held event regarding the expected sale of the Model S that it will help in boosting the electrical demands that might arouse in the coming decades. As a response to this, the energy sources which are renewable like the wind and solar play a drastic role in the generation of power. According to him, around one-third of the increase in the electrical demand will be covered through distributed generation either from battery storage or solar power.

Mr. Musk further claimed that a great chunk of power generation will be through solar that will be creating drastic market opportunity. The company has come up with two products namely Powerpack and Powerwall. Mr. Elon Musk believes that a great chunk of battery sales will be governed through Powerpack system, for which it is already collaborating with several industry giants globally.

Previously, the electric car giant joined hands with the LichtBlick, the German energy and information technology firm allowing them to explore the European fraternity. Initially, the company will start operations in Germany and later move other overseas markets which include Australia and New Zealand. Tesla Motors has also signed a contract with Gaelectric that will purchase and deploy the Tesla made batteries at suitable industries.

Tesla has achieved another milestone by launching its batteries which are not only economically priced in the industry but also serve a major purpose. According to BidnessEtc, “the grid electricity charge for commercial purposes is high, compared to the one in the US, as cited in a Bernstein note, released last week. Analysts at Bernstein pointed out Hawaii to be the only location where Tesla residential batteries will be economical, as they have an average electricity rate of $0.37 per kilowatt hour (kWh). In contrast, the electricity charge will cost $0.3 per kW for households if they use roof top solar panel-backed Tesla battery.”

Bidness Autos - Tesla To Receive Competition By Mercedes In Home Battery Business

The automaking giant is soon going to receive serious competition by Mercedes which has also decided to step into the battery-making business.

Tesla has been going through some massive changes within the functions of the firm that it has always been carrying and one of the newest ventures that it has reportedly stepped into is all about making home based batteries for the customers to save money on their electricity bills.

Even though at first the automaking giant did not receive the right reaction from the automotive industry about going into battery making business and analysts were seen saying that the firm is just changing its track a little bit to hide the sluggish sales of its car lately. However, this business is now being taken as a huge step towards progress by analysts and there is one more trend that the electric car makers seem to be setting. According to a recent news release, it was seen that Mercedes has decided to adopt the whole idea of manufacturing and selling batteries too.

This news has not only surprised the auto industry and analysts, but it has also amused them since the luxury car making firm did not make such business plans in the past. The energy storage business plan that has taken its toll in the industry is sure to bring about a change that turns around how things worked in the auto companies before. Mercedes has decided to look past the manufacturing and selling off of cars and automobiles and have a look at the battery making business instead. According to the recent news on Mercedes-Benz, it was seen that its parent company Daimler AG was seen working towards making the tests needed to be done for the batteries that are used in the homes. As per the press release, it has been heard that before September, the firm will be launching the first of its batteries.

The report on Mercedes plans has made it clear that the automakers have been testing batteries for a long time now, probably as long the smart car making company, Tesla. A subsidiary of Daimler was set up around six year back which was made to focus on the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Analysts believe that Tesla has made its focus on the batteries quite a straightforward and obvious decision while on the other hand Mercedes’ parent company is not doing the same and is taking baby steps into the industry. The hybrid car makers are looking towards expanding their business by making batteries in a huge number while Daimler aims to make batteries but not in a large quantity. However, it is expected by the analysts that the electric car producers need to look out as serious competition is headed their way.

Bidness Autos - Toyota And Ford Collaborate For Dashboard Software

Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have joined hands to come up with an in-vehicle software that will help them in competing with Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

Many automakers are not ready to give up the control to Silicon Valley companies that are gearing up to control the dashboards. So now Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have joined hands to come up with an in-vehicle software that will help them in competing with Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

According to recent moves by Toyota, the company has announced that they have started to explore the usage of SmartDeviceLink. This is the open source version of the AppLink software by Ford that will be seen by Lexus and other Toyota cars.

SmartDeviceLink, or generally known as SDL, acts like an interface allowing smartphone integration into the dashboard of the vehicle similar to Android Auto by Google and CarPlay by Apple. Around two years back, Ford had announced that it will open source this platform with a vision that other automakers will join them and assist them in creating an alternative to what the tech behemoths are offering. The aim of this collaboration is to curb the presence of Sillicon Valley firms in the vehicle software domain.

According to a senior analyst at IHS, Mr. Mark Boyadjis stated, “Toyota adopting it is very significant because it validates the approach that Ford took, and it could help Ford and Toyota maintain control over the app ecosystem and the experience.” He further added, that the collaboration of big companies like Ford and Toyota Motors to work on an SDL like open source platform will be an attractive offer to app developers who will now be interest to work on the platform. Moreover, this will also help them in keeping Google and Apple out of the scenario.

This is not it, but other automakers are also coming with similar initiatives to attract customers. According to the chief executive officer of General Motors, Ms. Mary Barra understands the importance of smartphones amongst the masses. Collaboration between Google and Apple to come up with Android Auto and CarPlay that will be compatible with a wide array of vehicles is a perfect example of how firms like Chervolet have a firm hold in democratizing the technology that is relatively important for consumers.

The initiative that Ford Motors and Toyota has taken is extremely ambitious and will actually give a tough time to Apple and Google. However, the company will also be required to come up with something top notch for the dashboards so that consumer do not look for alternatives and stick to these automakers.

Bidness Autos - Tesla To Focus On Electric Trucks Now

The firm's co-founder, Ian Wright, has been reportedly working on Wrightspeed, a project used to electrify trucks that are used for various purposes, which will in return reduce pollution.

Tesla Motors has been doing a lot of things at the same time. The firm is all set to release its SUVs soon which have become one of the most awaited cars in the current time. According to a recently published interview of Ian Wright, who is the co-founder of the electric car making company, it has been seen he was one of the members of the group which ended up launching the hybrid car making giant in the industry around twelve years back.

From that time onwards, the auto giant has been constantly experiencing a rise in the electric car industry since it has always shown to be making cars that are excellent in quality and the perfect luxury vehicles to satisfy the needs of people who loved high tech cars. The firm has always produced high priced cars which have targeted the elite class since the beginning but this time around, Ian Wright was seen to declare the firm will also be focusing on cars that are not as high priced as the previous cars so that the idea of driving electric cars can be practiced by people of all classes.

On the other hand, Wright has also discussed that Tesla has many more exciting plans for the upcoming time, and one of them is to turn trucks into electric vehicles as well. Wright discussed in the interview that the firm is now looking forward to electrify all the trucks that have been observed to be noisy and abundant in use by the people for different purposes in the country.

A new venture of the firm is soon going to be announced which has been named ‘Wrightspeed’ after the idea proposed by Wright, which will work towards providing heavy-duty electric powertrains to the huge cars and trucks that actually not electric vehicles. This means that this venture will not be producing trucks but it will actually be providing the truck drivers with these much-needed powertrains which will not only be easier to use, but they will also be creating less noise pollution and will relatively be cleaner than the engine system used in cars driven by energies like diesel and gas.

The main purpose of the Wrightspeed that will be fulfilled through the venture is that the powertrains provided will be working towards lessening the pollution that is released by the gas based engines used by the trucks. This system is already been installed in the delivery trucks of FedEx Corp along with around 17 trucks that are used to collect garbage by Ratto Group.

Bidness Autos - Why Tesla Cannot Reign Over The Autonomous Car Industry

Tesla has ample competition in store that can halt their growth in the autonomous car domain.

Mr. Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Inc. has been a staunch advocate of autonomous car technology. This technology is said to be a massive breakthrough in the automotive sector where the electric car maker is extremely positive to cash the scenario. Previously in March, Mr. Elon Musk during a NVIDIA Corporation event mentioned to the chief executive officer of the firm Mr. Jen Hsun Huang that the conventional driving methodologies will be outlawed in the coming twenty years since autonomous cars will take over.

According to Mr. Musk, Tesla Motors will play a significant role in boosting the autonomous car sector. In order to do so, the company recently announced an autopilot feature that will be possible through Over the Air software for the complete Model S series.

Despite the fact that Tesla Motors is a pioneer in the field of autonomous car technology and the technology they wish to come up is said to be one of a kind but even then some Wall Street analysts believe that the company is likely to face competition when considering the future cars. Moreover, Mr. Elon Musk was also hurt by the recent report compiled by Goldman Sachs according to which the fiscal year of 2017 will be a “watershed year” for the autonomous car technology where Tesla Motors will certainly not be a key player in that.

Tesla Motors that is said to be a pioneer in the automotive industry for its autonomous technology is expected to lag behind the tech behemoths that already have a stronger position before the launch. Google Inc. is said to be relatively ahead of Tesla in terms of its autonomous car dreams.

Apparently Tesla has not been doing fairly well and has been reporting losses since a relatively long span of time. However, the company is taking several initiatives to get back on track and start making money. The goals of Mr. Musk are extremely ambitious and have established the company’s position as a key player in terms of providing clean technology in the times to come through its Gigafactory that will cost them around $5 billion. Irrespective of the fact that the company is all set to build the largest lithium ion battery across the globe in Reno Naveda, analysts at Goldman Sachs still believe that the company will still remain far behind their competitors.

Hence, in a nutshell, autonomous cars were said to be a game changer for the company but now this also seems a bit hard for them to achieve their dream.

Bidness Autos - Tesla Might Get Offered An Acquistion Deal By Google

There have been rumors that suggest that Google might be considering buying the auto making giant on a massive deal signed on $275 per share.

Tesla Motors has been trading way up to high on the stock index since the time rumors have started circulating the air that the firm might just get acquired by Google Inc with a price per share settled at $275. This overly priced number has helped the price of the auto making company’s stock go right upwards. Keeping in mind the current share price, this acquisition at $275 per share shows an 11 percent upwards stance from the current price that the shares are trading on. These rumors have taken the attention of the analysts in the industry.

Previously there has been quite a lot of speculation related to acquisitions made by big companies in the start of the year 2015, as there were many rumors which suggested different tales. But so far, all the rumors that were heard in the past have yet not been materialized which shows that too much attention should not be given to the rumors that are commonly seen circulating in the industry.

Tesla Motors is an automobile company that deals in designing and manufacturing electric cars which are on of its kind. The smart car making company was the first one in the country to come up with such an idea and so far, the customers in the United States of America have been quite satisfied with the kind of hybrid cars that are being produced by the Silicon Valley-based company.

The cars that Tesla is usually seen making are luxury cars that are also a status symbol used by the elite class of the country. These cars are powered by electricity and the firm has also managed to establish quite a lot of electricity filling pumps across the country, in order to provide ease to the users who are driving the electric cars. The firm also launched its electric cars in China which was a huge step taken by the automakers but due to some problems, the cars did not put the same effect on the Chinese people as they did on the American customers which are why the company ended up receiving a negative response from the Asian region.

As for the buyout by Google that was rumored to take the place of Tesla on the social media networking site Twitter, there has been nothing but rumors. The base of these rumors are coming from a book written on the life of the CEO of the electric car making company, Elon Musk, who has mentioned that his firm reached out to Google (GOOG) for help back in 2012 when the smart car makers were going through a difficult financial time.