caption The Tesla Model 3. source Hollis Johnson/Business Insider The Tesla Model 3 and the Chevy Bolt are your two main choices if you’re in the market for an all-electric vehicle with 200-plus-mile range. The Model 3 has a base price of $35,000, and the Bolt has the base price of $37,500, and a $7,500 federal tex credit is available for both. We found that head-to-head, two very different cars wound up in a surprising dead heat. Last year, we were so impressed by the Chevy Bolt that we named it a 2017 Car of the Year runner up. Early this year, we spent some time getting to know the hotly anticipated Tesla Model 3. We haven’t properly reviewed the Tesla Model 3 yet, but we will later in 2018. In the meantime, we thought it might be worth it see how the two vehicles stack up against each other. Read on to find out what we thought. Let’s start with the Chevy Bolt, in … [Read more...] about We drove a $57,500 Tesla Model 3 and a $43,000 Chevy Bolt to see which is better — here’s the verdict
Tesla model s ludicrous mode
The all-electric Chevy Bolt is a serious threat to Tesla’s Model 3
caption Bravo! source Hollis Johnson The Chevy Bolt beat the Tesla Model 3 to market by over a year. The vehicle has been selling well for General Motors and also serves as a platform for the carmaker’s Cruise self-driving technology. We were very impressed when we drove it last year. You can easily argue that the Chevy Bolt is the most important car General Motors has ever rolled out. What we have here is a $37,495 all-electric vehicle with a range of nearly 240 miles on a single battery charge. GM took it from intro to the assembly line in less than two years, in the process beating the avidly anticipated Tesla Model 3 to market by at least a year. So what makes the Bolt more important than, say, the Cadillac XT5 crossover SUV or a new Corvette? The Bolt is a completely different kind of “halo” car. Like the Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid 15 years ago – based initially on … [Read more...] about The all-electric Chevy Bolt is a serious threat to Tesla’s Model 3
Ferrari’s CEO shoots down claims that Tesla’s Model S is secretly a supercar
Tesla has posted some crazy fast 0-60 numbers for its Model S, raising comparisons with supercars. But there’s more to supercars that straight-line speed. Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne helpfully pointed this out. The Tesla Model S P100D, with “Ludicrous Mode” acceleration, can go from 0-60 mph in a mind-boggling 2.3 seconds. This has led to declarations that this all-electric four-door, a family sedan for the future, is secretly a supercar. That 0-60 speed might be faster than what some of the world’s proper supercars can achieve, but the CEO of one of those supercar brands isn’t having any of it. After Ferrari reported solid full-year 2017 earnings Thursday, Sergio Marchionne spoke with analysts on a conference call and took questions about a rumored all-electric supercar. At the Detroit auto show in January, Marchionne said, “If there is an electric supercar to be built, then Ferrari … [Read more...] about Ferrari’s CEO shoots down claims that Tesla’s Model S is secretly a supercar
Tesla’s Model 3 problems reveal a hidden cost in electric cars
Tesla is working through production bottlenecks for its Model 3. The problems are concentrated at its Nevada battery factory. The company’s goal is to automated assembly of this expensive component, to speed up production and reduce cost. When it comes to cars, most people don’t think about how much the individual parts add up to an overall price tag. That is, until something goes wrong. Tesla has been dealing with what it calls production bottlenecks at its massive battery factory, called the Gigafactory, in Nevada. The company went into some detail on the issues during its third-quarter earnings conference call with analysts, when CEO Elon Musk was actually at the Gigafactory near Reno trying to sort out the slowdown. Battery production for the mass-market Model 3 will be far more automated than it has been for Tesla’s previous vehicles, the Model S and Model X. Production, in general, will be more … [Read more...] about Tesla’s Model 3 problems reveal a hidden cost in electric cars
Tesla’s largest US Supercharger station has a plush, private customer lounge in the middle of a folksy California town — take a look inside
caption A Tesla Supercharger station in Kettleman City, California. source Bryan Logan/Business Insider KETTLEMAN CITY, California – Amid swaths of farmland and a smattering of gas stations, fast-food restaurants, and motels, Tesla’s largest-ever Supercharger station sits tucked away from the main street that runs underneath the 5 Freeway, on a corner lot that used to be a Burger King drive-thru. Across the street to the east is a gas station and a Carl’s Jr., to the south an auto-repair shop, and to the west two budget hotels. Farther south across State Route 41, there’s a recently built strip mall, curiously named Bravo Farms, whose architecture was designed to resemble old Western saloons of generations past. The Tesla Supercharger station, unlike the Burger King before it, makes use of nearly all the available space. An expanse of covered solar parking shelters the 40 Superchargers on the lot. A private lounge invites Tesla travelers to … [Read more...] about Tesla’s largest US Supercharger station has a plush, private customer lounge in the middle of a folksy California town — take a look inside