Hasta La Gadget!

We recently had a chance to put a Tesla Model S through its paces and we had no problem getting where we were going — and back again — despite our testing happening in Upstate New York the middle of a rather chilly January. The New York Times, however, had a bit of a harder time of it. Over the weekend, Times reporter John M. Broder published what can only be called a rather negative report on a failed trip to one of Tesla’s fabled Superchargers. After a series of short charges and a series of drives in a Model S (the very same car we tested, we would add), Broder ultimately ran out of juice and was left stranded, having to tow the car from Brannford, CT to the nearest Supercharger, this one in Milford — about 25 miles away.

Broder blamed the temperature and, ultimately, the car for causing the disappointment — something Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to rebut, saying:

NYTimes article about Tesla range in cold is fake. Vehicle logs tell true story that he didn’t actually charge to max & took a long detour.

The Times responded (via CNBC) that the report was “completely factual” and that “Any suggestion that the account was ‘fake’ is, of course, flatly untrue.” Musk then took to CNBC himself to talk about a “lengthy detour” Broder took through Manhattan — something not mentioned in his post.

In our own experiences, we definitely did notice a decreased indicated range immediately after turning on the car, but it quickly rose as they gradually rose to operating temperature. That said, we were never able to eke out the “indicated” range in the cold on either of our lengthy trips — even those that didn’t involve trips through Manhattan.

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Source: @elonmusk (Twitter), The New York Times

As we cover the mobile industry, where the evolution of devices and processors is relentless, we’re used to being impressed. We’re used to seeing a new generation of a product that instantly and irrevocably makes the previous one look tame. It’s just the way this world turns. However, that’s not something we’re used to seeing in the automotive world, where each new model year is typically such a minor step forward that without the addition of new creases or wings to the body, bigger wheels and more boisterous badges on the trunk, you’d hardly spot the improvements.

That’s not the case with the Tesla Model S. It comes not long after the retirement of the Tesla Roadster, a car we thoroughly enjoyed but found a bit too raw, a bit too rough around the edges for general consumption. The Model S is so much more refined, so much more polished that you can hardly compare the two. Yet they come from the same company and have one similar, defining characteristic: neither burns a drop of fuel. Join us after the break for an exploration of what makes Tesla’s latest EV such an amazing ride — and where the company must improve if it truly wants to compete with the BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes of the world.

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It’s about time someone went ahead and created a modeling agency for unusual looking or not-so-very appealing people. In other words, I guess you could consider them physically ugly on some levels.

No, in case you’re wondering, I’m not kidding, because the Ugly Models Agency is very real and is actually representing a number of very ugly unusual-looking people.

Beauty is subjective and oftentimes, it’s judged only skin-deep. While the people on this agency’s roster aren’t too pretty on the outside (and how can they be, with the poses and expressions they’re comically wearing on their faces?), I think it’s worth saying that they’re most probably very nice and very beautiful people on the inside.

Even if they might not have the most conventionally appealing looks, at least we all know they have a good sense of humor. If they didn’t, I doubt they’d actually go and get themselves represented by said agency in the first place.

The Ugly Modeling Agency specializes in casting unusual looks for TV, movies, print, video and other media, and has been featured on National Geographic’s show Taboo.

[via Oddity Central via Laughing Squid]

The classic arcade shooter Galaga celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. That means we’re growing old faster than we think. It also means celebratory trinkets. If you’ve ever wondered what the tiny space fighter would look like in real life, this model kit provides a potential answer.

For comaprison’s sake, here’s a supersized shot of the original ship courtesy of Fanpop:

I don’t understand Japanese, but from what I understand the model was designed by Kow Yokoyama, the artist who co-created the popular Maschinen Krieger model series. The ship does have a beat-up look found in MaK models, but again I’m not 100% sure about that bit. One feature that fans will appreciate is that two models can be linked together, a nod to the double shooter mode in the game.

You can pre-order the Galaga fighter from Rakuten for ￥3,240 (~$40 USD), but don’t think it’ll land on your doorstep right away; Wave Corporation won’t release the toy until March 2013.

[via Wave Corp via CNET]

Tesla’s Model S roadster has nabbed Motor Trend’s 2013 Car of the Year award, making it the first electric car to garner the prize. The EV was voted in unanimously by the publication’s judges while beating out the formidable likes of BMW, Porsche and Lexus. In announcing the award, the editors proclaimed the vehicle to be sporty, efficient, spacious and “as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce.” Meanwhile, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk opined that gaining the prize over the gas-burners was a “critical step towards the widespread adoption of sustainable transport.” Now all the automaker needs to do is ramp up production and it might start to generate cash as well as awards.

Continue reading Tesla Model S electrifies Motor Trend judges, unanimously voted 2013 Car of the Year

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Tesla Model S electrifies Motor Trend judges, unanimously voted 2013 Car of the Year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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