Apr 04
The Tesla car company isn’t shy about breaking from automotive standard practice, building fast, near-silent
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May 29
We can’t argue that the Tesla Model S is not only a great achievement in the EV industry and a looker as well, but there are still a lot of people unconvinced by the $70,000 sticker price ($60k, if you count the tax credits). CEO Elon Musk is definitely aware of that particular concern, and stated tonight at D11 that there’s a very good chance we’ll see Teslas in three years for half the price — and 20 percent smaller, to boot. Speaking with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Musk mentioned he started the company with a three-step strategy to get to mass market, with the Roadster and Model S being the first two steps. The third step, naturally, would be to offer options that are more affordable: according to Musk, “I think every major product needs at least three iterations to get to the mass market — I know cellphones have had much more than that.” While we wait for 2016-17, we’ll start saving some of our pennies, but fortunately we may not have to pinch all of them.
May 21
Elecom – Touch panel cleaner with fragrance – spray type (P-FCS) and wet tissue type (P-FCT5P)
Posted in: Today's Chili
If you are like a lot of guys, not only might your computer or touch panel need some cleaning, but your stuff may not be smelling as fresh as it could.
Now, there may be something for you. Elecom is releasing a touch panel cleaner with fragrance in late May.
There are 2 kinds:
– “Spray type” (P-FCS)
– “Tissue type” (P-FCT5P)
These cleaners remove finger prints, dirt, etc. from screens, tablets, smart phones, etc. and also add some refreshing scent to your screen. 10 kinds of scents are available.
Fragrance types:
rose, lavender, grapefruit, lemongrass, fresh fruit, musk, fruity vanilla, green tea, wood, soap
Spray type (P-FCS series)
Price: ¥1,323 (including tax)
Tissue type (P-FCT5P series)
Price: ¥640 (including tax)
Oct 04
Elon Musk says Tesla will be ‘cash flow positive’ soon, announces early repayment of DOE loan
Posted in: Today's Chili 
After Tesla Motors’ recent SEC filing painted a picture of production delays, revenue shortfalls and stock sales to raise cash, CEO Elon Musk has gone on the record to say everything’s a-okay. The omnipresent executive said that “if the calendar were simply shifted a few weeks to the right” Tesla would have actually exceeded its vehicle delivery targets for the quarter, and said that the share release was merely held to mitigate risk from suppliers. He also claimed that the Department of Energy’s request for early repayment was not a poor reflection of the EV maker’s financial state, but actually a hearty endorsement — the government branch expects Tesla to make loads of cash, and wants it to repay the loan early rather than hoarding it. As such, Musk announced the Model S builder had initiated its first early payment today and would pay off the principal loan prior to its March 2013 due date. We’ll have to see if that’s enough to keep the automaker’s name out of any future presidential debates.
[Image credit: Tesla Motors]
Filed under: Transportation
Elon Musk says Tesla will be ‘cash flow positive’ soon, announces early repayment of DOE loan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sep 25
Tesla behind on Model S production goals, aims for extra cash with stock sale
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Sure, topping off a Model S in 30 minutes with a Supercharger is awfully handy, but production delays of the sedan will keep some future owners away from quick charge times — and most importantly — their cars for a little while longer. In a freshly published filing with the US Securities Exchange and Commission, Tesla revealed that it hasn’t reached its goal of producing 400 Model S vehicles a week, which places them four to five weeks behind their 2012 delivery expectations. To date, just 255 of the autos have rolled off the assembly line, 132 of which have made their way to new homes. According to the Palo Alto-based outfit, ramping up production has been slower than expected for a number of reasons, including supplier delays and taking a deliberately measured pace for quality assurance purposes.
Before the year draws to a close, Musk and Co. anticipate meeting their goal of churning out 400 cars each week, and a total of 20,000 by the end of 2013. Currently, the automaker has racked up around 13,000 reservations and thinks it’ll be working to fulfill even more throughout 2013. As a result of the manufacturing lag, the firm has slashed its revenue forecast by as much as $200 million, estimating it’ll rake in anywhere from $400 million to $440 million this year. In an effort to add cash to its coffers, the company is putting up roughly 5 million shares of stock for sale. Who’s buying, you say? Tesla mentioned its CEO Elon Musk is interested in putting down a cool million bucks.
Filed under: Transportation
Tesla behind on Model S production goals, aims for extra cash with stock sale originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug 20
CE-Oh no he didn’t!: Tesla’s Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a ‘mediocre product at a high price’
Posted in: Today's Chili 
“I don’t think very highly of Henrik Fisker,” Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told Automobile magazine in a recent interview. Musk was recalling events leading up to a 2008 lawsuit in which Tesla accused Fisker of pilfering its hybrid technology to build the Fisker Karma. Musk isn’t a fan of the automobile, and suggests its creators put form over function. “It’s a mediocre product at a high price,” he says. “[Fisker] thinks the most important thing in the world — or the only important thing in the world — is design, so he outsourced the engineering and manufacturing.” Still, Musk concedes that Fisker’s eye for aesthetics paid off in some respects. “It looks good,” he said. “Particularly from the side it looks good.”
The magazine gave Henrik Fisker a chance to respond, who said that he was “delighted that Elon thinks the Karma is a good-looking car,” and stressed that Tesla and Fisker are targeting different customers with two “totally different technologies.” He was quick to address the firms’ previous legal squabbles too, “to set the record straight, Fisker won in court… a judge threw out the case and awarded costs to Fisker.” True enough, but in light of recent events, we can think of at least one Karma owner who might agree with Musk.
Filed under: Transportation
CE-Oh no he didn’t!: Tesla’s Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a ‘mediocre product at a high price’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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