Hasta La Gadget!

Tesla CEO Elon Musk talked a bit about his goals for expanded service options in his interview with us earlier this month, and he’s today detailed some of those options that the company is ready to roll out. That includes one perk that’s been mentioned previously: the ability to get a Model S loaner to tide you over when you have to turn your car in for service. What’s more, that loaner will be a top-of-the-line Model S regardless of the car you turn in (there’s a fleet of 85 to start with, each with valet service to your location), and customers in “most markets” can also opt to get a Tesla Roadster as a loaner if they’d prefer to try out something sportier. Musk further explains that customers can even choose to keep that loaner car if they like it better, and simply pay the difference.

Beyond that, Tesla is now making annual checkups entirely optional, meaning that your warranty will still be valid for the full term even if you never take your car in. And rounding things out is what Tesla describes as an “unconditional warranty” on Model S batteries, which will let owners get a factory reconditioned unit as a replacement even in the case of user error. You can find the full details on the new options in Musk’s blog post announcing the news linked below.

Filed under: Transportation

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Source: Tesla

The MTA held a press conference earlier today in Times Square subway, New York. It announced that now 36 NYC subway stations have access to Wi-Fi service. MTA is working on providing wireless networking across its entire transit service and it is gradually expanding its net. The organization expects that it will be able to provide wireless networking in the remaining 241 underground stations in the next four years.

To make this happen, MTA has entered in to partnerships with major cellular networks AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. They’ve also teamed with wireless networking solutions provider, Boingo. A website has been created which contains the entire list of New York’s underground subway stations where Wi-Fi is available. HTC and Boingo have also partnered up themselves to provide free Wi-Fi to subway commuters, all they have to do is sign in on their devices through the sponsored SSID titled FreeWifibyHTCONE. This is a clever marketing ploy by HTC to garner consumer interest in its latest Android flagship smartphone, the HTC One, which faces a tough competition in the market by the likes of Samsung Galaxy S4.

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Wireless access in New York City’s subway system has so far been limited, at best: two GSM carriers, one WiFi provider and six stations does not a full network make. Coverage is getting much wider, however, as Transit Wireless just flicked on access in 30 extra stations. While cellular service with this batch is still limited to AT&T and T-Mobile for now, it reaches a much wider swath of Manhattan that includes Times Square, Rockefeller Center and the Museum of Natural History. Those on CDMA carriers also won’t be left hanging for long — both Sprint and Verizon have nearly finished making deals to join the project, with Sprint aiming for service later this year. Although the deployment still leaves big holes in carrier support and geographic reach, it’s a big leap for travelers with an urge to stay online while underground.

[Image credit: Retromoderns, Flickr]

Update: Verizon now tells us that it’s also aiming for service by the end of the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Wireless, Networking, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Via: The Verge

Source: Governor Cuomo

All EVs have their own particular merits: some climb, some race, some only have three wheels, and some are even prone to melting. Chevrolet’s Spark EV may not have any of these credentials, but now it’s found the right feather to fit its cap as the “most efficient” retail car. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the Spark has a combined city / highway range of 82 miles on a full charge of its 21 kWh battery, and has given the vehicle a rating of 119 MPGe (a gasoline-equivalent figure). As Autoblog notes, Honda’s Fit EV will go 82 miles on a smaller 20 kWh battery but, once the regulators have done fiddling with digits, it only scores 118 MPGe. That’s the efficiency number that matters, and whether you’re saving the world or just trying to save money, every mile counts. You’ll be able to put that EPA rating to the test this summer when the Spark EV goes on sale in California and Oregon, but until then, check out the official certificate below the fold for more juicy details (read: efficiency stats).

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: Autoblog

I am not quite sure about you, but does the Toyota Me.We concept 2013 that you see above somehow seem to remind you of a far more rugged and “fierce” model of the Mini from BMW, albeit sporting a more elongated chassis? The entire Toyota Me.We concept has to do with a collaboration between French designer Jean-Marie Massaud and the Japanese automotive giant, of course.

First unveiled at Le Rendez-vous Toyota in Paris, the Me.We Concept intends to have one imagine a ride which can be appreciated by owners regardless of the kind of lifestyle that they live, all the while paying close attention to the kind of environment that one lives in, doing the best at all times to ensure that there is a future planet for our children to live on. The Toyota Me.We concept is highly customizable thanks to removable body panels, and throwing in an extendable rear panel would see it function as a pickup, or you can turn it into a convertible with a neoprene roof panel. Do you think that the Me.We concept can take off if realized?

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