Tag: Tesla

Elon Musk Promises Tesla Will Release Full Autonomous Driving Feature This Year

Electronic car maker Tesla has been a driving force in the growth of the sales of electric cars. The company has introduced several futuristic features in their vehicles which have been really popular among buyers. Its CEO Elon Musk promised a while ago that a fully self-driving Tesla will be released by the year 2020. In a surprising move, the senior executive confirmed that the company will indeed be releasing the promised feature by the end of the year 2019.

Tesla & Self Driving Technology

Tesla cars are renowned for their Autopilot feature which makes use of several cameras and sensors present on the exterior of the vehicle. The feature, when used makes the car a partially autonomous vehicle. It still requires the driver to be attentive of their surroundings all the time, or the feature stops working. The feature is then disabled for the rest of the trip and won’t be accessible. It was touted as a revolutionary feature when it was introduced back in 2015 with the v7.0 update of the Tesla OS.

According to Elon Musk though, the hardware in current Tesla cars is capable of fully autonomous driving since October 2016. It is expected that when the fully autonomous driving feature arrives in the form of a software update, it will automatically support the cars manufactured after late 2016. He states that the feature will be so capable that the driver will be able to sleep while the car drives itself. The vehicle will be able to pick the driver up, drive and drop the rider off their destination. This feature will fully roll-out by 2020 until then manual monitoring is required.

Also read: Samsung Launches Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Fit And Galaxy Watch Active

Interestingly, Tesla always missed every deadline that Elon Musk has quoted earlier. So, the feature might take longer than expected to be fully ready. Reports suggest that the Tesla cars with full autonomous functionality are likely to be ready by sometime in 2020.

February 21, 2019
Ferrari’s Design Company Working On A $2M Electric Hypercar

The company which designed the Ferrari F40, Pininfarina, is planning to launch a $2 million electric hypercar according to reports. Pininfarina has designed Maserati cars as well. Now the company is planning to launch its own hypercar in hopes to set a benchmark in the history of car making. The company is calling this the PF0 or the PF Zero.

Small History

Pininfarina was responsible for designing the classic Ferrari F40. The company showcased its capabilities in the 2016 Geneva Automobile Convention. With their H2 Speed 2018, the company introduced the world to its first hydrogen-powered hypercar. The car could go from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds. The new PF0 plans to blow that record out of the water by supposedly going from 0 to 100 miles/hr in less than two seconds.

Pininfarina H2 Speed via Pininfarina

Press Release

In the press release, Michael Perschke, the CEO of Automobili Pininfarina said:

Automobili Pininfarina is a pioneering new business created to service the most discerning clients in the world. Our product portfolio will launch with an innovative, zero-emissions hypercar that represents the progression we aim to make at the pinnacle of the luxury and sports car market.

With PF0 the company aims to deliver speed and luxury in a single package. The car could do well in Silicon Valley where the electric car is the new buzzwords.

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Top Speed

PF0 will feature a charging time from 0 to 80 percent in a mere 15 minutes. This puts Tesla’s Supercharging stations to shame which take up to 20 minutes for a 0 to 50 percent charge.

Pininfarina PF0 Design via Pininfarina NYC Press Release

Final Verdict

Pininfarina designed the Ferrari F40 to run on gasoline, with their PF0 the company wants to enter the electric hypercar market. To face the competition the company has to keep up with the market standards of an electric car. Whether or not Pininfarina can set itself apart from the competition will be seen when the concept is unveiled at the 2019 Geneva convention.

July 17, 2018
Tesla iPhone X Has A Solar Battery And Costs US$ 4590

The Apple iPhone X was launched in September 2017 with a price tag of US$ 999 (excluding taxes). While the iPhone X is the priciest iPhone ever made by Apple, it is barely the priciest smartphone in the world. Special edition Porsche smartphones from Huawei are extremely pricey and so are custom made devices. One such custom-made iPhone X is the Tesla iPhone X which costs a mind-boggling US$ 4590 (Rs 3,13,000 approx.). For context, the iPhone X 256GB is priced at Rs 1,02,000 in India.

The Tesla iPhone X is no ordinary iPhone by any means. Russian phone accessory maker Caviar is known for making over the top, highly expensive phone cases. The Tesla iPhone X, however, is not a phone case. It’s a phone case pre-attached to an iPhone X. The Tesla moniker is dedicated to Elon Musk for its contribution to the industry of sustainable energy.

The development in the sphere of creating solar batteries, smart homes, equipped with such batteries and vehicles working on the electricity, is actively carried out by Elon Musk today – the main mastermind of the Tesla Company; in honour of his great innovative developments, the new Caviar phone was named.

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Other than Elon Musk, there is a reason why Caviar decided to name it Tesla and not some other brand. The Tesla iPhone X has a solar battery that transforms the light energy and replenishes the phone battery power with its help. According to the Caviar website, “This phone gets power literally from the air! This is the purest energy, for getting which no expenses are needed.”

The Tesla iPhone X will be available in a black colour variant with a shock resistant case. The overall black colour has gold accents on the smartphone which give it a different look than many other smartphones. According to Business Insider, the first Tesla iPhone X will be be sent to Elon Musk.

May 23, 2018
Tesla Launches The Model 3 In Two Variants Starting US $ 35000
“Our aim was to make affordable electric cars that everyone could buy. We never wanted to just make expensive cars that no one would buy”, said the CEO of Tesla Inc. Elon Musk at the Model 3 event in Fremont, San Fransisco. Tesla revealed the fruit of its biggest ambition yet, the Tesla Model 3, bringing a top-of-the-line electric car to the masses.

Elon Musk, in his characteristically resolute tone, said: “In Tesla Model 3, we have managed to build the best car you can buy for $35,000.” The Model 3 has an acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a mileage of 220 miles and will cost $35,000 while the long range version with a mileage of 310 miles will be sold at a price of $44,000. Elon Musk, one of the most famous innovators in the world had said 14 years ago that he would build an electric with top-notch specs at an affordable price, and with Tesla Model 3 he seems to have delivered on that promise.

For now, there will only be two versions of the Model 3. This is to supposedly keep things simple on the production front. There is a single motor driving the back-two wheels and an all-wheel drive version will follow in the coming months.

Here are the specifications of the Tesla Model 3-

Standard Battery
- Starting at $35,000
- Range of 220 miles
- 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 5.6 seconds
- Top speed of 130 mph
Long-range Battery
- Starting at $44,000
- Range of 310 miles
- 0 to 60 mph acceleration in 5.1 seconds
- Top speed of 140 mph
Interiors
- 15” touchscreen display
- Dual zone climate control system
- FM/Internet streaming radio
- Textile seating
- Front Center console with open storage and two USB ports
Convenience
- Onboard maps and navigation
- Wi-Fi and LTE internet connectivity
- Keyless entry and remote climate control using the Tesla app
- Voice activated controls
- Bluetooth hands-free calling and media streaming
- 60/40 split folding rear seat to maximize cargo options
- Backup camera
- Auto dimming rear-view mirror
- One-touch power windows throughout
- Power-adjustable side mirrors
- 12-volt power outlet
Safety
- Full LED exterior lighting
- Seven cameras, forward radar and twelve ultrasonic sensors enabling active safety technologies including collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking
- Six front row and two side curtain airbags
- Three-point safety belts with belt-reminders for driver and four passengers
- Two LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) attachments in the second row
- Electronic stability and traction control
- Four-wheel antilock disc brakes with electronic parking brake
- Child safety locks
- Anti-theft alarm system
- Tire pressure monitoring system
Elon Musk repeatedly mentioned the ‘manufacturing hell they’re in.’ Musk said,

Floods, fires, tornadoes, ships sink if anything interrupts supply chains, that will interrupt the production. But we have simplified the manufacturing process dramatically. In the same amount of space to build 50,000 cars, we can build 250,000 Model 3s.

Tesla Model 3 will reportedly be released to the public later this year. How it holds up in the real world is yet to be seen.
July 29, 2017
Tesla Makes iPhone Covers Out of Leftover Seat Leather

Leftovers and iPhone covers -yes, those words in the same sentence -in a very unusual turn of events, Tesla has made covers for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus using leftover leather from car-seats. Looks like the world can’t get enough of iPhone covers. After OnePlus, Tesla follows suit with its cases for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Tesla’s Model S is a very popular car, leading the company to increase its production to 50,000 cars per year. Larger production inevitably means larger amounts of waste. However, the car manufacturer found a way to not only put this waste to good use, but also make money out of it.

The company has made iPhone cases out of leftover leather meant for its car-seats. The covers are priced at $45 and for an added $5, Tesla will add some credit card slots to it as well. The cover will protect its contents from RFID readers, claims the company.

The iPhone case will sport Tesla’s logo and has now found itself located on the list of strange items the company has sold in the past. A golf towel, leather driving gloves that also work with touchscreens and a crown jewel made from leftover leather are some of its other unusual items.

December 12, 2015