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Recharge Wrap-Up: Tesla, CarCharging and the EPA

Credit Suisse analysts are bullish on Tesla. The group gives the electric car company's stock an "outperform" rating with a target price of $325. For its continued success, Credit Suisse cites the vehicles' superior technology, in turn offering more torque, roominess and reliability. Says analyst Dan Galves said of Tesla's competition with ICEs, "If Tesla can get to cost-parity with Internal Combustion vehicles and still offer $1,400 to $2,500 per year fuel savings to the consumer, it won't be a fair fight." Read more at Yahoo Finance or at Business Insider. In other Tesla news, Tesla Model S owners will be able to unlock and start their car using an iPhone. The Tesla app is adding this functionality soon, perhaps with the update to iOS 8. It's not yet clear how this function will work, but it's one more innovative convenience feature that Model S owners can enjoy. That means drivers will have less to carry in their pockets or purses when they go for a drive. Read more at 9 to 5 Mac. CarCharging Group has remotely lowered the amperage on some of its residential users' Blink charging stations to 24 amps. This will slow down the charging time for affected customers with 6.6-kilowatt charging by about 15 percent. The company cited safety reasons for the move, with concerns about overheating. The amperage reduction is temporary, until CarCharging is able to provide replacement parts for the chargers. Some are concerned about the delayed action, as well as the fact that the reduction was handled without owner permission. Read more at Plugin Cars. Ford is halting test drives and sales of certain C-Max hybrid and Focus models due to a safety concern. Cars made during a single week this month at a Michigan factory may not have enough ball bearings in the steering gear assembly, which could lead to loss of control. None of the affected cars have been sold, Ford says, and about 50 units are currently at dealerships. Just over 600 will need to be recalled. Dealerships have been notified of the problem. Read more at Reuters and the The Detroit News. A new EPA report shows that urban air in the US is becoming less toxic since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The report shows a 66-percent reduction in benzene, almost 60 percent reduction in mercury from man-made sources, 84 percent less lead and more.

Ford predicts it will finish 2013 as top-selling US brand

Ford is ready to call the ball on its 2013 sales totals, predicting a first-place finish for units sold in the US for a single brand. The company anticipates selling more than 2.4 million vehicles when all vehicle sales over the last 12 months have been tallied, repeating the victory it trumpeted over Toyota last year.
According to Ford's accounting, it sold 329,677 more vehicles than did Toyota in 2012. This year, the Blue Oval expects that margin to grow; through the end of November, Ford says it has outsold Toyota by 396,041 units.
Retail sales of Ford products are projected to exceed 1.7 million units for 2013 (the best retail result in 6 years for the company), with passenger cars accounting for 600k of that total. The redesigned Fusion is expected to crest the 290k mark, and the Fiesta is said to be ready to hit a model-record of 70k-plus. Meanwhile, utility vehicles and trucks are still paying a lot of bills in Dearborn, with the new Escape racking up an expected 300k sales and F-Series trucks chugging along at 688,810 units sold thru November.

Now you can 3D print your favorite new Ford

Ford is letting people build their own cars, offering digital files so people can print 3D versions of their favorite models. This is way cooler than any old Matchbox or Hot Wheels toy. Ford this week started offering printable files for the F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST. Folks can order the 3D models in 1:32 scale in plastic (that'd make the mighty large pickup truck about eight inches long) but the digital files let users tweak the scale to the their liking. Once people have the digital files, they can print out their own miniature versions of the cars, made out of soft plastics, sandstone, and even some metals. Ford says it expects demand for such files to grow as sales numbers for desktop 3D printers surges to 1 million units in 2018. That's up from about 44,000 last year. Ford already offers digital files for its company logo, the 1.0-liter engine block, and two older Mustang models. But these new models take this to a totally different scale. Check out Ford's press release below. PRINT YOUR FAVORITE FORD VEHICLE AT HOME: FORD FIRST AUTOMAKER TO OPEN ONE-STOP 3D SHOP ONLINE - Consumers can now download digital images and 3D-printable files of Ford vehicles at the first-ever automaker-licensed, one-stop 3D shop online - The Ford 3D Store offers printable files of F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST; more models will become available later - Online store is powered by TurboSquid.com, the leader in providing automotive digital imaging and 3D-printable files Want to 3D-print a Shelby GT350R at home? Or would you prefer to simply purchase an F-150 Raptor 3D digital image for a presentation? How about both? Ford fans can now download digital images for Ford vehicles at the first-ever, automaker-authorized one-stop online store for 3D-printable vehicle files. The Ford 3D Store, 3d.ford.com, allows customers to use advanced technology to make their own models of Ford vehicles of the size and material they desire, or simply opt to purchase a 3D digital file from a growing library of more than 1,000 Ford images. "3D printing at home is a growing trend, and it makes sense for us to offer our customers a chance to make their own 3D Ford models," said Mark Bentley, licensing manager, Ford Global Brand Licensing.