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More speculation about Tesla Gigafactory announcement

Should we all be laying our chips down on Nevada for Tesla's proposed Gigafactory? At least a few news sources are saying yes, though another says there's a remote chance of a San Francisco Bay Area site getting the nod. Real remote. The frontrunner appears to be the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, which is about 20 miles east of Reno proper and includes warehousing sites for Walmart, Dell and Petsmart, Transport Evolved says. Compared to other states in the running, Nevada has the advantages of lower taxes, lots of cheap real estate and some lithium-mining capabilities, while the specific site has very good highway and rail access. There's also already a li-ion company there, Dragonfly Energy. Feeding that belief is the sight of about 50 earthmoving trucks recently spotted at that site, says ValueWalk, Greentech Media and Jalopnik, in addition to Transport Evolved. But then we heard that the site had been shut down. Nobody involved is giving any clues, but the site is plenty big enough for a $5 billion, 10-million-square-foot plant that would support about 6,500 jobs. Meanwhile, Tesla may also be considering the former Concord Naval Weapons Station about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco and 45 miles north of Tesla's Fremont headquarters, says KTVU, the NBC affiliate for the San Francisco Bay Area. The problem is that's a Superfund site in need of some remediation. But that sort of cleaning project could be a good fit for a company focused on "clean" energy. Tesla is, of course, declining to comment. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said early last month that it was in "quite advanced" stages of planning for the plant, or perhaps two plants, and that the company was meeting on a daily basis with partner and battery-supplier Panasonic. The company is expected to officially announce the location of the Gigafactory later this year, and it could be up and running by the end of 2016.

Elon Musk says yes to The Oatmeal's $8M request for Nikola Tesla museum

Matthew Inman is known for his lengthy, often wordy online comics called The Oatmeal. He's also a huge fan of Nikola Tesla, and helped gather $1.37 million via crowdfunding in 2012 to buy up Tesla's laboratory and set the stage for a Tesla museum, the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe. It was such an Internet hit that Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk even chipped in $2,500 and Tweeted that he "will do more in the future." Well, Inman is getting ready to call in that favor. Yesterday, The Oatmeal published a glowing review of sorts on how great the all-electric Model S is (slightly NSFW). In it we learned that Inman is bonkers in love with his EV, calling it his "intergalactic spaceboat of light and wonder" and saying the acceleration is "freaky." He adores the door handles, the frunk, the advanced powertrain and pretty much everything else. In fact, part one is so positive it reads like an over-the-top Tesla advertorial. But then comes part two, where Inman gets down to business. Musk simply said, "I would be happy to help." See, the $1.37 million was used to buy Nikola Tesla's property but was not enough to actually, you know, build the museum. To do that, the Science Center needs another $8 million. And guess who has those kinds of funds? How about a billionaire who is using the Tesla name and is already a fan of the museum idea? That's right, one Elon Musk. And part 2 of The Oatmeal's comic is an argument for why Musk should fork over the $8 million to help pay for the museum. Inman says it is, "A polite request from a humongous fan" and adds that, "You owe us nothing, and you've done nothing but good things in the name of Nikola Tesla. But the fact remains: Tesla Motors, a company now worth billions, is using Nikola Tesla's name, and they're using his technology, and all we want in return is a little bit of help." Inman says that $8 million is "the bare minimum to build, staff, and maintain a Nikola Tesla Museum," and that the number was reached after getting "countless estimates from site planners, architects, and museum curators from all around the world." Something like $6 million would be good, he writes, but, "any less than $8M would pretty much leave us in the same boat we're in now." Tesla hasn't offered up an official statement, but on Twitter, Musk simply said, "I would be happy to help." Not sure what that means, exactly, but it's probably not going to make Inman hate his car any time soon.

Recharge Wrap-up: No fast charger funding from GM, Tesla Model X buyer's guide

General Motors does not plan to fund any CCS fast-charging infrastructure to go along with the launch of the Chevrolet Bolt. Other automakers – Audi, BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen and, of course, Tesla - are investing in the deployment of fast chargers to aid the mobility of their EV customers. With the debut of the Chevy Bolt, which has an option for a CCS fast-charging port, Green Car Reports asked a panel of GM executives if it had similar plans. "We are not actively working on providing infrastructure [for the Bolt EV]," says GM CEO Mary Barra. Read more at Green Car Reports. Teslarati has put together a buyer's guide for the Tesla Model X. If you're considering taking the plunge and buying the new, luxury, electric SUV, there are a number of things to take into account that first-time Tesla or EV buyers may not have had to consider before – on top of the usual tough choices any car buyer faces. The guide breaks down the options into categories of pricing, battery, and performance, performance extras, seating, more options, tow/hitch options, and final options (yes, that's a lot of options). It also includes how to find the hidden 72-amp onboard charger upgrade, if that's something you want to consider. Check it out at Teslarati. Renault is an official partner of the 2015/2016 Formula E Paris ePrix. The race takes place around the Hotel des Invalides monument on April 23, and Renault will have a strong presence for the race weekend. The automaker will have its ZE range on display at the ePrix's e-village throughout the event. Renault e.dams won the 2014/2015 Teams' championship title, and is at the top of the standings for 2015/2016. Read more from Renault. EV sales are on the rise in Europe, a trend that's expected to continue according to analysts. Thanks in large part to regulatory measures, electrified vehicle sales (including mild hybrids) are predicted to grow 433 percent to 2.2 million units by 2021. EV sales grew 82.2 percent in the year leading up to September 2015. "It's no secret that the internal combustion engine is expected to be the predominant powertrain in the near term, but increased acceptance of [alternative fuel vehicle] technology, particularly pure electrification, should not be ignored," says PwC Global Automotive Leader Rick Hanna. Read more in the press release below.