2012 Tesla Model S on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Electric Bayliner conversion, China considers EV mandates

An electric mobility enthusiast converted a Bayliner boat to electric power. Using 10 Tesla modules to build a 32-kWh battery pack, Scott Masterson's 2016 Bayliner 175 now uses an electric motor in place of the original 3.0-liter Mercruiser engine. With a top speed of about 53 mph and a range of about 25 miles, Masterson can enjoy a nice cruise on the water without the accompanying gas fumes. He says the conversion wasn't all that complicated, and it took him about three months of part-time work. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Electrek. Audi's updates to the 2017 A3 include the E-Tron plug-in hybrid. Inside the car, it will likely get Audi's "Virtual Cockpit" instrument display. The MMI infotainment system will be updated, with available Apple Carplay and Android Auto functionality. Slight changes to the headlights, taillights, and grille will make up the bulk of the exterior visual changes. Its powertrain will remain unaltered from the 2016 model, including its 83 MPGe combined rating and 16 miles of all-electric driving range. Read more at Green Car Reports. Hyundai has delivered its first hydrogen-powered car to Quebec. The Centre de Gestion de l'Equipment Roulant (Rolling Stock Management Center), which manages the province's government fleets, took delivery of a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. It is leased in partnership with the University of Quebec's Hydrogen Research Institute of Trois-Rivieres, where the vehicle will be refueled. Read more from Green Car Congress. China is considering mandates for cleaner cars similar to those imposed by California. Unlike its current subsidy-based incentives, China could potentially require automakers to either produce or import more electric vehicles or purchase carbon credits from automakers that do. A draft of the legislation from the National Development and Reform Commission would fine non-compliant automakers at five times the price of the credits. "Without question, this will be good for the industry and will promote the development of all types of clean-energy vehicles," says China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Deputy Secretary General Ye Shengji. Compliance would be voluntary for smaller automakers. Read more from Automotive News.

Tesla will 'probably' raise Model S price in Europe

The price for the Tesla Model S around Europe started higher than the US price but then went down. On a recent conference call with investors last week, CEO Elon Musk said that the future price will be going up. Probably. The hike is unlikely to be major, and Musk said that it's all part of the occasional purchase price adjustments that the company needs to make: We're probably going to have to adjust the price of our car in euros upwards because there has been a 7 percent change in the exchange rates of the euro versus the dollar. So we'll periodically have to make pricing adjustments if the exchange rate band gets too wide. I would certainly encourage anyone in Europe to purchase their car soon because we probably will have to make an adjustment there. Some example Model S starting prices in Europe are 66,640 euros ($82,712) in Belgium, 65,740 ($81,595) in Germany and 59,440 euros ($73,776) in France. For now, anyway. At the beginning of 2014, a dollar got you 72 euro cents. Today, it gets you 80. That might not be a big difference when you're buying brews for your new best friends at the hostel, but as Deepak Ahuja, Tesla Motors' Chief Financial Officer, told investors that, "as the euro weakens, the effect on our revenue is immediate." You can read a full transcript of the call here and listen here.

Elon Musk: Tesla Model E will be 20 percent smaller than Model S [w/video]

Somewhere between a Lexus CT 200h and an Acura ILX. But a little quieter and definitely bigger than a breadbox. That's the best comparison we could come up with when trying to get an idea of how big Tesla's more moderately priced sedan will be when it hits the market sometime around 2016. Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk, speaking to the California Public Utilities Commission recently, estimated that the Model E will be about 80 percent the size of the Model S sedan. You can see the video of this below. Now we're not sure exactly what that means, but we can practice a little geometry with the Model S's 196-inch length and 77-inch width and have some fun with the possibilities. And a quick perusal of sports sedans will reveal that the Model E's footprint will be a little bigger than the Lexus in question and slightly more petite than the ILX. Either way, Musk's estimate rounds out the equation of sorts for the Model E, even though he doesn't use that name in the video below. The car will have a minimum 200-mile range, Musk said (perhaps from a 48-kWh pack?) at about half the cost. And with 80 percent of the size. As for when we'll start seeing sales of the Model E, which is supposed to start at $35,000, that deadline has migrated over the years from as late as 2017 to as early as next year and then back to 2016. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.