2014 Tesla Model S P85 on 2040-cars

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Tesla Motors EV charging technology coming to Blink network

The first public bite on Tesla open casting call for its electric vehicle patents has been made by CarCharging, which says it wants to integrate the California automaker's EV charging tech into the Blink Network. Now, this does not mean that Blink chargers will soon be able to Supercharge. Instead, Blink wants to add Tesla-capable adapters to its charging stations. CarCharging and Blink can do this because Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that, "Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." Currently, to get juice at most public chargers, Tesla Model S drivers need to use a public charging station adapter. Today's Level 2 charging stations use the J1772 standard, which does not fit on Tesla's cars. Once the Car Charging Group digs through the patents and comes up with its own Tesla connector cable, the adapter will not be necessary. Of course, the adapter comes standard with every Model S, so CarCharging's announcement is almost a solution looking for a problem. At the very least, this does make living with an EV easier one step easier. CarCharging purchased the troubled Blink network from Ecotality last fall after that company filed for bankruptcy protection. Looking forward, CarCharging says is it "actively working with other major EV charging networks on various interoperability initiatives." Find more details below. CarCharging Intends to Integrate Tesla Motors' Electric Vehicle Charging Technology into its Blink Network June 19, 2014, 8:30 AM EDT Leaders in Electric Vehicle and Charging Infrastructure Expand Access to Technology and Services to Benefit EV Drivers and the Industry Car Charging Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI) ("CarCharging"), the largest owner, operator, and provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging services and owner of the Blink Network, one of the largest EV charging networks, announced its intention to integrate the Tesla Motors' EV charging technology into Blink EV charging stations. According to the blog on the Tesla Motors' website dated June 12, 2014, Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, stated that the company would "not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology". Mr.

California working to land second Tesla Gigafactory [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The story's been updated to include a response from Tesla. California's film industry has long been big on sequels. Now, the state's government is hoping for a bit of a re-do when it comes to Tesla Motors' future battery production. Whether it happens and if it'll be a big-budget affair remains to be seen. California can supply a "highly-educated" labor force as well as abundant green energy. Some of the state's Congressional leaders have gotten together to contact Elon Musk about being first in line for the site of a potential second Gigafactory, which would likely bring thousands of jobs and substantial economic impact to Tesla's home state, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reports. The leaders are touting the state's skilled workforce and quality of life to Musk. According to a letter from Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) posted on Scribd, California can supply a "highly-educated" labor force as well as abundant green energy, which plays big with the environmentally-minded Musk. "Our focus is on the Gigafactory in Nevada," Tesla spokeswoman Alexis Georgeson wrote in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen. "However, we continue to consider development of future Gigafactory sites in other states to begin at a later date." Earlier this month, Tesla announced that Nevada won the proverbial sweepstakes for the first Gigafactory, in part by providing about $1.3 billion in various financial incentives. Nevada beat out Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and, of course, California, for the factory. Maybe the Golden State will be able to strike back with number two.

Hack A Tesla, Win $10,000

In the world of computers, competitions that challenge so-called "white hat" hackers are fairly common. Break into this system in X minutes and we'll give you Y dollars. Rarely, though, does this world cross over with the realm of automobiles. At the 2014 SyScan Conference, which runs from July 16 to 17 in Beijing, hackers have the chance to win $10,000, provided they can break into the systems of a Tesla Model S. According to BidnessETC, in order to win, a successful hack will need to remotely access the 17-inch touchscreen display (shown above) that dominates the Model S cabin in order to surf the Internet and access the vehicle's controls. While we're not computer experts, it seems like a tall order. The Model S may maintain a constant data signal via its driver's cellphone, but it seems unlikely that Tesla hasn't installed a comprehensive security system to prevent electronic tampering. Tesla, for what it's worth, has no part in the competition. It will be interesting to see if there are any successful attempts. As Forbes mentions, hackers have been successful in gaining access to more conventional automobiles, although those attempts were under the watchful supervision of DARPA researchers. Of course, we'll find out just how potent the company's security efforts are when the conference kicks off next week.