2014 Tesla Model S P85dl+ on 2040-cars

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BYD CEO calls Tesla a rich man's toy, not worried about competition

We've heard the comment, "the Tesla Model S is a rich man's toy" before. Usually it comes from a Cranky McCrankster-type of character in the Comments beneath posts about the all-electric automobile. Not everyone sees the utility of an expensive car that can seat up to seven, run with Corvettes and only gets 265 miles on a charge. We get that, sort of, and everyone's entitled to their opinion. It's a bit odd, though, hearing the remark fall from the lips of Wang Chuanfu, however. BYD Auto's CEO made the comment – well, he said it in Chinese and it's been translated this way by the International Business Times – in an interview with Shanghai Securiites News, along with mentioning that he expects the California automaker to only capture a very small percentage of the Chinese market. That last bit is a fair point, though a tiny chunk of that burgeoning market could still mean a lot of sales. Tesla has intimated its hopes for at least 10,000 takers in its first year of operation in China and says its Beijing location is its biggest and most bustling. As for Chuanfu's comment, Tesla gave AutoblogGreen a simple, "no comment." BYD, of course, sells its e6 electric sedan in its home country and its sales might not even reach the 10,000 level, despite being more affordable and boasting a respectable 186-mile range. Mr. Chuanfu expects bigger things for it Qin plug-in hybrid, which rings up at $31,000 and offers 41 miles of battery-powered range before the gasoline engine kicks in. China wants 500,000 plug-in vehicles plying its streets by 2015's end and BYD wants to be a big part of that picture. While we can understand the competitive downplaying of Tesla's Chinese-market entrance, we expect that BYD is as well aware as anyone that Tesla has a more affordable future car on the horizon and that Chinese car buyers tend to favor foreign brands. It's a big market, though, so perhaps the two entities might help further each other's goals by cooperating on charging standards and infrastructure development instead of sniping. One can dream, right?

Tesla's gains on the dealership status quo are freaking people out

Tesla took two more steps towards being allowed to sell its vehicles as it chooses (that is, direct to customers) this week. Legislative efforts in New Jersey and New York both gave the California automaker legal permission (or near permission) to operate its stores. It's gotten so bad – or good, depending on your views, that other automakers are starting to speak up. Yesterday, Tesla got official permission to keeps it five stores open in New York thanks to the signature of Governor Andrew Cuomo on a pro-Tesla bill that passed earlier this year. This is not a surprise. The bill also makes it difficult for any other automaker to operate its own stores in the state. Other automakers are now saying that the dealers have too much power. In nearby New Jersey, the state Assembly voted yesterday to allow EVs to be sold directly to the consumer. This vote follow an Assembly committee's vote earlier this month and the bill now moves to the New Jersey Senate and, if it passes, would need to be signed by Governor Chris Christie before becoming law. You may remember there's a bit of bad blood there. This is all quite a turnaround from mid-March, when the state legislature voted against direct sales. If passed, Tesla would be allowed to operate four stores in the state. As you can see, progress is being made. And that's changing the battlefield. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) released a new package of pro-dealership information called "Get the Facts: The Benefits of Franchised Auto Dealers" to take the other side. NADA says that the "current franchised new-car dealer model has benefited consumers, manufacturers and local communities for nearly a century" and then lays out its reasons why. You can watch the NADA's short Get The Facts video below. Perhaps most interestingly, other automakers – through the Auto Alliance – are now saying out loud that the dealers have too much power. In a statement to Automotive News, the Alliance said, " When we look at the big picture, we may be at a tipping point. If dealer groups continue their push for more onerous franchise laws, we will be forced to keep an open mind about how best to serve new-car buyers in the future." That was enough to scare the chairman of the Automotive Trade Association Executives, who told AN that, the Alliance coming out against the franchise system was a "recipe for disaster." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Tesla says Model S fire started in battery pack; share prices falling

Yesterday's fire that engulfed a Tesla Model S, the first blaze involving the critically acclaimed electric sedan, was caused when a piece of road debris impacted the front of the car, damaging the battery pack and starting a fire, according to an email sent to AutoblogGreen by Tesla. Now, The New York Times has learned that the fire was indeed caused by debris that made "a direct impact ... to one of the 16 modules within the Model S battery pack," according to Tesla spokesperson Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean.
Despite the blaze, Tesla maintains that the battery packs did their job by isolating the fire, with Jarvis-Shean saying, "Because each module within the battery pack is, by design, isolated by fire barriers to limit any potential damage, the fire in the battery pack was contained to a small section in the front of the vehicle."
The nature of the fire, though, seemed to catch the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority off guard. The department's report, which was obtained by the International Business Times and partially published on Jalopnik, claims that water used to put out the blaze seemed to intensify the fire, forcing the firefighters to use a dry chemical. Later, they found the battery pack still burning inside the front end. The report claims firefighters, "had to puncture multiple holes in the pack to apply water to the burning material in the battery," and also had to cut into the frame to douse the burning pack.