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'King of Lemon Laws' Vince Megna files suit against Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors is already busy in the courts, filing a suit in New Jersey last week to appeal the direct-sales ban of its automobiles in that state. But now it's going to have to deal with the self-described "King of Lemon Laws," Vince Megna, in Wisconsin. Now that we think about it, this showdown was quite inevitable. In a video that is obviously part one of who knows how many (view it below), Menga sets up his argument against Tesla because the Model S of a client won't start. Then, he picks up a cardboard George Clooney hitchhiker and goes off to file suit in Milwaukee County Courthouse with an assistant with duct tape on her mouth and "WTF" on her shirt. Subtle, Megna is not. If that cardboard celebrity bit seems familiar to you, then perhaps you're thinking about the Justin Bieber standup that Megna used in his lemon lawsuit over the Fisker Karma. In fact, Megna is famous in the auto industry for fighting against automakers that he says make shoddy products. In this case, he claims Tesla sold a faulty Model S to a doctor in Franklin, WI. This doctor, Robert Montgomery, got his 2013 Signature Performance Model S in March 2013, and the car has been in the shop for more than 30 days since then. He has asked for his money back, but the automaker has apparently not responded. The nearest shop is in Chicago, so the car gets to ride in a flatbed back and forth, as you can see in the video below. Plus, of course, Megna's one-sided conversation with a fake George Clooney. Tesla told AutoblogGreen it does not comment on pending litigation. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Tesla gigafactory will source materials from North America to keep things green

It's one thing for the Big 3 to get tires and engine parts from cities along the US Rust Belt. It's another thing altogether, though, for Tesla Motors to source far more esoteric materials like graphite, cobalt and lithium from Canada and the northern US. But that's what the California-based company has in mind, and it's all in the name of environmental friendliness and cost, Bloomberg News says. Tesla is looking to bring its raw-material sourcing to this side of the Pond by the time it opens its massive gigafactory that may produce as many as 500,000 vehicles annually, Bloomberg says, citing Tesla spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean. And while the raw-material price may be higher (and driven up further with the additional demand from Tesla), those costs may be offset by the fact that there will be far less transportation and logistics involved. "When all costs are considered, it should be cheaper to source most materials from as nearby as possible" - Tesla's Liz Jarvis-Shean "Transportation impacts are very significant on the heaviest raw materials if they need to be moved from halfway around the world," Jarvis-Shean wrote in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, adding that there will be additional cost savings from reduced shipping time and less transit-related working capital requirements. "In the long term, when all costs are considered, it should be cheaper to source most materials from as nearby as possible." There are geopolitical issues as well. For instance, China is shutting down some of its graphite mines because of pollution issues, while much of the world's cobalt comes from war-torn Congo, though Tesla says it gets its cobalt from the Philippines. Most of the graphite in Tesla's Model S is of the synthetic variety from Japan and Europe. Of course, Tesla's still trying to figure out where to put its gigafactory, and has said it will be in one of four states: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico or Texas. The factory will cost an estimated $5 billion and may support 6,500 jobs, so state governments are already starting to campaign to be the automaker's future production home. Regardless, Jarvis-Shean estimated that the sheer economies of scale from the gigafactory will reduce battery-pack costs per kilowatt hour for the company's "mass market" model (sometimes referred to as the Model E) by 30 percent after a full year of production.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Model X wins Golden Steering Wheel, Norway extends EV tax break

The Tesla Model X has won the "Golden Steering Wheel" award for best SUV from Auto Bild. The German publication's readers nominated and jury selected the EV for its powerful electric powertrain, "futuristic cabin," and falcon wing doors among other things. Tesla accepted the award with enthusiasm, saying, "Today, we are truly honored to announce that Model X has been awarded the Golden Steering Wheel (Das Goldene Lenkrad), one of the most prestigious automotive awards in the world." Tesla goes on to note the many challenges it faced and the updates it has made to its electric SUV. Read more at Teslarati, or from Tesla. Renault faces a criminal investigation over diesel emissions after a consumer watchdog sent its findings to prosecutors. The French government says that now that findings from DGCCRF are in their hands, "It is now up to the courts to determine what further action to take over the suspected breaches." After Renault reprogrammed its exhaust gas recirculation system after problems with clogging turbochargers, the affected cars pass room-temperature tests, but apparently spew more NOx emissions in real-world driving. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Norway has decided to keep tax exemptions for EVs until 2020. The country was set to phase out the VAT exemptions that made electric cars so popular in the country, but with goals for 100 percent electric car sales by 2025, the country has reportedly passed a resolution to keep the incentive in place. It will allow buyers to continue to save money on cleaner cars while allowing time for electric vehicles to reach more competitive pricing with traditionally powered cars. Norway leads the world with 28.8 percent of sales being plug-ins, with pure EVs taking a 19 percent share as of September 2016. Read more at Electrek. Featured Gallery 2016 Tesla Model X: First Drive View 31 Photos News Source: Teslarati, Tesla, Automotive News Europe, ElectrekImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Government/Legal Green Tesla Renault Emissions Green Automakers Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup