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60 Minutes can't even get Tesla Model S EV sound right

60 Minutes has come under fire for screwing up important bits of news recently, but an error in Sunday's profile of Tesla Motors and CEO Elon Musk is completely perplexing. 60 Minutes has said it was an "audio editing error," but we're wondering how you manage to edit in internal combustion engine and transmission sounds into a video specifically on electric vehicles. The stock footage that 60 Minutes used is official Tesla material, but the videos on the company's YouTube page are devoid of engine sounds. 60 Minutes editors added the noises, which were noticed by eagle-eared (is that a thing?) viewers who know that one of the appeals of an EV is the silent ride. In other parts of the interview, Musk says that a 400-mile battery is possible today but it would be too expensive, talks about how the DOE loan was helpful but was not necessary to keep Tesla alive and his attitude that, "If something's important enough, you should try, even if the probable outcome is failure." This isn't the first time television producers have made a Tesla EV look bad. This isn't the first time television producers have made a Tesla EV look bad. The most famous case was when the BBC show Top Gear pretended to run out of juice in a Roadster. Tesla sued for libel in 2011, but the case was dismissed in 2013. Tesla declined to comment to AutoblogGreen on the situation and 60 Minutes told Fox News it will update the videos online. Even when the sound is gone, the profile of the man and the company remains interesting. You can watch it below. As of this writing, the engine sounds still can be heard at around the 40-second mark in the shorter video we've embedded below (the top one) and you can see the whole profile in the second video. The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Tesla stock drops on fear that comes with low gas prices [w/video]

Tesla's stock price was down to around $206 earlier today, but it's back up to over $216 now. Friday, it closed at over $223. Some stock blogs are saying the price could go as low as $165 in the not-too-distant future. What's behind these wild swings that CNBC's Phil LeBeau calls, "the worst seven-day trading period ever for shares of Tesla"? One potential culprit is today's low gas prices. Those prices – currently hovering at around $2.65 a gallon in the US, the lowest in about four years – are affecting the cars people buy (sorry, hybrids), so it's not a huge leap to think they'll affect high-end electric cars, as well. A $50 drop in share price is pretty dramatic, and Bloomberg and others point the finger at gas prices. Ben Kallo, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co., wrote that, "We believe the recent decline in TSLA shares is largely driven by the concern low gasoline prices could impact demand if sustained for the long term." But there are other ideas, too. Since we don't always comprehend analyst-ese, we're not sure if Zev Spiro at Orips Research thinks gas prices are to blame, but it doesn't sound like it: A negative signal developed yesterday as a high volume break occurred below the slightly upward slanted neckline of the topping pattern, in the $219.20 area. The break below the neckline signaled a trigger of the bearish pattern and indicated a downtrend with a minimum expected price objective in the $165 area. In addition, yesterday's bearish trigger may result in downward momentum in the near term. Indicators are generally negative, adding to the overall bearish tone. Kallo remains positive, though, saying that, "We believe demand for TSLA's vehicles will remain strong." This makes sense to us, since TSLA has weathered drops before, only to climb to record highs afterwards. Watch a CNBC video report on all of this below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota sells off Tesla shares, too

The incredible rise of Tesla's stock price has done little to now stop two major shareholders from ditching their stake in the American EV manufacturer. First, Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, ditched its four-percent stake, and less than a week later, Toyota is doing the same thing, selling off an undisclosed bit of its Tesla investment.
The move comes as Toyota winds down sales of the RAV4 EV, which gets its batteries and electric motor from Tesla at the company's Fremont, CA factory.
"We have a good relationship with Tesla, and will evaluate the feasibility of working together on future projects," Toyota spokesperson Kayo Doi told Bloomberg via email.