Tesla model cars

Nathan Bomey USA TODAY Published 4:55 p.m. UTC May 30, 2018 Consumer Reports reversed course Wednesday and endorsed the new Tesla Model 3 after previously declining to recommend the electric car, saying that the company had quickly improved the vehicle's brakes. The consumer advice publication's turnabout comes after a spat with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who called the initial review "very strange" and said reviewers had tested "an early production car." Musk's criticism came as he also bashed the news media in general in recent days over what he believes is unfair coverage. Consumer Reports said Tesla issued an over-the-air software update to improve the Model 3's brakes. The reviewers had originally reported a stopping distance that "was far worse than any contemporary car we've tested" and even longer than a full-size pickup. That fueled what they called "big flaws," including difficult vehicle controls and excessive wind noise. Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at … [Read more...] about Consumer Reports reverses course, recommends Tesla Model 3 after Elon Musk improves brakes

Associated Press Published 9:45 p.m. UTC May 21, 2018 CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. — Authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area are investigating the death of a man after a Tesla car he was driving veered off a road, crashed through a fence and into a pond. It is unknown if the vehicle was in Autopilot mode. California Highway Patrol spokesman Daniel Jacowitz said that rescuers pulled the submerged car, a Tesla Model S, from the pond early Monday and found the man's body inside. The driver was identified as Keith Leung, 34, of Danville, Calif., said Sgt. Ray Kelly, spokesman of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. Kelly said it was too soon to know if the vehicle's semiautonomous Autopilot mode was engaged when the crash occurred or whether the driver was speeding or intoxicated. Photographs of the car show that its back end was destroyed, its hood crumpled and windows shattered. The crash occurred near the cities of San Ramon and Danville on Sunday evening, Jacowitz said. A … [Read more...] about Tesla Model S crash into California pond killed driver, police say

Marco della Cava USA TODAY Published 7:42 p.m. UTC May 21, 2018 SAN FRANCISCO — Citing "big flaws" that surfaced during its testing of a Tesla Model 3, Consumer Reports dinged the electric automaker's critical entry-level sedan Monday by denying it a recommendation. While the consumer product reviewing outlet praised the Model 3's brisk acceleration and impressive range — upwards of 350 miles on a single electric charge — testers were particularly critical of the vehicle's long stopping distances from 60 mph and how all functions must be accessed via one centrally-mounted touchscreen. The sour assessment comes as Tesla races to ramp up production of the Model 3, which is considered vital to the company's financial health. CEO Elon Musk has vowed to double Model 3 production to 5,000 vehicles a week by July. Musk's annual target of 500,000 cars — or about five times its current Model S and Model X production — would help make … [Read more...] about Tesla Model 3 braking, rating slammed by ‘Consumer Reports’