This week in Tesla news. If you're in the market for a new Model S/X, save $1000 with my referral code, http://ts.la/david7556.
Model S
Tesla to soon release Spotify app integration in its vehicles in the US
Sources told Electrek that the introduction is now imminent. Additionally, Spotify login information started appearing in Tesla’s in-vehicle software source code in the US, but it’s not yet made accessible to users. Again, it’s not clear if it will be released with the upcoming v8.0 of Tesla OS since the application wasn’t in the external beta versions, but considering the service has already been in used in Europe for months, Tesla doesn’t necessarily need extensive external testings.
Spotify can't come soon enough to the U.S. Many, especially my wife, have been waiting for a very long time.
Designing Your Own Tesla Is Easier Than Ever
Getting your hands on a Tesla just got easier. This week, the pioneering electric-car company launched the Tesla Explores program, a fleet of six revamped Airstream trailers that will travel across North America during the fall, in part to offer an interactive experience to people in areas not currently served by one of their 260 stores.
Model X
Tesla starts shipping new key fob with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Tesla’s key fob works on a 315 MHz frequency like most other electronic key fobs, but last year we reported that Tesla applied Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard in an updated key fob. Now Tesla started shipping the device with the new Bluetooth capacity. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is most popular for its capacity to become a short-range finder beacon, which could enable new features with Tesla’s key fob. New owners are now reporting that Tesla’s latest key appears as a device available to be paired with other Bluetooth devices, but it doesn’t look like any new feature like a ‘find your key’ feature is currently available.
TSLA
Full Text of Elon Musk’s Aug. 29 E-Mail to Tesla Employees
"We are on the razor’s edge of achieving a good Q3, but it requires building and delivering every car we possibly can, while simultaneously trimming any cost that isn’t critical, at least for the next 4.5 weeks. Right now, we are tracking to be a few percentage points negative on cash flow and GAAP profitability, but this is a small number, so I’m confident that we can rally hard and push the results into positive territory. It would be awesome to throw a pie in the face of all the naysayers on Wall Street who keep insisting that Tesla will always be a money-loser!"
The full text of Elon's email from last week has some interesting tidbits. For instance, it appears Tesla is on the verge of being GAAP profitable for Q3 and cash flow positive.
That SolarCity Spread Spells Trouble For Tesla
Since then, SolarCity has looked more and more like a potential millstone than the no-brainer opportunity Musk claims it to be. That much was hammered home by SolarCity's dreadful quarterly results call and the news that Musk and other insiders are buying most of the company's latest slug of bonds.
Morgan Freeman is a TSLA investor and ‘huge fan’ of Elon Musk
In an interview with CNBC earlier today, he confessed that when on breaks from filming on set, he is often seen looking at TSLA’s stock price on his phone. The last few weeks have been tough for tesla investors, but Freeman has faith in Elon Musk: “I own Tesla. I’m a huge fan of Elon Musk. I think he’s got the most incredibly forward thinking ideas about where we can go technologically. What he has done – nobody else has ever done. He has landed a rocket ship so it becomes reusable. You know what a feat that is?” Like a lot of Tesla stockholders, it looks like Freeman is betting on Musk just as much as on Tesla itself.
Other News
How the Apple iCar could crack the automotive industry
What is known is for sure that Apple’s president Tim Cook has provided the iCar project with a working title: Project Titan. He has also set about assembling a team of experts from a range of different industries to complete the herculean task of conceiving, designing and developing a car from scratch. While the number of Apple employees working directly on the iCar is currently put at around 1000, this is expected to increase to over 1800 within the next year or so as development moves into top gear.
Battery Assault
Well, as Gadfly pointed out in July, there's a contender for Elon Musk's crown: BYD, the Chinese electric carmaker that already has about 23 percent of the market for large-scale batteries and is planning to ramp up to 34 gigawatt hours in 2019. BYD's planned ramp-up of lithium-ion batteries matches Elon Musk's ambitions.
Is This the Tipping Point For Electric Cars?
And California, already a charging hotbed with almost 11,000 car outlets, is about to get a lot more. Many Silicon Valley tech companies offer workplace charging as a perk for employees, while Stanford University currently offers 14 charging stations located in high-demand parking areas on campus. The state’s landmark settlement with Volkswagen over its diesel scandal calls for the company to invest $800 million in zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, infrastructure in California over a decade. That will mean more places to plug-in, whether drivers need them or not.
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