Tesla assures $57k Model S will be profitable, sexy looking too

<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Tesla assures $57k Model S is profitable, sexy looking too" border="1" height="400" hspace="4" src="http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5990/teslamodels201101014698.jpg" vspace="4" width="400" /></div><br /> The path to availability for cars of the future is one wrought with roadblocks, potholes, and indeed IEDs -- increasingly expensive developments. This was most recently seen with Fisker's Karma getting a price boost up to $95,900, a hefty jump over initial $80,000 estimates, but Tesla is taking this chance to give new reassurances that its Model S sedan's price of $57,000 is comfortable. That's largely thanks to smaller Li-Ion batteries, which are similar to those used in laptops and can be found scattered about like chewy raisins in this aluminum cookie. They're much less expensive to produce than the large, monolithic packs used in the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt, about $200 per kWH vs. $750 for Nissan's. That's cheap enough for Tesla to assure that it can still make a profit on the Model S, despite its cost being set at roughly half that of the Roadster. Will that still be the case when it hits production in 2012? We can't wait to find out.<br /> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/02/tesla-assures-57k-model-s-will-be-profitable-sexy-looking-too/"></a><br /> <h6></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/02/tesla-assures-57k-model-s-will-be-profitable-sexy-looking-too/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>

Tesla assures $57k Model S will be profitable, sexy looking too

The path to availability for cars of the future is one wrought with roadblocks, potholes, and indeed IEDs -- increasingly expensive develop...

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CHAdeMO EV quick-chargers to get wider tests across US, 80% capacity in 30 mins or less

<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="CHAdeMO EV quick-chargers to get wider tests across US, 80% capacity in 30 minutes or less" border="1" height="266" hspace="4" src="http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4884/chademo201101016331562.jpg" vspace="4" width="400" /></div><br /> The idea of waiting around for hours for your EV to recharge is soon to become a thing of the past -- or rather it already is in Japan, where the CHAdeMO-style chargers are enabling cars like the Nissan Leaf to get to 80 percent battery capacity in just 30 minutes. Now they're properly starting their US invasion. The first assault came in Portland a few months back, with 310 more stations lining up for deployment in Arizona, California, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and elsewhere in Washington according to <i>Yomiuri</i>. The move will cost about $230 million total, though there's no word on whether they'll be publically available like the one in Portland is. CHAdeMO, which is a play on the Japanese "O cha demo ikaga desuka" ("let's have tea while charging"), works by handling the AC to DC conversion externally and providing power at up to 500VDC and 125 Amps, much higher than on-board AC/DC converters can handle. This drives down recharging time massively -- even if you don't like tea.<br /> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/02/chademo-ev-quick-chargers-to-get-wider-tests-across-us-80-capa/"></a><br /> <h6></h6><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/02/chademo-ev-quick-chargers-to-get-wider-tests-across-us-80-capa/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>

CHAdeMO EV quick-chargers to get wider tests across US, 80% capacity in 30 mins or less

The idea of waiting around for hours for your EV to recharge is soon to become a thing of the past -- or rather it already is in Japan, whe...

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