The Morning Shift All your daily car news in one convenient place. Isn't your time more important? Tesla’s lineup just got a little bit cheaper, a cargo ship is currently on fire in the Pacific, Faraday Future is being sued again, and more on The Morning Shift for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. 1st Gear: Every Tesla Is Now $2,000 Cheaper Since Tesla passed a total production of 200,000 electric cars in 2018, the full $7,500 federal tax credit for electric cars expired for Tesla at the switch to 2019, dropping the available tax credit down to $3,750. To make up for it, Tesla has dropped the price of the Model 3, Model S and Model X all by $2,000, according to a statement from Tesla to Electrek. It doesn’t quite level out to the old credit, but still leaves shoppers better off. The Model 3 now starts at $44,000, the Model S at $76,000 and the Model X at $82,000. The company also reported an 8 percent increase in deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2018, up to 90,700 cars from … [Read more...] about Tesla Drops the Price of All Its Cars
Tesla autonomous vehicles
Here’s What Could Be In Congress’s Last-Minute Push For Autonomous Car Legislation
U.S. senators are making a last-ditch effort to pass self-driving car legislation just before the new year, and have made a number of changes to earlier versions in an attempt to appease critics, according to a copy of the draft bill obtained by Jalopnik. But safety experts say the effort doesn’t go far nearly far enough. The so-called AV START Act has been lingering in the Senate for months after critics raised concerns about safety standards laid out in the bill, as well as a very obvious loophole that would force consumers into private arbitration for legal complaints in the event of an accident or something similar. A new draft of bill, unveiled this week in the Senate and first reported on by The Verge, attempts to address the concerns, including some oversight of semi-autonomous driving systems like Tesla’s Autopilot and General Motors’ Super Cruise. The bill, if passed, would still make it easier for autonomous vehicle manufacturers to test their cars on … [Read more...] about Here’s What Could Be In Congress’s Last-Minute Push For Autonomous Car Legislation
Uber Self-Driving Car Struck and Killed Arizona Woman While in Autonomous Mode
Last night a woman was struck by an autonomous Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona. She later died of her injuries in the hospital. The deadly collision—reported by ABC15 and later confirmed to Gizmodo by Uber and Tempe police—took place around 10PM at the intersection of Mill Avenue and Curry Road, both of which are multi-lane roads. Autonomous vehicle developers often test drive at night, during storms, and other challenging conditions to help their vehicles learn to navigate in a variety of environments. According to Tempe PD, the car—later clarified as a grey 2017 Volvo XC90—was in autonomous mode at the time of the incident, with a vehicle operator sitting behind the wheel. The self-driving vehicle had one operator and no passengers, Uber said. Police have identified the victim as 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. She was crossing the street at the time she was struck. “The Tempe community grieves for her and for the loss being felt by her family and … [Read more...] about Uber Self-Driving Car Struck and Killed Arizona Woman While in Autonomous Mode
Tesla’s Leasing Partner Isn’t Doing So Hot: Report
The Morning Shift All your daily car news in one convenient place. Isn't your time more important? Tesla’s leasing partner unable to fund leases, Hyundai and Kia owners taking the automakers to court, General Motors’ planned electric and autonomous overhaul, continuing problems between Renault and Nissan, and more job cuts. All of this and more in The Morning Shift for Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. 1st Gear: Tesla’s Partner Might Be Having Trouble Funding Leases Automotive News has a fascinating story on Tesla’s leasing partner this week, which is apparently having so much trouble funding leases that it hasn’t been able to do so in several months. The company, MUSA Auto Finance, is a Dallas business that began in 2016 and hooked up with Tesla over the summer to manage leases for the Model S sedan and Model X crossover. But it’s only taken a few months for the company to become overwhelmed. MUSA told dealer customers in an October email that it … [Read more...] about Tesla’s Leasing Partner Isn’t Doing So Hot: Report
Here’s Why Everyone’s Talking About Tesla’s Autopilot System
On May 7, Joshua Brown died in a car accident. Brown was riding in his Tesla Model S. He had engaged the vehicle's Autopilot feature, which ramps up the driver-assist features in Tesla cars. Brown's vehicle was traveling east on U.S. 27A in Florida. A tractor-trailer was traveling west on the same highway. The truck driver, who did not appear to be injured in the crash, made a left turn onto another street. Brown's car collided with the trailer as it spanned the eastbound section of the highway. Neither Brown nor the Model S's autopilot system engaged the brakes. According to Tesla, the sky was brightly lit and the rig's trailer was white, making it difficult to see. The camera system on the Model S failed to detect the trailer. The radar system may have misidentified the trailer as an overhead road sign. Typically, Tesla radar ignores these signals. Otherwise, a Tesla vehicle would brake every time an overhead sign got within range. It's a tragic story and one that has sparked a … [Read more...] about Here’s Why Everyone’s Talking About Tesla’s Autopilot System