“We’ve seen a number of brands struggle with new transmission technology,” Fisher said,

Report: Two-Thirds of Early Tesla Model S Drivetrains May Fail At 60,000 Miles

New analysis of survey data suggests the Tesla Model S owners may face serious reliability issues.

By Collin Woodard

Dec 9, 2015 @ 3:44




By all accounts, Tesla has been a major success. It's sold nearly 100,000 units of its Model S sedan, has a Model X SUV ​on the way, and despite overblown reports that it loses money on every car sold, it shows no signs of going bankrupt any time soon. In the world of automotive startups, no other company has come close to that kind of success.


But one of the biggest criticisms Tesla has faced is about its long-term reliability. Consumer Reports even went so far as to remove the Model S from its list of recommended vehicles. According to a new analysis of survey data from Plug-In America, it may even be worse than we thought. Two-thirds of early Model S drivetrains may need to be replaced before they hit 60,000 miles.


Green Car Reports conducted the analysis of the survey data, looking into long-term reliability of a total of 327 Model S sedans. Its conclusion is that 2012 and 2013 models face a serious reliability risk.


Tesla offers an eight-year warranty that will cover these issues, but it's concerning to see early models with failure rates nearly ten-times that of later models.


When asked for comment, Tesla didn't answer any direct questions but did respond with a general comment about the company's increasing reliability and strong customer satisfaction.


Check out Green Car Reports' analysis here.

Federal regulators are investigating Tesla's autopilot mode following a fatal crash that killed a Tesla driver using the software.

The crash occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida, when a tractor-trailer made a left turn in front of the Tesla at an intersection, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Tesla (TSLA) said in a blog post that its autopilot system did not recognize the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake wasn't activated. It also noted that this is the first known fatality in over 130 million miles when autopilot was activated.

"Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert," Tesla said in the statement. "Nonetheless, when used in conjunction with driver oversight, the data is unequivocal that Autopilot reduces driver workload and results in a statistically significant improvement in safety."

Tesla called the crash a rare circumstance given how high a tractor-trailer rides above the ground. In the crash the Model S passed under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer striking the car's windshield.

The crash comes at a time when national interest is growing in autonomous driving. Experts say self-driving systems could improve safety and reduce the 1.25 million motor vehicles deaths on global roads every year. Many automakers have circled 2020 as a year when self-driving systems will be released on public roads. The federal government is expected to release rules for self-driving vehicles this summer.

Tesla's autopilot system has been the most aggressive deployment of an autonomous driving system by an automaker.

Tesla's autopilot allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel and feet off the pedals, assuming most of the driving responsibilities. Drivers are expected to keep their eyes on the road in order to regain control if necessary. However, if a driver isn't watching the road, there is nothing in the Tesla system that forces them to watch traffic ahead.

Experts have cautioned since Tesla unveiled autopilot in October that the nature of the system could lead to unsafe situations as drivers may not be ready to safely retake the wheel.

If Tesla's autopilot determines it can no longer safely drive, a chime and visual alert signals to drivers they should resume operation of the car. A recent Stanford study found that a two-second warning -- which exceeds the time Tesla drivers are sure to receive -- was not enough time to count on a driver to safely retake control of a vehicle that had been driving autonomously.

Tesla's cars are built with an auto-braking system, however it is not foolproof and did not activate in this crash.

Two point four seconds. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the ‘Easter egg’ Tesla boss Elon Musk promised us on the new Model S P100D. He has confirmed that the new 0-60mph time on the range-topping electric saloon is precisely 2.4secs.

You’ll remember that earlier this month, Musk said a software update would ‘uncork’ the full performance of the P100D, and this new 0-60mph time makes it a tenth faster than the already ludicrously fast (sorry) Model S P100D. The quarter mile time has also been confirmed as 10.6secs.

For the Tesla Model X P100D, the same applies - a tenth of a second improvement (now 2.8secs) - and the update should be available next month.

The performance of the upgraded Model S P100D makes it faster than most almost things that are fast. Things beginning with Ferrari, Porsche and Bugatti.

No word on the price of this extra speed, but we do know the P100D, as the name suggests, now sports a new 100kWh battery pack. It also has a claimed 315 miles of range.

Prices for the Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode (and ‘smart air suspension’) begin at £114,200, while the Model X P100D will set you back £117,200.

If you’ve just ordered a P90D with the Ludicrous mode, fear not: for an extra $10,000 (£7.5k), you can upgrade your order and go for the range-topper. Already own and drive a P90D but want the fastest toy in the box? It’ll cost you an additional $20k (£15k), because the 90kWh battery pack will need to be recycled.

Anyone else think Elon should stick the P100D drivetrain into the smaller Model 3 for a limited edition rocket ship? No? Just us, then.

Near miss : Two all-electric cars fall short of earning an IIHS safety award

Feb. 1, 2017

Two all-electric vehicles fall short of meeting the Institute's awards criteria, but consumers who want to minimize gas consumption while also prioritizing safety can choose from two plug-in hybrids that earn the 2017 Top Safety Pick+ award.

The two recently evaluated 2017 all-electric models are the Tesla Model S and the BMW i3. The plug-in hybrid models are the Chevrolet Volt, whose award was announced in December, and the Toyota Prius Prime.

"There's no reason the most efficient vehicles can't also be among the safest," says David Zuby, IIHS executive vice president and chief research officer. "We hope Tesla and BMW will continue to refine the designs of their electric models to maximize driver protection and, especially in the case of Tesla, improve their headlights."

To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in all five crashworthiness evaluations — small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — and have an available front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating. The "plus" is awarded to vehicles that meet all those criteria and also come with good or acceptable headlights (see "In the best light: 2017 Top Safety Pick+ winners meet new headlight criteria," Dec. 8, 2016).

The Model S, a large luxury sedan, earns good ratings in all IIHS crashworthiness evaluations except the challenging small overlap front crash test, in which it earns an acceptable rating. Despite lengthening the side curtain airbags to improve small overlap protection in the Model S, Tesla ran into problems in the test when the safety belt allowed the dummy's torso to move too far forward. That allowed the dummy's head to hit the steering wheel hard through the airbag. Measurements from the dummy indicated that injuries to the head, along with the lower right leg, would be possible in a real-world crash of the same severity.

The ratings for the Model S apply to 2016 and 2017 cars built after October 2016. Tesla says it made a production change on Jan. 23 to address the head-contact problem, and IIHS will test the updated vehicle for small overlap protection as soon as it can be delivered.

Although the i3, the Volt and the Prius all did better in the small overlap evaluation than the Model S, the results can't be compared because the Model S is larger than the others. Since the kinetic energy involved in a front crash depends on the speed and weight of the vehicle, the Tesla's acceptable rating is based on a more severe crash than the good ratings of the lighter cars.

One version of the Model S, the P100D, also falls short on roof strength, which is important for protecting people in a rollover crash. The rating is based on a strength-to-weight ratio. The P100D has the same roof structure as other Model S versions but is heavier, due to a larger battery, so it earns an acceptable rating.

The 2017 Model S isn't available with anything other than poor-rated headlights. Tesla says it is working with its supplier to improve the headlights, and IIHS will evaluate the new ones when they are available.

We all understand acceleration. It’s the rate of change of velocity. This 4,891-pound Tesla Model S P100D does it best, reaching 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph from a standstill more quickly than any other production vehicle we’ve ever tested, full stop. In our testing, no production car has ever cracked 2.3 seconds from 0 to 60 mph. ButTesla has, in 2.275507139 seconds.

The Tesla does not hold the advantage forever, though, because higher speeds give the advantage to horsepower over instant torque. The Ferrari LaFerrari hits 70 mph a tenth of a second quicker; the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1 pull ahead at 80 mph, and these hypercars all continue to pull away at higher speeds. But around town, everybody has long since lifted off the accelerator pedal.


Indeed all-wheel-drive cars capable of face-warping launches such as this latest, most ludicrous Tesla Model S P100D and November’s wheelie-ing Porsche 911 Turbo S have us examining a lesser-known physics term: jerk. It’s the rate of change of acceleration. Think of it as the difference between being accidentally pushed by a clumsy person and being aggressively shoved by a jerk.

Launching a Model S P100D (weighing 5,062 with gear and driver) in full-on Ludicrous Easter-egg mode snaps your body in a manner that is utterly impossible to replicate in any other street-legal production car on normal tires and dry asphalt at a mid-$100,000 price point. We regard 0–30-mph acceleration times as the benchmark for how hard a car launches, and this new Tesla gets there 0.05 second ahead of the next quickest (aforementioned) 0.92-second 911 Turbo S. The two run pretty even through 40 mph, after which the Tesla pulls ahead, maintaining a 0.2-second lead from 60 mph through 90 mph. The two cross the quarter-mile mark together at 10.5 seconds, at which point the Tesla is running 125.0 mph, and the Porsche is traveling 6.8 mph faster.

But let’s back up and re-examine the launch. As you know, we start our acceleration clock the way the NHRA does: when the front tires cross the 1-foot mark. For the record, the Tesla hit that mark in 0.26 second, at which point it was already traveling at 12.7 mph for an average jerk rating of 128.8 ft/sec3. The Porsche did it in 0.20 second but was only going 11.7 mph. Yet it managed a jerk rating of 191.8 ft/sec3. The Ferrari LaFerrari bested them both at 0.19 second and 13.1 mph, jerking worth 180.6 ft/sec3—a remarkable holeshot for a rear-drive car.

But much of the jerk measured in that first foot is just driveline shock. Let’s back out and consider the first full 0.5 second of acceleration, including that 1-foot rollout. Here we see the no-shock electric Tesla maintaining 76.2 ft/sec3 while the 911 Turbo S sustains 77.1 and the LaFerrari musters “just” 73.3—considerably better than the 52.5 and 53.1 ft/sec3 its hybrid hypercar rivals, the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 manage. (To glean additional jerk-related pub ammo, see the attached chart showing these stats for all of our hardest-launching cars—including the predecessor P90D Ludicrous and, for perspective, America’s most average car, the 2.5-liter Toyota Camry.)


So how can you lay down a run like this in your very own P100D? First, find a safe closed course where the local constabulary won’t write you up for reckless driving. Then ensure your car is running the latest firmware (v8.0 release 2.52.22), and select the Settings menu. Under Acceleration, press and hold the Ludicrous button for five seconds. As with the P90D, this prompts a warp screen of flashing lights followed by a screen that asks, “Are you sure you want to push the limits? This will cause accelerated wear of the motor, gearbox and battery.” The two buttons below are marked, “No, I want my Mommy,” and “Yes, bring it on!” Selecting the latter initiates a process of battery and motor conditioning, wherein the battery temperature is raised slightly and the motors are cooled using the air-conditioning system. It usually takes just a few minutes, longer in extreme ambient temperatures or after repeated runs. You should expect to wait a minimum of 10 minutes in between runs. The readout below the acceleration buttons will say ready when it’s all set. Then you simply hold the brake, promptly tromp the accelerator, and quickly release it to initiate launch-control mode (which is verified on the instrument cluster display). Then firmly hold the brake for a split second while you nail the go pedal. Upon releasing the brake, you will rocket down the strip like Han and Chewbacca jumping to light speed.

The P100D’s added verve also results in a slight improvement in its figure-eight performance, from the P90D’s 24.7 seconds at 0.81 g average to 24.6 seconds at 0.82 g. That matches several other big-boned performers such as the Aston Martin Rapide, Dodge Charger Hellcat, Ford Shelby GT500, and BMW X5M. But none of those heavy hitters manages even half the jerk this Tesla delivers in a straight line.

They're not at all real, but should Tesla take these online renders seriously?

Tesla makes some of the quickest cars on the planet. Tick the right options boxes - and get the right software updates – and you have cars with north of 700bhp and which hit 60mph comfortably within three seconds.

Thing is, the Tesla Model S saloon and Model X SUV don’t really look very fast. They’re eminently sensible family car shapes, albeit ones with jaw-dropping doors and copious surprise and delight.

Enter the online rendering scene, specifically E.Milano. Meet the Tesla P100C and P100CC, both, needless to say, exist only unofficially in the world of pixels. We’d like to think Elon Musk has had a peek though, followed by some thoughtful chin-stroking.

So there’s a coupe and a convertible, both with short, squat front ends and more graceful rear quarters, suggesting they may be rear-drive only. They also look like they’d be two seaters, or 2+2s at a push. Being perched in such a small place as 0-60 in two-point-odd is implemented wouldn’t be much fun anyway.

There are no tech specs to go on, naturally. They aren’t real. So for now, we can only assess how these two cars look. Like ‘em? Reckon Tesla should be giving E.Milano a call?

Carbon fibre specialist finishes a P90D with a really big boot

In the super-niche world of Tesla Model S Shooting Brakes, we have our first finished entrant. This is QWest’s effort: a production-ready Tesla Shooting Brake.

And doesn’t it look mighty? QWest, a Norfolk-based coachbuilder that specialises in carbon fibre, will fully launch the car later this year at the London Motor Show. We’re told the base car is a P90D – a spec you can’t actually buy any more – replete with a 90kWh battery.

To this base the company deploys said carbon fibre specialism to configure a significantly larger boot area – 7.4 cubic ft larger than standard – without impacting the car’s acceleration. So that’s still 0-60mph in some 2.8s.

It’s actually lighter than the standard P90D too by 12kg, because of all that carbon fibre. It’s strong and light, don’t forget. Won’t tip it under two tonnes (the standard car weighs around 2,100kg), but every little helps.

You can see the whole thing up close, if you’re in London between 17-20 May and near the ExCel Arena.

Now we’re just waiting on RemetzCar’s efforts that they previewed late last year…

Of course it comes from Holland. And you'll need to be quick, as only twenty are planned.

In the Netherlands lives a shooting brake enthusiasts called Floris de Raadt. Not only is he the proud owner of a Lynx Eventer, but he was also one of the first importers of electric cars in the Netherlands, starting in 2009.

This time around, Floris got inspired by a Tesla-based hearse built by Amsterdam-based RemetzCar. So, the task of designing the perfect Tesla shooting brake soon landed on Niels van Roij's desk in London. Needless to say, Mr. de Raadt is hugely impressed by the results of this colleboration:

The great thing about this Model S conversion is that the full structure of the car remains intact, including the crumple zones. RemetzCar developed a new tailgate featuring a rear spoiler with a hidden rear window wiper and brake light. Van Roij also added a chrome trim that runs from the A-pillars all the way along the roofline and around the panoramic roof. Last but not least, the team developed a unique color, based on De Raadt’s wishes. It's a green metallic with a twist of gold.

If you like what you see, have no fear. A series of 20 units is planned, with the car debuting at the International Concours d’Élégance Paleis Het Loo, held from 29 June to 1 July 2018 in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.

A Model S driver in Laguna Beach has crashed into a parked (and thankfully unoccupied) police SUV while her EV's Autopilot was reportedly engaged, sustaining minor injuries in the process. It's not yet known what the driver was doing at the time of the collision, but the incident is once again raising questions about Tesla's role in educating drivers about its semi-autonomous feature.

For its part, Tesla reiterated that it "continuously" reminds Autopilot users that they need to keep their hands on the steering wheel. The technology "doesn't make the car impervious to all accidents," it said. In fact, you don't have much of a choice. Let go of the wheel for roughly a minute and you'll lose Autopilot privileges for the rest of the drive. Persist and the vehicle will even pull to a stop as a safety measure. In theory, drivers should see warnings well before they get into dangerous situations.

With that said, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that these alerts might not be enough. There have been multiple instances of drivers either taking their hands off the wheel or otherwise failing to pay attention. And in at least one case, one Model S owner left the driver's seat in mid-commute. Whether or not Autopilot is as dangerous as claimed in lawsuits, it's not clear that drivers fully understand the responsibilities they have while Autopilot is active.

The Tesla Model S got its last major refresh in 2016, four years after it went into production, and reports now indicate that the company is planning another big update for the electric car later this year that includes an overhauled interior and drive units out of the Tesla Model 3.

CNBC reports the Model S refresh will be modeled after the Model 3 in many ways, with a new minimalist interior like the one that received a lot of attention on the smaller car, premium seats from the Long Range and Performance Model 3, and the new drive units from the Model 3, including different motors, inverter and gearbox.

CNBC also reports the car will get a battery capable of 400 miles of range, which would be an increase over the current max EPA estimated range of 370 miles for the Long Range S, and the updated model is “aiming” for a production start in September of this year.

Correction: This article previously stated the max range was 345 miles, which is only for the Performance trim of the Model S.

The CNBC report also goes into some alleged details on the Fremont factory’s preparations for producing the Tesla Model Y, though Tesla has yet to announce any significant details of its plan for production. Here’s more on that from CNBC:

I think what CNBC means by the rather obvious statement that “the S and X are each made with a lot of parts” is that they’re each made with a lot of different parts. This makes combining the existing production lines difficult, though it shouldn’t be impossible. Streamlining everything could save Tesla a lot of money.

We’ll likely hear more about Tesla’s plans for the Model Y and its Fremont plant from Elon Musk during the second quarter earnings call later this summer.