Tesla Driving on the Edge

Tesla Driving on the Edge
by Roger C. Lanctot on 06-03-2020 at 10:00 am

Tesla Driving on the Edge

It’s happened again. Yesterday, on a highway in Taiwan, a Tesla Model 3 plowed into the trailer of an overturned truck. Accounts of the event suggest the vehicle’s Autopilot system was engaged. The failure of the system to perceive the danger ahead and avoid the inevitable collision suggests an “edge case”… Read More


COVID-19: A Pandemic Made for Tesla

COVID-19: A Pandemic Made for Tesla
by Roger C. Lanctot on 05-17-2020 at 6:00 am

COVID 19 A Pandemic Made for Tesla

With Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk spewing accusations of civil rights violations and fascism in the face of restrictions forcing him to keep his Fremont, California factory closed it is tempting to assume that Tesla is suffering through the shutdown with the rest of us. Don’t kid yourself. The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis tailor-made

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Tesla’s 2019 Turning Point

Tesla’s 2019 Turning Point
by Roger C. Lanctot on 03-29-2020 at 10:00 am

Tesla’s 2019 Turning Point

2019 will be remembered as the year the automotive industry decided to right-size its autonomous vehicle ambitions. Multiple auto makers tempered their vaunted claims for delivering fully autonomous cars within a few years and Daimler Chairman of the Board Ola Kälenius declared in December that the pursuit of autonomous “robotaxis”

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Tesla: Two Heads are Better Than One

Tesla: Two Heads are Better Than One
by Roger C. Lanctot on 02-06-2020 at 10:00 am

Tesla Two Heads are Better Than One

Telsa Motors’ stock skyrockets and all observers are shocked and amazed. The shorts that took a multi-billion-dollar hit then double down with their concerns regarding the German gigafactory construction permits or coronavirus or the company’s ability to create demand or fulfill it.

All of these investors are ignoring something… Read More


Tesla is Teaching Us to Move Over

Tesla is Teaching Us to Move Over
by Roger C. Lanctot on 01-26-2020 at 10:00 am

Tesla is Teaching Us to Move Over

Believe it or not, Tesla Motors is teaching us to be better drivers. One of the most remarkable lessons we are learning is that motor vehicles on public roadways ought to stay away from emergency and other service vehicles. In the U.S., we can all expect to hear more about “Move Over” laws – now enacted in all 50 states.

It sometimes … Read More


Leave the Driving to Musk!

Leave the Driving to Musk!
by Roger C. Lanctot on 09-03-2019 at 10:00 am

For years Tesla Motors’ CEO Elon Musk has been taunting the global insurance industry that he would offer insurance coverage directly from Tesla if he was dissatisfied with the industry’s own underwriting. That shoe dropped last week with a resounding thud as Tesla Insurance Services launched in California.

As part of the filing,… Read More


Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!

Tesla Stakes Insurance Claim!
by Roger C. Lanctot on 08-25-2019 at 2:00 pm

In its most recent shareholders’ meeting Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk noted that the Tesla Model 3 is the highest revenue producing car in the U.S. and fourth best-selling by unit volume. He also noted Tesla’s vehicles’ industry-leading fuel efficiency and range.

Musk took the further step of emphasizing the lower cost of

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2019 the Year of Electrification

2019 the Year of Electrification
by Roger C. Lanctot on 12-31-2018 at 7:00 am

After two years of wrestling with and at least partially resolving fraud charges over its “defeat device” to manipulate emissions testing results, Volkswagen emerged in 2018 as the flag-bearer for electrification in the U.S. The company also concluded 2018 as the largest producer of passenger cars in the world.

In spite of or … Read More


Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand

Connected Cars High Tech Low Demand
by Roger C. Lanctot on 11-04-2018 at 6:01 am

The latest reliability report from Consumer Reports which dumped on domestics and rained glory upon Asian imports highlighted a conundrum facing car makers. The more effort car makers put into innovation, the greater the risk of consumer confusion, system failure and lousy reliability scores.

The picture is even worse if one… Read More


Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla

Forget the Saudis: Apple or Google should acquire Tesla
by Vivek Wadhwa on 09-02-2018 at 7:00 am

Steve Jobs wanted to build an electric car as far back as 2008. In 2014, Tim Cook reportedly funded the project. To date, though, Apple has had little to show for it, and the rumors are that its electric vehicle will launch as late as 2025— long after such things become common commodities. Google has already had self-driving electricRead More