Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Deutsche Bank AG (USA) (NYSE:DB), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSANY), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), the 10-year-old maker of high end electric vehicles, hasn’t had much direct competition. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) sells to wealthy people who want a high performance car. Other automakers seem to be going after a different target—people who can afford an luxury vehicle, but who are willing to buy an economy car with an electric motor instead. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), for example, lets you buy a Focus for about $20,000, or basically the same Focus for $35,000, battery included. (The strategy seems well-calibrated to allow automakers to meet California mandates without seriously cannibalizing sales of more profitable gasoline cars.)
Deutsche Bank Upgrades Tesla Motors (TSLA) to Buy; They’ve Only Just Begun… (StreetInsider)
Deutsche Bank AG (USA) (NYSE:DB) upgrades Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) from Hold to Buy, moving its price target from $50 up to $160. Analyst Dan Galves noted that Tesla is making some serious headway in terms of improving driving range and overall battery cost. Specifically, five things that have changed the analysts mind include: …Galves estimates that the full-cost of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s 10-year developed proprietary battery pack is about $350 per kilowatt hour (kWh), versus $500 to $600 per kWh for the rest of the auto industry. The pack is also notably more energetic; amid weighing 40 percent more than a similar pack for the Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTCMKTS:NSANY) Leaf, it gets 3.5 miles per kWh versus 3.1 miles per kWh for the Leaf.
Tesla Aims For 5-Minute 50% EV Recharge, Tesla CTO States (CleanTechnica)
JB Straubel, the CTO of Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), has said that he thinks Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) will be able to charge electric car batteries in five to ten minutes before too long (without battery swapping). He pointed out some of the challenges associated with this, but the fact that charge times have gotten down to 20 minutes already should give you some hope. The challenges include: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’ vehicles — the Roadster and Model S — both have very large battery banks, and therefore would require an enormous current to charge in just a few minutes. …JB Straubel’s statement didn’t come long after Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced upgrades to its Supercharger network, which would enable 20-minute charging.
Tesla Ditches Percent Per Month Policy on Loaners (WallStCheatSheet)
In addition to introducing a game-changing product to the automotive world, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has gone to painstaking lengths to ensure that the service that accompanies its flagship Model S sedan matches the panache and quality that is exuded by the car itself. A part of this top-notch service was the pledge of the company to offer as good as or better Model S loaner cars for the customers whose cars are in the shop for routine — or not so routine — maintenance. Originally, if the customer liked the loaner car more than the one they were driving, they could buy it at a pre-arranged price.
