Editor’s Note: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL)
Local Dealers Pan Tesla’s Online Sales, Apply Legislative Pressure (ABC News)
Tesla Motors sells its popular electric cars through its website rather than local dealerships, a business move that has made it the target of legal battles backed by powerful car dealership lobbying groups that founder Elon Musk says he will fight in federal court if he needs to in order to operate his business. The car company lost a difficult legal challenge in Texas earlier this year, in part because the company was steamrolled by the dealership association that poured money into elections and lobbying to preserve their own business, according to a new report released this week by a Texas government watchdog group.
Do Tesla’s Security Problems Pose Risks? (Motley Fool)
Today’s vehicles are marvels of modern technical innovation. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), for example, has an interface in its cars that allows them to be controlled remotely by a mobile device. But as with any technology, this system has its flaws. George Reese, the director of cloud management for Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) recently wrote an article for O’Reilly about how the Model S has a security flaw that leaves it exposed to hackers. According to Tesla, its interface for Android and iOS devices is capable of “monitoring and controlling” a Model S remotely. Reese’s article points out that the authentication method of Tesla’s system can be accessed via the web and expires only every three months.
Tesla’s plan to electrify Europe (CTV News)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has revealed that its first European supercharging stations are already up and running and that a pan-European network will be completed by the end of 2014. To mark its arrival on European shores, Tesla installed one of its supercharging stations at the venue for this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and during its press conference revealed that similar stations are already in place across Norway’s most commonly used roads and highways, despite the fact that the first Norwegian Tesla Model S customer only took delivery of the car in August.
Tesla Challenges BMW on Home Turf as Germans Go Green (Bloomberg)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), the electric-vehicle maker led by billionaire Elon Musk, is pushing beyond the friendly confines of California to take on the world’s biggest luxury-car brands in their home market. Tesla will have six stores in Germany after adding locations in the coming months in Berlin and Stuttgart, home to Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG. The start-up already has sales centers in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Munich, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)’s hometown. Tesla is hitting the autobahn just as the German Goliaths start selling their own electrics from dealer networks with hundreds of stores. Musk will also need to win over buyers who traditionally have been loyal to homegrown brands.
Tesla charging station in Rockford to open Thursday (Chicago Tribune)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) will open the Midwest’s second supercharger Thursday in Rockford. The Midwest is crucial to Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk’s plan for a national supercharger network to encourage the mass adoption of electric vehicles. The supercharger can recharge Tesla’s flagship Model S luxury performance sedan up to 80 percent in as fast as 20 minutes. Announced in late May of 2013, the network of superchargers has grown from nine to 21. The Rockford station will be the 22nd.
Recommended Reading:
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) is Looking Good
Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) 2018: The High-End
Cree, Inc. (CREE), Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA), Pandora Media Inc (P): Irrational Exuberance
