Tesla issues largest voluntary recall with the Model S for power steering issues

Tesla is taking a proactive stance and recalling 123,000 Model S vehicles built before April 2016 over a power steering issue. The automaker emailed customers saying none of the other models are affected by this issue and there are no injuries or crashes reported in connection with this issue. In the email, Tesla said they’ve “observed excessive corrosion in the power steering bolts” and the issue seems more prevalent in colder climates where road salt is used.

“If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist,” Tesla wrote in the email to customers. “This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed.” But Tesla assures Model S owners that they don’t have to stop driving their cars if they haven’t experienced issues. And they would let Model S owners know when a retrofit for their car is available in their area. It’ll take around an hour to install. It is the company's biggest recall, affecting around half of the Model S vehicles built to date. In 2015, Tesla needed to recall 90,000 Model S cars for a seat belt issue, and in the following year, 53,000 Model S and X cars had to have their parking brakes replaced.

Source: The Verge

Elon Musk removes Facebook pages for Tesla and SpaceX after being challenged on Twitter

If Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has a social media manager (which we’re pretty confident he has one) for both companies, he/she/they have one less account to handle. Musk took down the Facebook pages for the aforementioned companies after being goaded on Twitter to delete the SpaceX page if he was “the man.” This started off after he responded to a tweet by Signal’s Brian Acton, the co-founder of now Facebook-owned WhatsApp, that contained the hashtag #deletefacebook. Musk replies, “What’s Facebook?” And thus, the challenge from some followers began. Musk claims he didn’t know the SpaceX page existed and that he will delete it. When asked about deleting the Tesla page, he responded “Definitely. Looks lame anyway.” On top of this, even Tesla-owned Solar City has lost its Facebook account. However, the Instagram pages for SpaceX and Tesla are still around. We don’t know yet if Musk plans to delete the accounts from this Facebook-owned company, too.

These provocations come after it was revealed over the weekend that consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which worked on President Donald Trump’s election campaign, had improperly acquired the data of 50 million Facebook users. The backlash over the news has its users calling out the social network’s disregard for its user’s privacy and US government officials asking for an explanation. 

Source: The Verge

Canadian International AutoShow to offer electric vehicle test drives

EVs or electric vehicles are expected to be front and centre at the upcomng Canadian International Auto Show and now visitors aged 21 or older with valid driver's licenses can experience first hand what driving an EV feels like. Various manufacturers including GM, Nissan BMW, Fiat-Chrysler, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Volvo will showcase their latest EV and Hybrid electric cars.

“The automotive world is changing and the Canadian International AutoShow is changing with it,” said AutoShow General Manager Jason Campbell. “You can’t go to any major auto show in the world, be it in Frankfurt or Shanghai or Los Angeles, and not see large numbers of electric vehicles on display. In February, the Canadian International AutoShow will be no different.”

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Tesla's new Roadster is the quickest supercar

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Only a company like Tesla can make semi trucks an exciting platform again. The unveiling of the new high-performance (o-60 MPH in 5 seconds by itself or with a trailer). Tesla's new semi trucks obliterate the acceleration of current diesel trucks and even do a better job of pulling loads up hills. The Tesla semi trucks have a 500 mile range at maximum weight at highway speeds (worse case scenario, according to Elon Musk). 

The Tesla semi has a better drag coefficient than the Bugatti Chiron supercar. Tesla designed the trucks to be aerodynamic, has a way to close the drag of whatever containers are being pulled. The Tesla Semis have independent suspension as well as four motors to better disperse the load. Tesla really put serious thought on redesigning the semi truck and has even considered charging (a semi can charge up to 400 miles in 30 minutes, ideal for truck stop breaks). Because the chargers are solar powered Tesla chargers, they are basically running on sunlight (well, mostly).

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