Electric Cars

When Tesla Motors reports its first-ever profit Wednesday, much of the money will come courtesy of the state of California. In its zeal to push electric cars into the market, the state has created a system in which Tesla can make as much as $35,000 extra on each sale of its luxury Model S electric sports sedans. That's because the Palo Alto company qualifies for coveted state environmental credits that it can turn into cash. These Zero Emission Vehicle credits could put as much as $250 million in Tesla's coffers this year, according to one Wall Street analyst, and they are a key reason the 10-year-old automaker has survived this long.

When Tesla Motors reports its first-ever profit Wednesday, much of the money will come courtesy of the state of California. In its zeal to push electric cars into the market, the state has created a system in which Tesla can make as much as $35,000 extra on each sale of its luxury Model S electric sports sedans. That's because the Palo Alto company qualifies for coveted state environmental credits that it can turn into cash. These Zero Emission Vehicle credits could put as much as $250 million in Tesla's coffers this year, according to one Wall Street analyst, and they are a key reason the 10-year-old automaker has survived this long.

There's nothing like competition to bring down the price of a product, even expensive electric cars. Chrysler Group said it will be offering a special deal on its first electric car, the Fiat 500e, when it goes on sale this summer. While the sticker price will be $32,500 before various government incentives, California residents can lease the car for $199 a month, plus tax, and a $999 down payment. It is a 36-month lease. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg “It is a pretty attractive deal to test the waters and see what kind of a take rate they can get,” said Mike Wall, an analyst with IHS Automotive.

There's nothing like competition to bring down the price of a product, even expensive electric cars. Chrysler Group said it will be offering a special deal on its first electric car, the Fiat 500e, when it goes on sale this summer. While the sticker price will be $32,500 before various government incentives, California residents can lease the car for $199 a month, plus tax, and a $999 down payment. It is a 36-month lease. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg “It is a pretty attractive deal to test the waters and see what kind of a take rate they can get,” said Mike Wall, an analyst with IHS Automotive.

Tesla Motors Inc. is poised to turn a profit for the first time, based on stronger-than-expected sales of its premium electric cars. The Palo Alto automaker sold about 4,750 of its Model S sedans in the first quarter, about 250 more than it projected in February. The automaker on Monday predicted "full profitability" in an amendment to its guidance for first-quarter performance. "There have been many car start-ups over the past several decades, but profitability is what makes a company real," Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement.

Toyota, Ford and Honda ranked highest in a consumer survey of brand perception by Consumer Reports, and Tesla - the Palo Alto-based maker of electric cars - made the Top 10.  The best brands list largely mirrors the survey from last year, in which the top six brands finished in the same order, according to the product-testing organization and consumer magazine, which released the results Friday. Scoring worst in the survey were Mitsubishi and Toyota's Scion brand - tying for last place - and Ram trucks, scoring third worst.

Last Friday, I set out to write a blog post that would answer the question, "With gasoline prices spiking, are electric cars really a good deal?" I learned two things from this exercise. First, doing a cost/benefit analysis comparing vehicles is trickier than it seems, thanks to differing government incentive programs that can radically alter the cost equation. Second, readers are really, really passionate about this topic. After having been informed, repeatedly and in no uncertain terms, about my many failings on that post, I've decided to start over -- hopefully screw-up free this time, and with a new comparison among "green" cars.

I read with great interest the Oct. 21 commentary on electric cars by Michael Shnayerson. The major point of the argument, which he fails to address, is: Where in the heck are we going to get the electricity to power these vehicles? Make more electricity out in the desert, burning more acid-rain-producing coal? Or generating more electricity with prone-to-implode nuclear power plants built on seismic faults? MARK VALSI Sierra Madre

A team of researchers at Utah State University has created a biodiesel fuel out of the watery waste of mass-produced cheese.  There are two reasons this fuel, which can be substituted for regular diesel, is cool. First, it creates a use for the millions of gallons of liquid cheese waste produced by the industrial cheese industry each day. It also produces a sweet exhaust that smells like fresh-baked bread. "The smell is fun, especially when the engine is warm," said Mike Morgan, a Utah State biochemistry undergrad who recently drove a dragster that runs on the fuel.

Tesla Motors has worked out a deal with several banks to sell its pricey electric sports sedan with a guaranteed buyback after 36 months. The transaction is meant to be competitive with leasing, a key component of luxury auto sales.  In a lease, people essentially rent fancy nameplates such as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar -- instead of putting up a lot of cash or taking a large loan to finance the purchase. Tesla is now getting into that game, with a transaction that works like a lease but actually is a resale agreement.

Tesla Motors Inc. is poised to turn a profit for the first time, based on stronger-than-expected sales of its premium electric cars. The Palo Alto automaker sold about 4,750 of its Model S sedans in the first quarter, about 250 more than it projected in February. The automaker on Monday predicted "full profitability" in an amendment to its guidance for first-quarter performance. "There have been many car start-ups over the past several decades, but profitability is what makes a company real," Tesla co-founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a statement.

Want a smooth way to sample the green life? The Pearl Hotel in San Diego offers guests an hour behind the wheel of an electric car while touring the city. The deal: The 23-room boutique hotel partners with car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler North America, to provide the electric wheels. Guests receive free registration (usually $35) and 60 free minutes of drive time as well as a 15% discount on food and drinks at the hotel's restaurant. When you make a reservation online, you will be offered a promotion code for the car2go deal.

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details. After two years of disappointing sales of its Leaf electric sedan, Nissan replaced the executive overseeing its electric-car program. Toshiyuki Shiga, the automaker's chief operating officer will take charge of Nissan's zero-emission-vehicle planning and strategy as well as production of batteries for such cars, the company said.   Hideaki Watanabe, a corporate vice president who headed the division, was shuttled off to a Nissan-affiliated supplier.

Tesla Motors Inc. said in its annual report Thursday that it has received federal approval to complete the repayment of its $465 million in U.S. Energy Department loans five years ahead of schedule. The Palo Alto-based car company run by billionaire co-founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk had received the loan to develop and build electric cars. Tesla spokeswoman Shanna Hendriks said that the company had been scheduled to complete repayment by mid-December of 2022 but had instead arranged to complete the task by the end of 2017.

Supporters of green-car technology like hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars say they were happy to hear that automakers like Ford and Honda are expanding the number of dealerships who can sell those cars. Honda's 2013 Honda Fit EV, launched in California and Oregon in July, will be added to dealerships in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Ford Motor Co. is accelerating dealership certification for its plug-in electrified vehicles from 200 to 900 dealers.

Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk on Monday assailed a recent New York Times article detailing problems with the range of the company's Model S sedan. The article, published over the weekend , was a first-person account of a drive from Washington, D.C., to Connecticut along Interstate 95. Tesla operates two Supercharging stations along this route, which the company says will allow owners to easily travel 440 miles from D.C. to Boston without running out of juice. But the trip was anything but easy, wrote Times writer John Broder in a story headlined, "Stalled Out on Tesla's Electric Highway.

The Tesla Model S may be a silent car, but other automakers will no doubt hear it coming. In its first crack at a premium sedan, the Silicon Valley electric-car maker has matched or beaten the likes of the Audi A7 or Mercedes-Benz CLS - products of a century of German engineering. Similarly packaged as a sleek four-door coupe, the Model S delivers the performance and polish implied by its $89,770 price. All that's missing is the roar of internal combustion. Ask the folks at Tesla Motors Inc. how they pulled this off and they'll say Tesla isn't a car company.