July 9, 2013, Wheelies: The Connecticut Coverage Edition By THE NEW YORK TIMES In which we bring you motoring news from around the Web: • Tesla Motors has added a Supercharger station in Darien, Conn., between the existing East Coast Superchargers in Newark, Del., and Milford, Conn. The distance between charging stations became a matter of considerable controversy in February when John M. Broder wrote in The Times about his experience in a Model S that barely reached Milford, on a trip from suburban Washington, in range-sapping freezing temperatures. (The car ended up on a flatbed truck the next day, after an overnight stop left the battery nearly depleted and an interim low-power charge failed to provide enough range to return to Milford.) At the time, Elon Musk, the chairman of Tesla, said the company was building out its charging network and that additional stations would alleviate range issues. The Darien Supercharger is about 175 miles from the one in Delaware and about 26 miles from Milford. (Tesla Motors) • In other Tesla-related news, the company will join the Nasdaq 100 index on Monday, filling the spot of the Oracle Corporation, which is moving to the New York Stock Exchange. Tesla’s ticker sympol is TSLA. The stock was trading at about $124 on Tuesday morning, up more than $2 a share. Also, there’s another app for the Model S. Sahas Katta, a San Jose-based developer, has created an app for Google Glass that can help Model S owners control some functions remotely, as they can do with Apple and Android apps. With the new app, Glass Tesla, owners can use a smartphone to start and stop charging while keeping an eye on how much the car has been charged, lock and unlock the doors, open and close windows and sunroofs, start the car, control its lights, operate the climate control system and find the car’s location on a map, among other things. (Bloomberg Businessweek and Fast Company) • Moving another step closer to the complete acquisition of the Chrysler Corporation, Fiat bought another 3.3 percent of the company, raising its total share to nearly 70 percent. Fiat is still negotiating with the current owner of the remaining shares – the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, a medical benefits trust for retired U.A.W. workers – and hopes to buy the rest of Chrysler. Fiat and the association are in court over the possible merger; the medical trust wants $10.3 billion, but Fiat wants to pay $4.2 billion. (Automotive News) • Nissan says it plans to build 100 direct current quick chargers at dealerships in 21 markets. In an effort to bolster Leaf sales by alleviating range anxiety, Nissan has invested in the fast charger network, following what it said was its success with a pilot program that tested the technology. Nissan says its DC quick chargers can recharge a depleted E.V. to 80 percent charge in about 30 minutes. (Nissan) • Bentley will use Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation festival, from July 11-14, to show off the state limousine it presented to her in 2002, at the 50th anniversary of her coronation. The state limo will be the crown jewel, so to speak, in a collection of Bentleys that will be on display, along with demonstrations of how Bentley hand crafts its most luxurious vehicles. (Bentley)
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 05:43:22 +0000
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