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😘 @ https://geekculture.co/tesla-singapore-job-listing-suggests-possibility-of-electric-car-maker-setting-up-shop/

Hello everyone! This week, we had chance to drive, Tesla’s flagship sedan, Model S P100D. With the super electric car, we have done 0-60 using ludicrous mode and tried using auto pilot system. Is it worth all the money? Do you buy this to save planet or for your enjoyment. Let’s find out Alex’s youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/KoreanAlex https://youtu.be/oMJV6JJOX70

Tesla Announces Plans For Workers To Build Cars At Home Due To Coronavirus Concerns Not to be outdone by the Big Three that announced comprehensive work-from-home plans for their employees, Tesla announced today a similar set of plans, but also ones that went much further, permitting workers to build Tesla cars in their own homes. The idea was said to have come directly from Elon Musk, according to Musk’s personal secretary Cassandra Clearlyfakeperson. Tesla PR representative Eugene McNotreal provided Jalopnik with a copy of the instructions given to employees, which is both entirely fictional and contains some highly progressive mandates for keeping operations going during the COVID-19 threat: “Employees that have large-scale metal stamping presses at their homes will be asked to take home several rolls of sheet aluminum so that they may stamp hoods and doors,” “Workers with backyard forges may be asked to order steel ingots from suppliers to cast into suspension arms and motor mounting assemblies,” The document goes on to provide download links to CAD files and other engineering documentation. Virtual rooms in the online messaging system Slack have been established for employees to co-ordinate assembly work, and provide a way for employees to coordinate sending partially-completed cars to other employees homes to continue work. Tesla has a special email address set up so when a worker finishes a car, they can request the car be picked up from their home and taken to other employee’s homes for quality control and testing. Fictional Tesla spokespeople pointed to Tesla’s extensive experience building cars in tents as proof that they’re more than prepared to let workers handle putting together Model 3s, Ses, and Xes in their living rooms and backyards. OK, before anyone started forwarding this, this isn't real, PLEASE.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Tesla-teardown-finds-electronics-6-years-ahead-of-Toyota-and-VW2?utm_campaign=RN%20Subscriber%20newsletter&utm_medium=daily%20newsletter&utm_source=NAR%20Newsletter&utm_content=article%20link&del_type=1&pub_date=20200217190000&seq_num=10&si=%%user_id%% Tesla teardown finds electronics 6 years ahead of Toyota and VW Self-driving AI sends shivers through traditional supply chains HIDEYOSHI KUME, Nikkei xTech/Nikkei Automotive staff writer February 17, 2020 13:54 JST A teardown of the Model 3 shows Tesla so far ahead of more established peers that its technology could end the auto supply chain as we know it. (Nikkei xTech) TOKYO -- Toyota Motor and Volkswagen each sell 10 million cars, give or take, every year. Tesla delivered about 367,500 in 2019. But when it comes to electronics technology, Elon Musk's scrappy company is far ahead of the industry giants. This is the takeaway from Nikkei Business Publications' teardown of the Model 3, the most affordable car in the U.S. automaker's all-electric lineup, starting at about $33,000. What stands out most is Tesla's integrated central control unit, or "full self-driving computer." Also known as Hardware 3, this little piece of tech is the company's biggest weapon in the burgeoning EV market. It could end the auto industry supply chain as we know it. One stunned engineer from a major Japanese automaker examined the computer and declared, "We cannot do it." The module -- released last spring and found in all new Model 3, Model S and Model X vehicles -- includes two custom, 260-sq.-millimeter AI chips. Tesla developed the chips on its own, along with special software designed to complement the hardware. The computer powers the cars' self-driving capabilities as well as their advanced in-car "infotainment" system. The Model 3's "full self-driving computer" consists of two boards: one with custom AI chips for autonomous driving, and a media control unit for the "infotainment" system. A water-cooled heat sink is installed between the two boards. (Nikkei xTech) This kind of electronic platform, with a powerful computer at its core, holds the key to handling heavy data loads in tomorrow's smarter, more autonomous cars. Industry insiders expect such technology to take hold around 2025 at the earliest. That means Tesla beat its rivals by six years. The implications for the broader auto industry are huge and -- for some -- frightening. Tesla built this digital nerve center through a series of upgrades to the original Autopilot system it introduced in 2014. What was also called Hardware 1 was a driver-assistance system that allowed the car to follow others, mostly on highways, and automatically steer in a lane. Every two or three years, the company pushed the envelope further, culminating in the full self-driving computer. There should be nothing stopping Toyota or VW from doing the same much earlier than 2025, considering their immense financial resources and vast talent pools. But technological hurdles are not the reason for the delay, according to the Japanese engineer who said "we cannot do it." The real reason for holding off? Automakers worry that computers like Tesla's will render obsolete the parts supply chains they have cultivated over decades, the engineer said. Such systems will drastically cut the number of electronic control units, or ECUs, in cars. For suppliers that depend on these components, and their employees, this is a matter of life and death. So big automakers apparently feel obliged to continue using complicated webs of dozens of ECUs, while we only found a few in the Model 3. Put another way, the supply chains that have helped today's auto giants grow are now beginning to hamper their ability to innovate. Young companies like Tesla, on the other hand, are not shackled to suppliers and are free to pursue the best technologies available. Our teardown underscored this in another way as well. Most parts inside the Model 3 do not bear the name of a supplier. Instead, many have the Tesla logo, including the substrates inside the ECUs. This suggests the company maintains tight control over the development of almost all key technologies in the car. And with this hardware in place, Teslas can evolve through "over the air" software updates. Right now, the vehicles are still classified as Level 2 or "partially autonomous" cars. But Musk has stressed that they have all the necessary components -- "computer and otherwise" -- for full self-driving. From software to electric drive systems, Tesla is steadily bringing more development tasks in-house. If this strategy succeeds, competitors will have little choice but to follow suit, upending their old business models and supply chains as they try to overcome Tesla's head start.

What's inside a Tesla Engine? Watch it here! This is like a tamiya motor X 10800 times!

A software engineer has successfully implanted into her forearm her Tesla Model 3's keycard chip. she can now enter her car by simply waving her arm near the car’s sensors. The YouTuber, who goes by the alias Amie DD, is no stranger to ‘body modification'. A couple of years ago, she an RFID tag inserted into her arm so that she could open the front door at her house. Being a software expert, there were probably other things she could do with the chip in her arm too. So when her Tesla Model 3 arrived, she though that her car's keycard would use a similar RFID technology that would allow her to simply transfer the data from the card to her existing chip. However, it didn't work out hence she had to remove the chip from the card and insert it into her arm. For those of you who aren't afraid of seeing blood, you can watch her other video whereby she shows us how the chip is inserted into the her arm. Since then, she has managed to get it to work, as long as her forearm must be about 25 mm from the car’s center console before it will start up.

Top 7 Electric Cars Will Challenge Tesla Model 3 in 2019/20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5VX2gu5mgc

Tesla has announced that it will close down most of its retail outlets in a move that will allow it to price its cars cheaper. According to Electrek, the electric car maker wants to focus on online sales as it says that 78% of the Model 3 orders the company received last year were placed online. Interestingly, it added on that 82% of Model 3 customers purchased the vehicle without test driving first. With that in mind, the company believes that there was no need to operate the 120 retail store that it has now and will be closing most of it down. Doing so will allow it to reduce prices for its vehicles by an average of 6% and give it the ability to produce the entry-level Model 3 earlier than anticipated. Furthermore, it has been reported that Tesla started removing commissions from retail employees earned from sales, prompting employees to speculate that the manufacturer has cut bonuses to try and push them out before Tesla needs to layoff staff and pay severance.

You probably know a bit about Polestar by now – the racing team that became Volvo’s tuning arm, that became a standalone electric performance brand in 2017. You might even have gazed longingly at the company’s first car, the Polestar 1, a 600bhp plug-in hybrid coupe costing €155,000 and limited to 1,500 units. But frankly the 1 is just eye candy - in Polestar’s masterplan, the 2 is the one that matters. This is Polestar’s Tesla Model 3 rival, and it’s not shying away from the fact either, name-checking the Model 3 in the fourth line of its press release. And why wouldn’t you? Tesla is close to selling 500,000 a year of its first, truly mass-market EV because it offers a range of over 300 miles, it’s fast, it appeals to tech lovers and it’s relatively affordable. Polestar has been taking notes. The 2 is an all-electric, 4WD, five-door saloon-shaped hatchback – or ‘fastback’ according to Polestar - with a 311-mile range from its 78kWh battery, 402bhp and a 0-62mph time of less than five seconds. By comparison the long-range, AWD Model 3 (that’s not the 444bhp M3-rivalling performance version, by the way) has a 338-mile range (the longest of any WLTP certified EV) from its 74kWh battery, 341bhp and 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds. Spot any similarities? Not that we’re complaining you understand… And then there’s the price. The launch version of the Polestar 2 (the only one available for the first year of production, which starts in early 2020) costs €59,900, although Polestar will offer a subscription-style plan (prices TBC) that includes one monthly payment to cover everything except charging. The long-range, AWD Model 3 starts at €58,800. The Model 3 looks a bit generic, the kind of car a 10-year old might doodle, the Polestar is much sharper – all taught creases and Swedish minimalism. The Volvo fans out there will have spotted this is almost identical to the Volvo 40.2 concept from 2016, except for the addition of smaller, more aero efficient, framelesss wing mirrors - a Polestar patent, no less - and a full width light bar at the back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3g-hgx7Lk The future is here. Seriously, auto opening doors?

SEC settles charges with Tesla's Elon Musk, will remain as CEO but relinquish chairman role and pay stiff finehttps://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/29/sec-settles-charges-with-teslas-elon-musk-will-remain-as-ceo.html The SEC settled charges with Tesla over Elon Musk's bid to take the company private on Saturday. As part of the settlement, Musk and Tesla will pay $20 million each, and the billionaire will step down as chairman of the board. The Securities and Exchange Commission settled charges withTesla CEO Elon Musk over his aborted bid to take the company private, with the billionaire remaining as the helm of the company but relinquishing his chairman title and getting slapped with a hefty fine. The SEC's enforcement action brings to a conclusion a saga which began in early August, when Musk announced via Twitter that he had secured enough funding for a massive private buyout of Tesla. The SEC complaint alleged that in doing so, Musk issued "false and misleading" statements, and failed to properly notify regulators of material company events. Under the deal's terms, Musk and Tesla neither admit or deny wrongdoing alleged by regulators. "This matter reaffirms an important principle embodied in our disclosure-based federal securities laws," SEC chairman Jay Clayton said in a statement. "Specifically, when companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly, including endeavoring to ensure the statements are not false or misleading and do not omit information a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision," Clayton added. As part of the settlement, which is still subject to court approval, Musk will also pay a civil penalty of $20 million and give up his role as chairman of the board for at least three years. Additionally, the SEC imposed a $20 million fine on Tesla itself, which will also be expected to appoint two new independent directors to the board, and institute sweeping governance changes. "Musk tweeted on August 7, 2018 that he could take Tesla private at $420 per share — a substantial premium to its trading price at the time — that funding for the transaction had been secured, and that the only remaining uncertainty was a shareholder vote," regulators said on Saturday. However, "in truth, Musk knew that the potential transaction was uncertain and subject to numerous contingencies. Musk had not discussed specific deal terms, including price, with any potential financing partners, and his statements about the possible transaction lacked an adequate basis in fact," they added. On the day Musk made the surprise announcement, Tesla's stock surged by over six percent — catching off guard the bearish class of investors with whom the billionaire has crossed swords in the past. 'The quickest settlement in history' The swiftness with which a deal was announced on Saturday was striking. A provisional settlement between the SEC and Tesla reportedly fell apart on Thursday, which led to regulators summarily filing suit. Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, said it may very well be "the quickest SEC settlement in history," and one that allows both sides to claim a semblance of victory. According to Tobias, it appeard that "it was better for each to compromise and not drag out this dispute. All secured something they wanted and gave up something." With securities regulators frequently criticized for not imposing tighter regulation on companies, a Tesla settlement allows the SEC to look like "a strict enforcer that is protecting shareholders," Tobias said to CNBC in an email. "Musk/Tesla continue to operate a successful company and perhaps behave better in the future. All are spared litigation costs and the bad publicity that could flow from prolonged litigation." Indeed, in recent days, some investors — many of whom have been wiling to discount Musk's unconventional style in favor of his perceived vision — had begun to bail on the stock. Tesla's shares, traded on the Nasdaq, closed down around 14 percent on Friday at $264, as Wall Street begun to fret over the company's ability to raise needed capital. Meanwhile, the company bonds had been falling recently, with $1.3 billion in debt coming due by March 2019. A widely circulated New York Times interview last month, in which Musk detailed the "excruciating" personal toll of running the company, set off alarm bells and led to talk of Tesla's directors getting him a second-in-command. Meanwhile, a steady stream of staff and executive departures have added to the sense of internal turmoil. Musk's prolific use of Twitter has created several high-profile headaches for him personally, as well as the company he founded. In settling the charges, regulators faulted Tesla for not exerting more control over Musk's tweeting. "The SEC also today charged Tesla with failing to have required disclosure controls and procedures relating to Musk's tweets, a charge that Tesla has agreed to settle," the agency said in a statement. "The settlements, which are subject to court approval, will result in comprehensive corporate governance and other reforms at Tesla — including Musk's removal as Chairman of the Tesla board—and the payment by Musk and Tesla of financial penalties," it added. Musk's fierce war of words against short-sellers, or investors betting on the company's stock to fall, was one of the reasons he cited when he first floated the idea of Tesla going dark. In settling with Musk, the SEC said Tesla's board would be expected to "oversee" its founder's communications with investors. "The resolution is intended to prevent further market disruption and harm to Tesla's shareholders," added Steven Peikin, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, in a statement.

Would you buy a pure electric car like a Tesla S should there be.... 1) Ample charging stations in multi storey carparks or commonly available? 2) Companies such as Tesla set up their base here? Will that change the landscape of cars in SG should there be no tax on electric vehicles as of now?

Any new Tesla coming to Sg? Just came back from HK and discovered many Tesla super car (model S) and SUV (model X) on the road, one of the great efforts from HK government to promote electric cars and create awareness of climate change and global warming. When can SG government do the same? We should capitalize their culture and green effort. https://www.tesla.com/

Elon Musk Loves This Tesla Ad, Even Though It's Fake

Every car needs an "insane" mode

Tesla Motors Inc.'s recent defeat in New Jersey may have catalyzed lawmakers in other states to take the side of the electric car maker. Arizona lawmaker, Rep. Warren Petersen, added an amendment to a non-dealer-related piece of legislation Wednesday that would open the state to sales of Tesla vehicles. The legislation made it out of a Senate committee, but still must be approved by both legislative bodies to become law, a staffer for Rep. Petersen said. Right now, Arizona, along with Texas and New Jersey, are the only states where Tesla sales are prohibited. Arizona is one of four states, including Nevada, Texas and New Mexico, that also are vying to be the location for Tesla’s so-called “Gigafactory,” a massive battery plant for which the company recently raised $2 billion. Last week, New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission added new language to its dealer licensing regulations that required all dealers to be independent franchises. Tesla will have to cease operating its two New Jersey dealerships by April 1, turning them into “galleries” that can display the vehicles but not try to sell them. New York state is the next stop in the Tesla war with the dealers. On Friday, the state’s legislature is expected to take up a bill that would stop Tesla from operating in the state. The move prompted New York lawmaker David Buchwald to hold a protest rally at the Tesla store at The Westchester Mall in White Plains. He also promises to propose a new state “clean energy policy to promote the expansion of electric cars.” Ohio legislators similarly have proposed legislation that would limit Tesla to the two stores it already operates in Columbus and Cincinnati. Tesla would like to expand to Cleveland, at a minimum, and is trying to strike a deal with the state dealers’ association there. Last week, Tesla Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, responded to the defeat in New Jersey with a blog post that excoriated New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and took issue with the franchised dealer system. Tesla sells direct to consumers without using independent dealers. Dealers argue that the system is dangerous for consumers because manufacturers aren’t incentivized to make warranty repairs and if the company fails, customers are left without an outlet to repair their vehicles.

Everyone knows that global warming is quite a severe problem these days. It suffocates the beloved planet we're living on. And, while there may not be a real significant thing we can do to help overcome global warming, maybe we can at least give some small contributions for a start. How about driving an electric vehicle? It makes pretty good sense to me. Now, when it comes to electric vehicles, there's a whole lot of options you can choose from. However, I would recommend that you consider the Tesla Model S in particular. This is one of only two models the American automaker Tesla Motors has in store and yet, it rocks in all the ways it knows best. To begin with, you'll find yourself stunned by its acceleration. In addition to that, there's nothing like its built-in 17" infotainment system that will please you like you never expected before. The good news is that Tesla Motors is reportedly preparing its Model S for the Chinese market. The car is likely to make its debut in the bamboo origin country in September this year when the Chengdu Auto Show opens its doors to the public. It's also said that the company will make sure it possesses and manages all its Chinese dealers, first of which is likely to be based in Beijing. The entrance of this American electric car to the Chinese market, I think, may as well mark the start of the company's penetration into other Asian markets. Oh, that said, I can't wait to see when the Model S will land on our shores here in Singapore. It seems that Tesla Motors is just getting stronger and stronger. Recently, this particular car manufacturer successfully managed to pay back the US government loan it once borrowed from the country's Department of Energy in full. Oh, by the way, did I mention just how spacious the Tesla Model S is? Believe it or not, it may as well accommodate a whole bunch of children, well, as long as they're all kindergarteners. According to Tesla Motors, its Model S is capable of carrying around six to seven kindergarteners. However, a recent test may prove that irrelevant. Thing is, the Tesla Model S electric car will not complain at all even if you push up to 16 kindergarteners into it, as shown in the video below. Well, minivans, you guys better get set to face a new competitor! Oh yeah, the car looks pretty sleek and attractive, too. And, to top it off, it features an all-glass panoramic roof. This is no ordinary sunroof, it opens wider than the panoramic roof of most, if not all, other sedans. To open its roof, simply swipe your finger on the 17-inch touch screen of the Tesla Model S and let the car work its charm. Taking advantage of glass material for its entire panoramic roof, a Tesla Model S can block up to 81 percent of heat and 98 percent of light. Also, just for your information, besides the Model S, Tesla also offers Model X, which somehow looks a little like a crossover to me.

Being the co-founder of the world's biggest search engine definitely has the potential to give you the financial freedom beyond your imagination. This is what happened to Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google. As a matter of fact, he should even be able to afford a whole country - though probably not a big one - thanks to his net wealth of around $23 billion. This American scientist - who was actually born in the Soviet Union - also co-owns two units of private jets, complete with NASA equipment on them. He co-owns those jets with the Google founder himself, Larry Page. Yet, what attracts us more this time is Brin's Tesla Model S. Taking into account that Brin is an early investor in the automaker that builds the car and that he also believes strongly in renewable energy, there's no wonder Brin owns the aforementioned car. However, what we do wonder is why Brin would cover his car in pink - he's not Katie Price. Well, it's not that only Katie may own pink covered cars. You know, she's famous for her pink cars, one of which is her pink Range Rover. As it turned out, it was Google staffs that converted Brin's Tesla into a Batmobile of some sort. The car has a Batman logo on it in addition to protruding Batman rear wings and some long eyelashes for the headlamps. Google Chrome logo can also be seen on the weird looking set of rims. The staffs at Google did that to play an April Fool's Day joke on their boss. Fortunately, Brin took the humour in a good way. In fact, he even took the car for a spin! Well, it seems like Brin is quite a humourous person. But that joke would damage Brin's car, wouldn't it? Well, fortunately, the pranksters only used pink vinyl instead of paint to cover the car in pink. With that being said, there is nothing for Brin to worry about as the damage is not permanent and is easy to revert as well. The pranksters also mentioned that they chose Batmobile because they worked at Google's 'X' project division and that they, at Google, often thought of the division as a 'bat cave'. For your information, the Google's 'X' project division is the division in charge of Google's most visionary ideas and products, one example of which is the Google Glass. What a joke at Google it is!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...3d98c388b04dfe6 The base model, which sells for $49,900 after a federal tax credit, can go 160 miles on one charge. Despite the high spirits during Friday's ceremony, the debut of the Model S is a critical moment for the fledgling car company. Tesla has sold 2,150 Roadsters since 2008. The company is the brainchild of PayPal billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Tesla has always been considered a long shot to survive in the car business, but Musk, who is the chairman, CEO and product architect, spoke optimistically about the future, and of electric cars. "It's about breaking a spell," he said. "The world has been under this illusion that electric cars cannot be as good as gasoline cars. It's showing that an electric car can in fact be the best car in the world." Analysts and auto industry insiders have scoffed at the idea that a new car company could be created from scratch and built in a state with high operating costs like California. The price tag on the Model S is also expected to limit sales, said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive. Nissan has sold just under 30,000 all-electric Nissan Leaf hatchbacks since they went on sale at the end of 2010, but the Leaf is little more than half the price of a Model S.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/112101049234/t...drag-race-video

[extract] The official auction house of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Gooding & Company, announced a special auction item. While the car is not unique or extraordinary, the owner

They say you can never put a good idea down, and the Tesla Roadster is a most definitely a good idea indeed. And so, depsite a setback earlier this year, Tesla has decided to try again in the Singapore market. This time, it has the support and backing of a local electric vehicle specialist, EV Hub, and the company held a media event to announce the launch of FSG Mobility Concepts, which will be the official retailer for Tesla in Singapore. Besides the Tesla, FSG are also retailing the YikeBike, which is a nifty gadget that has been dubbed as the world

Electric 'supercar' maker Tesla which just recently pulled out from Singapore is now in a legal battle with the mega motoring show Top Gear from the UK. Apparently, they are battling it out in court due to Top Gear's depiction of the car. This is not the first time Top Gear is facing the flak from one of the companies which provide them cars to trash around, and neither will this be the last, but I do love Top Gear for their insanity sometimes.. No wait, ALL the time. According to Tesla, Top Gear's review had “contained lies and misinformation about the Roadster’s performance, behaviour and reliability.” It boils down to 5 areas: 1. “The Roadster ran out of charge and had to be pushed into the Top Gear hangar by four men.” 2. “The Roadster’s true range is only 55 miles per charge (not 211).” 3. “One Roadster’s motor overheated and was completely immobilized as a result.” 4. “The other Roadster’s brakes were broken, rendering the car undriveable.” 5. “That neither of the two Roadsters provided to Top Gear was available for test driving due to these problems.” Honestly, I couldn't care less about what Tesla wants to do with Top Gear because they are totally missing the point of the show, that it is in fact just 'a show'. And with Top Gears track record of being harsh on many cars these days including the infamous Perodua episode, it shouldn't be a surprise to them that Clarkson would spew out some form of criticism that may have been exaggerated but cannot be considered as a 'fact' in the true sense of the word. Well what do you think?

So, Tesla have announced their withdrawal from the Singapore market, after six months here and having not sold a single car. What a pity. The official reason given was that Tesla did not receive 'green' tax breaks from the Government, and so found it unviable to market their exotic electrically-charged sports cars locally. Without the tax breaks, the Tesla Roadster would cost the better part of half a million Singapore dollars, but with the tax breaks, that figure might be reduced by as much as half, broadening its appeal to the car-buying population. That said, Singapore hasn't exactly been well set-up in terms of infrastructure to cope with electric cars, at least not yet anyway. Charging stations are few and far between, and the problem of charging the cars for apartment-dwellers, which number the majority of Singapore's population, hasn't yet been fully resolved. Tesla gave examples of how other Asian markets gave the American company 'enthusiastic support', such as Japan, which grants a 2.61million yen (S$40,000) rebate for each Tesla buyer, and Hong Kong and Malaysia, where electric cars are exempted from tax. For a country our size, and well-known for efficiency, Tesla's withdrawal seems like a bit of a farce. We can only speculate the real reasons why Tesla decided to pull the plug on our local market, but for car enthusiasts with a green heart, the withdrawal of Tesla strikes yet another blow to our already dampening car scene. On a personal note, I find myself slightly amused at the news. Because a while back, Tesla actually approached me for a position as their Singapore store manager. Unfortunately, I didn't get past the interview stage. But imagine if I did clinch the job, I would be out of it now, without having done anything. Instead, I now write about them on sgCarMart. It's funny how life turns out.

Sad.... I would have considered the car with the tax break ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Electric car firm pulls plug on S'pore Tesla exits after failing to secure 'green' tax incentives, making its cars unviable here By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent AMERICAN electric car company Tesla Motors is pulling the plug on plans to market its zippy, battery-powered sports cars to the wealthy and environmentally hip here - just six months after setting up an office at Suntec to do just that. It will pack up next week, without having sold a single car. The Straits Times understands that the company is pulling out because it failed to secure 'green' tax incentives for its cars, making them unviable. The two-seater Tesla Roadster, which runs entirely on lithium-ion batteries that can be charged from a normal household socket, would cost $400,000 to $500,000 without the incentives. That is in the ballpark of cars like the Porsche 911 and Maserati Granturismo. But had the tax break been granted, the car would have cost around $250,000 or less. The Economic Development Board, which is in charge of approving the tax break, said Tesla had not met 'technical requirements'. A Tesla insider said the company had garnered about a dozen bookings, most on condition that the tax break be granted. A few were willing to buy the car without the tax break, but Tesla said the numbers were too small to justify its presence here. One of the willing was businessman Melvin Tan, 38, who said: 'Too bad. I really quite liked the car.' Tesla Motors Asia-Pacific director Kevin Yu told The Straits Times: 'Unfortunately, Singapore has not turned out to be the market we hoped it would be. 'Given the Roadster's limited production run and the enthusiastic support from both customers and governments for the vehicle in other markets, Tesla has decided to focus our limited resources elsewhere.' He cited some examples of 'enthusiastic support'. They include Japan, which is granting 2.61million yen (S$40,000) in cash rebate for each Tesla buyer; Hong Kong and Malaysia, where electric vehicles are tax exempt; and various cities in Europe and America, which have similar tax breaks of varying amounts. Mr Yu added: 'We do hope that at some point in the future conditions will be right for re-entry...we have no plans at this point.' Meanwhile, Singapore's plan to test-bed a fleet of electric cars is still stuck in the slow lane. Public infrastructure for charging the cars is expected to be up and running only in the middle of the year, though the first batch of cars has arrived. Cycle & Carriage has brought in a fleet of 10 Mitsubishi iMiEV hatchbacks - the first of 25 committed here for the test-bed. The cars, which are set to be granted tax breaks, will sit in a warehousing area for the next half-year or so. Nissan and Renault said they hope to bring in electric models later this year, but are awaiting the green light regarding the tax rebate. The effort to bring in a trial fleet of electric cars - to test their durability in a hot, humid environment - started several years ago.