Tesla shakes up luxury car pricing in Australia

Credit: Tesla/drive.com.a

http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/tesla-shakes-up-luxury-car-pricing-20140530-zrsk4.html

Comments on the article linked above are interesting, although keep in mind that:

● Toyota Rav EV was only ever a compliance car. I.e. produced in small numbers to comply with California Air Resource Board (CARB) requirements

● "fuel cell miracles" haven't happened yet — see below

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/fuel-cells-finally-ready-for-prime-time.html

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-not-viable-says.html

Thanks to Steve for the link at the top of this article. / EV electric vehicle car gulf in pricing luxury cars sold in Australia identical models sold overseas $91,400 to $119,900 Australia US price similarly priced models BMW Mercedes Mercedes-Benz $150,000 more in Australia luxury cars BMW M5Mercedes-Benz E63 S AMG Australian dollar boomed GFC US dollar luxury car makers traditional price points pricing of competitors additional equipment minor price reductions luxury cars BMW spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher taxes specification levels lower sales volumes Tesla debunks debunk those arguments sell significantly lower numbers established luxury marques similar tax structure European models keep costs down in Australia Tesla encourages customers to order cars online delivered by truck lavish dealership Tesla spokeswoman Atsuko Doi national centre in Sydney full sales and servicing arrangements Mercedes-Benz spokesman David McCarthy looks and performance will attract buyers fast charge fast-charge stations Supercharger eight-year battery warranty /

Wireless charging of phones from across the room? The tech inches closer (video)

Wireless charging is available now, using the Qi standard. All you need is a Qi charging pad & a receiver for your phone. I have one in my Samsung Galaxy S4. Receivers for phones with non-removable batteries are incorporated into a case.

In my experience, the phone needs to be be positioned precisely to charge at the highest possible rate. Current drawn from the wall can vary between 4 & 7.5 Watts, depending on the position of the phone on the charging pad. I assume this is reflected in the time taken to charge, although I haven't timed it.

Which brings us to another possibility: do you want wireless charging, or would you prefer to be able to charge you phone in under a minute? It could be very useful at the airport, or if you forgot to plug it in overnight & you have to leave for work. Elon Musk has suggested charge times of 5 to 10 minutes for Tesla electric vehicles in the future.

Wireless charging

http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/25/wireless-charging-is-poised-to-go-mainstream-at-last/

Tesla 5 minute charging

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516876/forget-battery-swapping-tesla-aims-to-charge-electric-cars-in-five-minutes/ / electric car vehicle EV LiIon lithium ion over metal plate cell mobile phone charging mat charge recharge batteries battery no plugs required wireless energy transmission Thomas Edison’s time robots gain mobility electric vehicles accrue consumer demand tangled power cords smartphone users remain tethered to plug-in chargers cables new promising technology consumers easier to use wireless charging methods inconvenience cables receiver plates cases robots EVs Energous public semiconductor company energy router powers several receivers up to 15 feet away receivers built into desks tables sofas receiver sleeves convert radio waves sent by the router direct current phone in a receiver cae cases for sale extend battery life device remains within 15 feet of the router prototypes device being charged WiTricity MIT spinoff company patents magnetic resonance charging magnetic coil sends electricity tuned to the same resonance wireless charging hub communicates charging sleeves up to 15 feet away magnetic resonance charging works wood granite wall between hub sleeve 20 percent 80 percent electricity outlet devices repeaters receivers built into smartphones devices standard wireless charging two major industry groups make those standards interoperable Qi Samsung LG speed of charging less than under a minute, right StoreDot charger can power a phone in 30 seconds Israeli company Energous semiconductor unconventional nanodots self-assembled organic peptides wireless charging innovation Energous Wireless Power Consortium /