modeling

You'll be able to get the electric Model S sedan with an impressive 300 mile range next year, but it will cost you a hefty premium over the base model.

Tesla Motors last week provided a snapshot of the development of the Model S, an all-electric luxury sedan critical to Tesla's financial success. The car is now in alpha testing and the company plans to start delivering them to customer with reservations in the middle of next year.

Tesla plans to offer three models of the Model S based on driving range--160 miles, 230 miles, and 300 miles. … Read more

In the last eight months, Morris County, N.J., has undergone a significant energy change of which many of its residents are probably not even aware.

The partners involved call it the "Morris Model." It's a new financing model that allows municipalities to partner with solar-energy companies to incorporate solar energy into their energy portfolio for little outlay.

In June the Morris County Improvement Authority (MCIA) announced it was entering into this Morris Model financing plan with Tioga Energy and SunDurance Energy to install about 3-megawatts worth of solar panels by offering up something it already had: … Read more

Electric car maker Tesla Motors yesterday reported a wider quarterly net loss as higher expenses for research, development, sales, and marketing offset a 95 percent surge in revenue.

The company's net loss was $51.4 million, or 54 cents per share, for the fourth quarter ended December 31, compared with a net loss of $24.2 million, or $3.43 per share, in the same quarter a year earlier.

Last year's figures were based on a smaller number of shares outstanding. Tesla, based in Palo Alto, Calif., went public in June.

Excluding one-time items, the company reported a … Read more

Tesla Motors, manufacturer of the Roadster electric sports car and supplier of EV components, has released information about its upcoming Model S sedan's development cycle.

Tesla is breaking the S' preproduction testing into two phases, alpha and beta. Within each phase the automaker will be building multiple test mules as it attempts to home in on its targeted performance, range, and crash safety. Tesla also notes that the Alpha development phase has been in progress since last year, quoting its Vehicle Dynamicist Graham Sutherland when he states, "The first Alpha is amazingly agile for a car of its … Read more

LAS VEGAS--At last year's CES, we put together a slideshow called "Sexy sells at CES" that highlighted part of the human element that companies use to help make their gadgets stand out on the crowded show floor--or at least encourage people to stop at their booths.

For some reason, this slideshow proved to be rather popular with our readers, so we thought we'd cobble something together this year.

Don't get the wrong impression. Not every company hires models to show off their wares and talk about their products. And even when they do, the product … Read more

I recently discussed techniques for reviewing projects to improve their likelihood of success. Underlying this is the reality that projects do fail often, at a greater rate than we'd like to admit.

Some failures are spectacular. After spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars over a period of years, nothing ever really works. The entire investment of time, money, energy, effort, and focus has to be completely written off. Those are the legends. The laughing stocks.

But it's a mistake to conflate failures and catastrophes. Most failures are mundane and much smaller scale. They result from changing … Read more

Tesla Motors will officially open the doors today on what may be the only automotive factory left in California.

The Fremont, Calif., plant was formerly a New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) facility that had been opened in 1984, but closed in 2010. Tesla bought the plant and has plans to renovate it to accommodate assembling its Model S electric cars.

The Model S is the Tesla Roadster luxury sports car's practical sibling. The all-electric sedan will have a range of 160, 230, or 300 miles on a single charge depending on which Model S Tesla battery pack option is … Read more

The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2010, held last weekend at the Denver Marriott Tech Center Hotel, showcased the best and brightest high-end audio designs.

Hundreds of high-end manufacturers from North America, Europe, and Asia, from tiny one-person operations all the way up to industry giants like JBL were on hand. RMAF has a very different vibe than the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas every January--RMAF is a more grassroots affair.

Vandersteen Audio's incredible Model 7 ($45,000 per pair) features balsa wood/carbon-fiber woofer, midrange, and tweeter drivers individually hand-crafted by Richard Vandersteen himself. Each driver can take up to one day to build. The sound is more believably natural and realistic than that of any other speaker at the show. Stereo imaging was full-bodied and dimensionally convincing in ways no other speaker can match. Vandersteen speaker prices start under $1,000, and they're all made in Hanford, CA.

Vandersteen's sound just nudged past Kaiser Acoustics' stunning Kawero speakers. These slender towers are priced about the same as the Model 7, but were even more transparent and pure sounding. The made in Germany speaker's transient speed and dynamic punch were spectacular. The design is said to produce excellent sound quality in real rooms, without any acoustic treatment. Kaiser invested seven years into research and development of the Kawero speakers.

Entry-level audiophile gear from Napa Acoustic made an immediate strong impression. Their NA-208S ($199 a pair) speakers, mated with their NA-208A ($399) tube integrated, 25-watt amplifier sounded rich, with lots of detail. Napa's build quality is the best I've seen for budget-priced gear.

The best headphone sound came from the Audeze LCD-2 ($945). These full-size headphones had a huge, open sound, with effortless clarity. Audeze has a hit on its hands, and its customer waiting list is currently running to four weeks! I hope to get a pair for review soon. The LCD-2 was plugged into Red Wine's Isabellina HPA headphone amplifier, but the headphone can also work with iPods.

I had a great chat with headphone guru and Head-Fi founder Jude Mansilla about the future of high-end audio. Our conclusion: today's younger headphone audiophiles will be tomorrow's high-end audiophiles. That is, headphones are a great way to discover what high-end sound is all about, for a fraction of what a speaker-based high-end system would cost. Mansilla promised to introduce me to a bunch of young Head-Fi-ers, who are just starting to get into speakers. The next-generation audiophiles are an intensely passionate group of people! I'll report back soon about what they have to say. … Read more

Panasonic makes some of the best cordless phones we've reviewed, and now the company is offering Crave readers the chance to win one of its latest models. The Panasonic KX-TG6582 is a two-handset system that offers the latest DECT 6.0 Plus wireless for optimal interference-free reception over the longest distances possible. In addition to its built-in answering machine and easy-to-see high contrast screen, the KX-TG6582 also features "Link-to-Cell" support, which means you can use its built-in Bluetooth radio to make or receive calls from your cell phone via these home phones. While we haven't reviewed … Read more