Tesla's new free-charging policy will be many miles ahead of other EV automakers

A free Tesla Supercharger on Route 300 in Newburgh, N.Y., is conveniently located in a strip mall with an Italian-American restaurant and pizzeria, and a frozen yogurt store.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Who doesn't like "free"? 

In the last four years, owners of the all-electric Tesla Model S four-door hatchback and the Model X SUV have enjoyed free juice at a growing network of Superchargers across the continental U.S.

And if they have solar panels at home, all of the electricity they've used has been free.

Now, for Teslas ordered after Jan. 1, 2017, owners will receive 400 kWh hours of free Supercharging credits annually (roughly 1,000 miles) so that they can continue to enjoy free fast charging during travel.

"All cars will continue to come standard with the onboard hardware required for Supercharging," according to Tesla.

That hardware was a $2,000 option when I ordered my Model S 60 in early 2015.

Costs less than gas

Beyond the roughly 1,000 miles of free Supercharging credits, "there will be a small fee to Supercharge which will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car," the Tesla Blog says.

"As we approach the launch of the Model 3, this update will enable us to greatly expand our Supercharger Network, providing customers with the best possible user experience and bringing sustainable transport to even more people," the company says.

Tesla is unique

Still, Tesla is the only carmaker to provide a network of free fast chargers, and after the changeover, is expected to remain the only one to provide annual charging credits.

Chevrolet has already announced purchasers of the Bolt EV won't get free charging on road trips.

You've also heard nothing from BMW and Nissan about free charging for their EVs.

Free for life

Since I took delivery in April 2015, I've driven my Tesla twice to the International Jazz Festival in Montreal in late June, a round trip of about 800 miles.

And since my car came with free charging for life, I'd still be able to make that road trip and others at no extra cost as long as I own it.

I had planned to trade in my Model S on the smaller Model 3 in a year or so, but may reconsider and keep two Teslas in our garage.

"Just as you charge your cell phone, we believe the best way to charge your car is either at home or at work, during the hours you're not using it," Tesla says.

With no humans or batteries, self-driving cars will hurt both economy, environment

No. That isn't the biggest, roof-mounted boom box you've ever seen. That's an autonomous Ford Fusion with a human back-up driver Uber will use to pick up passengers in Pittsburgh. Once the self-driving car is perfected, Uber likely will fire tens of thousands of drivers. This photo is from The Associated Press.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

GM, Ford, Volvo, Uber, Google and other companies are investing billions of dollars in the race to develop self-driving cars.

But I've seen little discussion of whether they will be gasoline powered, hybrids or all-electric.

Only an all-electric self-driving car makes sense, given climate change and the 53,000 deaths each year from auto emissions.

And when Uber perfects a self-driving car, you can bet the unemployment lines will swell with tens of thousands of drivers let go by the anti-labor, ride-hailing monstrosity.

Only Google has said its self-driving cars will be "mainly electric."

BMW, Nissan lag

The media have been spending so much time reporting on the development of autonomous cars they've neglected to ask BMW and Nissan when they are going to market EVs with a range of at least 200 miles.

Only California-based Tesla Motors has achieved the magic combination of a minimum of 200 miles of range and free juice at the automaker's nationwide network of free Superchargers.

That's why Tesla outsells other EVs, even those that cost half the price.

The Model S and Model X SUV already have Autopilot and Autosteer for highway cruising, and the luxury four-door hatchbacks also park themselves and back out of your garage.

Chevrolet is expected to start selling the Bolt late this year with an MSRP of $37,500 and a range of 200 miles on a full charge, but has refused to say whether free charging will be available to owners on road trips.

And the Bolt will take a full 9 hours to charge at home with a 240-volt outlet, compared to less than 7 hours for a Tesla.

The Maybach 6 all-electric concept from Mercedes-Benz will have a range of only 200 miles on a full charge and an MSRP I'm guessing will easily top $200,000, if and when it is produced in four to five years.  

Treating your Tesla to TLC in Montreal, then taking a straight shot home to N.J.

DEBUGGED: My 2015 Tesla Model S after a mini detailing at Auto Bella, a hand car wash in the garage under the Hyatt Regency hotel and the Complexe Desjardins mall in Montreal, below.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

MONTREAL -- Chinatown, Old Montreal and other attractions are an easy walk from my hotel, and the city has a great subway and bus system to cover longer distances.

So, this year, as in the past, I parked my Tesla Model S in the garage under the Hyatt Regency, where I stayed for nine nights during the International Jazz Festival. 

That gave me a chance to have my car washed and waxed, and the interior deodorized at Auto Bella on level P3 of the parking garage (a mini detailing cost $65 Canadian or about $45.50 U.S., plus a gratuity).

Though employees speak English, the menu of services is in French.

Auto Bella is open Mondays to Fridays (1-514-889-6225).

CHARGE IT: On July 4, we shopped at two Costco Wholesale warehouses in Montreal and then drove over to the Tesla dealer to charge my Model S for the trip home last Thursday, below.

FRUIT SMOOTHIES AND MORE: You'll find a pleasant cafe called Java U across the street from Tesla Montreal, which is at 5350 Rue Ferrier (1-514-908-3827).

VIVE LA AMERICA: Traffic in Montreal was more horrendous than usual on July 4, when Americans are said to flood across the U.S.-Canadian border to visit the French-speaking city. 

Driving home

On the way to Montreal, we detoured into Vermont to use the free Tesla Superchargers in South Burlington, where we had something to eat at Healthy Living, an independently owned organic and natural foods market.

On the way home, we decided to try newly installed Superchargers in a Plattsburgh, N.Y., shopping center.

This is travel in the slow lane:

We spent about 1 hour and 15 minutes at each of the two stops to and from Montreal in order to get a full charge of about 200 miles.

A related benefit is that Tesla Superchargers often are located near slow food, such as you'd find in Whole Foods, Healthy Living and Starbucks.

PLATTSBURGH SUPERCHARGER: Eight Tesla Superchargers are behind the Target in the Champlain Centre mall in Plattsburgh, N.Y., photos below. For slow food, the only option is a Starbucks Cafe in the Target store. 

STORMY THURSDAY: The straight-shot drive to northern New Jersey from Montreal takes you through the scenic Adirondack Mountains in New York State. Last Thursday, we encountered thunderstorms, and saw an accident that ended with a new Honda sedan T-boned by a tractor-trailer.

FIVE TESLAS: Our second stop on the way home was a shopping center in Colonie, N.Y., outside Albany.

BIG DEAL ON WILD FISH: By the time I got to the Whole Foods Market in the Colonie Center mall late Thursday afternoon, the wild salmon at less than half the usual price had run out, and I was offered a rain check. In New Jersey on Friday, my wife found fresh wild sockeye fillets for $9.99 a pound at the Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

SLOW FOOD: I was tempted by these Sweet Potato Quinoa Cranberry Cakes on the Whole Foods salad bar ($8.99 a pound), but had a 16-ounce container of Vegetarian Pea Soup ($5.99) and coffee instead.

GRASS-FED BEEF: My wife paid $11 for a grass-fed hamburger with a side of sweet potato fries at Whole Foods. 

Using Supercharger in scenic Vermont, Montreal is hop, skip and jump from N.J.

If you own a Tesla Model S, live in New Jersey and are going to Montreal, one of the benefits of detouring to use a Supercharger in South Burlington, Vt., is driving over lightly traveled two-lane roads through farmland and small towns, with the state's Green Mountains in the distance.

Four Model S luxury hatchbacks stopped for big gulps of free juice on Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of Healthy Living Market in South Burlington, Vt.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

MONTREAL -- The opening of a Tesla Supercharger in Plattsburgh, N.Y., this month allows Model S owners in the New Jersey-New York metro area to reach Montreal in two relatively quick stops.

That's two stops without a detour into Vermont, which boasts winding roads through farmland, and Superchargers in the parking lot of a natural foods market.

Our destination was Montreal's International Jazz Festival, which began today and runs through July 9.

On Tuesday, we drove from northern New Jersey to a shopping center in Colonie, N.Y., where we charged our 2015 Tesla Model S 60 for free not far from a Whole Foods Market.

We spent about 40 minutes there, enjoying a bowl of Whole Foods soup and a cup of coffee, and sandwiches we brought from home.

We then set our navigation system for South Burlington, Vt., and the parking lot of Healthy Living, which like Whole Foods sells natural and organic food, and has a cafe offering prepared food, soup and coffee.

After 40 minutes there, we had enough range to easily reach Montreal about 90 miles away.

The French-Canadian island city boasts the biggest Tesla dealer in North America.

Besides Superchargers, the dealer offers Tesla merchandise that apparently costs less because of the U.S. dollar's favorable exchange rate.

Last year, I enjoyed an espresso in the customer lounge while charging my Model S for the trip home. 

Contrast all of this with travel on gasoline -- tearing into a highway service area, racing to the bathroom with a bursting bladder, downing crappy food and running back to the car to set another record for vacation travel.

And traveling to Canada in our Toyota Prius two years ago meant having to stop before the border to fill our tank so we could avoid the high price of gas in Montreal.

That final stop was in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

On Tuesday afternoon, customers were lining up inside Healthy Living Market in South Burlington, Vt., for the privilege of buying Heady Topper Beer, described as an American Double India Pale Ale that gives you "wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate."

Four pint cans of Heady Topper Beer were $12.99 plus tax.

One of the prepared dishes available for $9.75 a pound was Duck & White Bean Cassoulet, front.

Healthy Living Market is at 222 Dorset St. in South Burlington, Vt.

Even a veteran of New Jersey and New York City congestion like me found late Tuesday afternoon rush-hour traffic in South Burlington, Vt., a trying experience, despite the politeness shown by other drivers and the absence of angry horn blowing.

That's kilometers, not miles per hour, after we crossed the Canadian boarder.

Two lanes merging into one on a freeway near Montreal.

No waiting for a Tesla Supercharger at the Colonie Center mall in Colonie, N.Y.

Revisions to the Tesla Model S include full LED headlamps, medical-grade air filter

Tesla's Model S with a revised front bumper and grille on display at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey's biggest mall.

My 2015 Tesla Model S with the original grille, which is reminiscent of a 1950s Ferrari.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Changes to the front of Tesla's all-electric Model S are more than cosmetic.

Tesla's Web site says Model S now features full LED adaptive headlamps and a medical-grade HEPA air-filtration system.

"Fourteen three-position dynamic turning lights improve visibility at night, especially on winding roads."

The HEPA air-filtration system "removes [from cabin air] at least 99.97% of particulate exhaust pollution and effectively all allergens, bacteria and other contaminants."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said 53,000 people die every year from auto emissions.

"The bioweapon defense mode creates positive pressure inside the cabin to protect occupants," according to Tesla Motors.

And Model S now comes standard with Autopilot, Autosteer and Autopark.

The new "Summon" feature lets you call your car from your phone "so it comes and greets you at your front door in the morning." 

Features are enabled with software updates.

SNL unveils 'Double AA Class' Mercedes, lampooning lame efforts to catch Tesla

Comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Saturday Night Live demonstrating how the all-electric Mercedes-Benz Double AA Class luxury sedan can dump all of its 9,648 batteries at once.

The TV skit last Saturday night may have been aimed at the German automaker's pathetic efforts to catch the all-electric Tesla Model S, which this year outsold Mercedes' big gas-guzzler, the S-Class luxury sedan.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

"Batteries not included."

That was the final punch line in a Saturday Night Live send-up of Mercedes-Benz -- the German automaker that has spent more time churning out annoying TV commercials than developing an all-electric Tesla fighter.

Host Julia Louis-Dreyfus unveiled the Mercedes Double AA Class luxury sedan.

"No more plugs, no more charging stations, just 9,648 Double AA batteries," she said on SNL's show last Saturday night.

Top speed: 52 mph.

Click here to see the entire video:

Batteries not included

Update: More than 115,000 Model 3 orders placed in last 24 hours, Tesla says

People who want to be among the first to own an all-electric Model 3 started lining up at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and camped overnight, according to employees of the Tesla Motors Showroom and Service Center on Route 17 north in Paramus. By 10 a.m. today, the line wrapped around the store, and into the parking lot, below.

Editor's note: After unveiling the $35,000 Model 3 in California tonight, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced more than 115,000 orders have been placed for the car in the last 24 hours.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

After a light workout at the gym in Paramus this morning, I drove over to the store where I bought my Model S, hoping to reserve a new, smaller Tesla, and put down $1,000 as a vote of confidence in the company's future.

But pulling up shortly before 10 a.m., I was shocked to see a long line with about 150 people, and a jammed parking lot.

Prospective buyers of the Model 3, which won't go on sale until the end of 2017, clearly are excited about owning a smaller, less expensive version of the best car in the world.

I didn't wait on the growing line today, but plan to reserve a Model 3 online.

Envied by others

I've already enjoyed nearly a year of owning a Model S 60, the entry level when I took delivery in mid-April 2015.

I've enjoyed exclusivity, and have been the envy of every other driver, especially those who fell for the antiquated technology peddled by the German automakers.

In fact, I am hoping to sell my Tesla, and lease a faster dual-motor Model S 70. 

The Model 3 is to be unveiled live tonight in California (11:30 p.m. on the East Coast), which is when you can place a $1,000 reservation online here: 

Reserve online during unveiling

This morning at the Tesla store, owners of lesser cars parked almost anywhere, above and below.

Show how much you really love your car with a luxury service that comes to you

On a mild day in February, Always Clean Mobile Car Wash sent Hernard to my home in North Jersey to wash my Tesla Model S and clean the interior, using less than a gallon of water.

Editor's note: Always Clean Mobile Car Wash is offering $20 off the basic in-and-out cleaning for new customers.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've paid as little as $12 or $13 for a hand car wash in North Jersey, but have always left dissatisfied.

I'm willing to pay more, just as long as I don't have to wait on line or for two or three other car owners to have their cars washed before me.

Yet getting an appointment at a brick-and-mortar car wash is nearly impossible.

Comes to you

That's where Always Clean has you covered.

Always Clean is mobile, bringing "luxury car wash and detailing services" to "your parked vehicle."

I first saw Always Clean in action at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, where two employees were cleaning Model S demonstrators for the Tesla store in the mall.

I've used them twice, once to have my Model S washed in my driveway, and again to have about a dozen exterior chips touched up.

As you'd imagine, Always Clean isn't cheap, but if are busy, want to drive a clean car and can't find the time to go to a traditional car wash, this mobile service might be for you.

New rates

The best deal is to schedule a weekly exterior and interior cleaning for a total of $40 (sedan and coupes), and up to $60 for bigger vehicles.

That same service costs a minimum of $50, if scheduled every two weeks, and $60 on call.

Detailing packages start at $350.

Details

Always Clean Mobile Car Wash (Bergen and Hudson counties, and part of Essex County)

Web site: By hand. Convenient. On-Site

Call or text owner Felix Lin: 1-201-982-8678

New York Auto Show: We'll be choking on most of these cars for many years to come

BETTER PLUG-IN: For green-car enthusiasts, tree-huggers and other lovers of the environment, Toyota on Wednesday unveiled the 2017 Prius Prime. The plug-in gas-electric hybrid, above, gets 120 or more MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent); and travels 22 miles and up to 84 mph in electric mode.

EV FROM KOREA: Meanwhile, Korean automaker Hyundai debuted its Ioniq line -- a gas-electric hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric sedan, above, all with conventional styling and interiors. Prices weren't given.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Automakers use the media at big shows in New York and other world capitals to distract consumers from an over reliance on the antiquated internal-combustion engine to snare big profits.

On Wednesday, I walked the floor of the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan for about 5 hours, only to find a couple of new green cars that will go on sale soon.

Instead, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Nissan, Maserati and other automakers pitched their cars as the fastest, best-performing on earth -- and to hell with air pollution and climate change.

And the media -- desperate for ad revenue from oil companies, automakers and their legions of greedy dealers -- go along for the ride.

Media negativity

Since Toyota imported its first gas-electric hybrid in 2000, the number of negative, even hostile articles in the enthusiast and general press have numbered in the hundreds.

As they did in 2000, the media continue to virtually ignore the environmental benefit of green cars. 

Even green-car leader Toyota has begun to run Prius ads emphasizing performance, not fuel savings; and certainly never reductions in air pollution, disease and death. 

Tesla's Model S has been on sale since 2012, but the California-based company doesn't advertise.

Nor is it showing its swift and silent all-electric, zero-emissions hatchback at the New York show or crowing about its nationwide network of free-for-life Superchargers.

Instead, Tesla Motors relies on word of mouth, and sells its luxurious four-door hatchback directly to consumers.

That pisses off dealers, publishers, editors, auto writers and bloggers, who enjoy free loans of the cars they are writing about, junkets, and wining and dining at invitation-only events.

BIG QUESTION: General Motors says the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will offer a range of about 200 miles on a full charge when it goes on sale at the end of the year. At the auto show on Wednesday, no executive was available to say whether Bolt buyers will get free charging for life, as do buyers of Tesla's Model S and the new, smaller Model 3, which is to go on sale in California at the end of 2017.

ONE-PEDAL OPERATION: BMW's all-electric i3 got a big head start on General Motors, but has a range of only 81 miles on a full charge. The i3 has been on sale since 2014, and its strong regenerative braking can bring the car to a full stop without use of the brake pedal.

Tesla tops EV sales

Despite media hysteria over how "expensive" a Tesla is, the Model S was the best-selling EV in the United States in 2015 and the first two months of 2016, according to Automotive News.

Its New York Auto Show Preview listed sales for the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S (estimates), BMW i3, Fiat 500e, Smart ForTwo EV, and VW e-Golf.

In 2014, the Leaf led the Model S -- 30,200 to 16,550. The i3 sold 6,092 units; 500e, 6,029; and Smart EV, 2,594.

In 2015, the Model S outsold the Leaf, 26,400 to 17, 269. The i3 sold 11,024 units; 500 e, 4,409; and e-Golf, 4,232.

In the first two months of 2016, Model S sales are estimated at 3,200, compared to the Leaf, 1,685; eGolf, 526; i3, 430; and 500e, 412.

Low gasoline prices were cited, but the price per gallon is beginning to rise again. 

See:

Maserati's irresponsible 164-mph SUV

First drive of hydrogen fuel-call car

FOR SPEED FREAKS: Ars Technica dubs the 2017 Nissan GT-R as "Godzilla Redux." Of course, we need this "faster ... supercar slayer" like we need a hole in the ozone layer.

GLOBAL WARMER: Ditto the Ford GT, which will be raced at Le Mans in June after disappointing finishes at Daytona and Sebring. A production model will be limited to 500 units.

TOP-DOWN POLLUTION: Porsche showed a new 718 Boxster that looks a lot like the old Boxster. Imagine how much fun it will be inching up to the tollbooth at the Lincoln Tunnel.

DISTRACTED DRIVING: Yet another new Mercedes-Benz is likely to drive owners crazy with interior controls from hell --dashboard, doors, steering wheel and console jammed with wheels, switches, buttons, a touch screen and even a rear-view camera you can turn off for some insane reason.

JAPAN v. ITALY: A new Mazda MX-5, including one with a targa-style top, is getting some competition from Fiat, below.

FIX IT AGAIN TONY: A performance version of the Fiat 124 Spider, above and below.

BIGGER IS BIGGER: Buick Avista concept.

ROLLING BEDROOM: If this monstrosity from Lincoln ever reaches production, the doors will be conventional, but the three steps will be standard so owners can climb into the land barge. One possible option is a 100-gallon gas tank.

BEST IN BLACK: Look for the new Lincoln Continental in Manhattan's black-car-for-hire fleets and as limousines at an airport near you.

TOYOTA EV: The three-wheel i-Road is a fully electric urban vehicle for two that leans on curves and at corners like a motorcycle, above and below. Toyota hasn't announced production plans.

TWO TO A SPOT: Two i-Roads can be parked side-by-side in a single parking space.