by Megan Natt
posted on July 15, 2016
Tesla slashes its X price tag ever so slightly, Pokémon-related accidents are cautionary tales for distracted driving, and Mercedes goes for a hole in one.
Tesla offers a lower-priced X
Tesla Motors recently added a lower-priced version of it Model X crossover, the Model X 60D. The new model is offered at $74,000, which shimmies down to $66,500 after the federal tax credit is applied. Still a pretty penny for sure, but all the more approachable now for a more budget-conscious audience who want a roomier electric option (although Jalopnik thinks the X should have just gone full van, especially since an electric van smoked a Model S and a Ferrari in a drag race).
In other Tesla fangirl news, you can now 3D print a supercharger station to charge your phone.
Save your Poké balls for the sidewalk
With the world collectively swooning (or perhaps ‘nerding out’ is a more apt phrase) over the hugely successful online VR game, Pokémon Go, it comes as no surprise that there has already been a car crash attributed to the game, with the driver fighting and collecting the little monsters in the moments leading up the crash.
The moral? Don’t train your Pokémon and drive. Or, for that matter, don’t flock to a police station that just so happens to be a Pokéstop.
China throws its hat into the self-driving EV ring
Future Mobility, venture backed by Tencent and Hon Hai Precision Industries, has announced that they will launch an electric, self-driving car by 2020. Entering a crowded playing field dominated by American company Tesla, Future Mobility is “one of an expanding of China-backed ventures that aim to take of Tesla Motors as green energy car sales boom in China,” according to Fortune.
Mercedes putts on the green
Mercedes revealed a new model to add to its portfolio last week. The only catch? It’s a bit small and pokey for the Autobahn. It’s actually a “Golf Car” (aka a golf cart), is built from carbon fibre, and comes fully equipped with heated seats, a GPS, and fridge for stashing a couple cold ones to keep your chill game up to par.
Lock your doors, hide your honey pots
Colorado campers are being warned to lock their cars and keep food out of sight, after a bear broke into an SUV and spent the night. Not really “car” news per se, but still.
