posted on July 29, 2016
Tesla’s Gigafactory, Jaguar’s new addition to its product line, and recommendations for keeping teens safe behind the wheel.
Teen-friendly cars
Teenagers are awesome at inventive burns and turning an ice cold shoulder, but the nuances of safe driving can be lost on them — especially when they’ve got such entertaining phones and friends. With that in mind, U.S. News & World Report has released their 2016 Best Cars for Teens list. It identifies cars that fit a budget, and also includes extra safety technologies, like blind-spot warning and pre-collision braking.
Junk in the trunk
In Europe, Daimler and Volvo are expected to introduce the technology to have packages delivered to the trunks of customers’ cars. In order to combat the theft of packages left on doorsteps, these automakers are partnering with delivery services to provide drop-off services through one-time entry codes.
Fixes for VWs
After the great emissions scandal, (if you missed the full story, the NY Times created a super clear rundown), Volkswagen put aside nearly $10 billion to buy back the U.S. Volkswagens and Audis with devious emissions-test software. This week the carmaker announced plans for replacing software and/or hardware components on the rest of the affected cars, which will commence in October.
New Jaguar EVs
Jaguar is best known for automobiles of exquisite beauty and high performance, likely to be spotted in such classy joints as James Bond flicks. In that vein, they’ve introduced two new electric models: a luxury sedan expected to compete with the Tesla Model S and a luxury SUV to be released in 2019.
Tesla’s Gigafactory grand opening
Last week, Elon Musk shared his “Master Plan, Part Deux” for the future of car and transportation technology. This week marks the official opening of Tesla’s Gigafactory, an enormous battery factory in Nevada. It’s reported to produce batteries that store solar energy at night, and will double the world’s lithium-ion battery production capacity.
Kamala Puligandla
Kamala Puligandla is a writer, editor, and bon vivant in LA. She is the author of two books, Zigzags and You Can Vibe Me On My Femmephone, and is always on the look-out for strange stories, excellent eats, and relaxing locales.
