Tesla Extends Range And Lamborghini Goes Topless.
Tesla‘s commitment to its electric car supercharging network is getting further boost, with the announcement of a station to be installed at Heatherbrae‘s Motto Farm, near Newcastle on NSW’s central coast. It’s a popular spot, with cafe’, bar, motel and also well known for their award winning pies. Further north, near Erina and Lismore, is Macadamia Castle, in Knockrow. 
This location is also well backed for driver enjoyment, with an animal park, cafe’ and a fine foods retail location. Both bays will have six recharging points and will assist Tesla drivers heading north from Sydney to Brisbane and those travelling in reverse direction. Tesla is not done with this route, as they intend to install more more recharge point at a yet to be disclosed location.
Tesla is also undertaking a build for those heading west between Melbourne and Adelaide. The regional town of Wendouree, near the historic gold mining town of Ballarat, will also receive a six bay recharging staion. To be sited at the main shopping centre, this offers drivers the chance to have some retail therapy whilst thirty minutes worth of charging adds 270 kilometres of range.
Tesla Australia says: Tesla Superchargers charge Model S in minutes instead of hours. If you have purchased and taken delivery of your Model S or Model X prior to April 2017 you can charge for free for the life of your vehicle. For any new vehicle delivered after April 2017, 400kWh of free Supercharging credits (roughly 1,600 kms) will be included annually so that all owners can continue to enjoy free Supercharging during travel. Beyond that, 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. All cars will continue to come standard with the onboard hardware required for Supercharging.
The ability to quick charge, allows easy long-distance travel long along well-travelled highways around the world. The Tesla Supercharger is substantially more powerful than any existing charging technology, providing up to 120 kilowatts of power and 270 km of range in 30 minutes.
Supercharger stations are strategically placed to allow owners to drive from station to station with minimal stops. Stations are located near amenities like roadside diners, cafes, and shopping centres so road trippers can stop for a quick meal and have their Model S charged by the time they’re done.
Since announcing the technology in late 2012, Tesla has deployed 734 Supercharger Stations and more than 4,605 Superchargers worldwide, making it the fastest-growing fast-charging network in the world. For all Supercharger locations, visit: http://www.teslamotors.com/en_AU/supercharger
Lamborghini have announced the release of the drop top Huracán rear-wheel drive Spyder and to be priced at $429000 plus ORCs (on road costs). To distinguish the Spyder from its all wheel drive brethren, a redesigned front and rear will feature.
The 580 hp engine, mounted inside a car that weighs just 1509 kilograms, sends power to the rear axle via the Lamborghini Doppia Frizione (LDF) seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. Along with a 2.9 kilogram per horsepower to weight ratio, the Spyder will see a top speed of 319 kmh and pass the ton in just 3.6 seconds.
The chassis is a hybrid of aluminuim and carbon fibre, with the suspension of coil springs and anti roll bars a modified mix for the two wheel drive. Also, the electronically assisted steering and optional Lamborghini Dynamic Steering (LDS) have been fettled for the two wheel drive convertible, and the Spyder is loaded with the Lamborghini Piattaforma Inerziale (LPI), the sensor system that Lamborghini places in the car’s centre of gravity and tracks the Spyder’s 3D movements.
The roof itself will fold, at speeds of up to 50 kmh, in 17 seconds and is designed to be part of the balance the Spyder has. When the roof is down, two fins rise up to aid in air flow, feeding cooling air through to the 5.2 litre engine which is covered by a Spyder specific designed bonnet. The car also receives specially designed, for the rear wheel drive Spyder, 19 inch Pirelli PZero tyres, with braking provided by specially designed steel items and aluminuim brake disc pots. The redesigned front also features redesigned air intakes to redirect cooling air over those brakes plus increase front axle down pressure.
The rear-wheel drive Huracán Spyder goes on sale from January, 2017.
(Information provided by Heath Walker at Tesla Australia and Kelly Drew at Origin Agency)
Level 2, 9 Help Street
Richard Denton says:
Press the government to get rid of the ‘luxury tax’ on ‘e’ cars and dump all taxes and GST tax to encourage Australians to buy ‘e’ cars and accelerate the wind down of the carbon industry and take up of a clean green environment.
November 25th, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Greg Smith says:
Yes Richard couldn’t agree more. I charge my Tesla direct from my solar so 510 seconds after the photons leave the sun they generate electricity and are straight into the battery of my car no pollution at all. Australia has such a vast solar resource we must use it. Governments must realise there responsibility to future generations.
November 28th, 2016 at 4:47 pm