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Porsche announced Macan EV details and new PPE platform

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On Sunday, Porsche shared more details about the Macan Electric, a new electric vehicle that will be built on a new platform, the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). Porsche co-developed the PPE platform with Audi.  The new Macan EV and a few details were announced at the Porsche Experience Center in Franciacorta, Italy. The automaker says that the new fully electric Macan will have improved range and charging as well as sharp handling.

Credit: Porsche; computer model of the PPE platform

Starting with the 2024 Macan EV, all PPE Porsches will have a new 100-kWh battery pack with 800-volt architecture. Porsche noted that this size of a battery pack is the best compromise between range and performance.

Porshe says that the initial peak charge speed targets for the new platform vehicles are “a little bit” higher than the rate the Taycan is capable of, 270 kW. It added that the Macan Electric can charge from 5 to 80 percent on a 350-kW charger in less than 25 minutes.

The Macan EV’s battery pack is capable of what the automaker says is “bank charging,” a technology that allows the vehicle to split its 800-volt battery pack into two 400-volt packs for separate charging, which allows for quicker charging.

The 100-kWh battery pack is made up of twelve prismatic cells that contain an 8:1:1 ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese. Porsche noted that this helps it achieve a higher energy density than the 7:1:2 ratioed cells in the Taycan’s J1 platform.

The PPE platform will enable both rear- and all-wheel-drive versions of its EVs and allow for a maximum output of around 603 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. The automaker said that the Macan EV will be the “sportiest model in its segment” due to its “performance rear axle.”

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The PPE platform can be adjusted as needed to suit a number of vehicles and won’t support more than two electric motors or the use of wheel-mounded hub motors.

In 2019, Porsche announced that the Macan was going electric and would be produced at its Leipzig plant. In 2021, Porsche revealed that the Macan EV started real-world testing and said that the new EV wouldn’t enter the market until 2023. Porsche is still on track to officially reveal its 2024 Macan Electric in late 2023 or early 2024. Deliveries are expected sometime in 2024.

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Tesla Insurance is heading to a new state for the first time in years

Tesla Insurance launched back in late 2019, and it was massive because it was the first time a company aimed to cover its vehicle owners in-house without the need for third-party companies.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Insurance is heading to a new state for the first time in years, as the company is aiming to launch its in-house coverage platform in Florida.

Tesla Insurance launched back in late 2019, and it was massive because it was the first time a company aimed to cover its vehicle owners in-house without the need for third-party companies.

Tesla Insurance goes live with claims of lower rates by 20-30%

However, it has struggled to expand and only offers insurance in twelve states currently.

Tesla Insurance is available in:

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  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Illinois
  • Maryland
  • Minnesota
  • Nevada
  • Ohio
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia

In California, Tesla cannot offer real-time insurance or telematics due to regulatory rules.

The company uses a Safety Score to adjust rates based on driving behaviors. The current version, which is called Safety Score Beta v2.2, tracks Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, Excessive Speeding, Late-Night Driving, Forced Autopilot Engagement, and Unbuckled Driving to determine the rate it should charge.

Tesla is working to expand into new markets and has filed applications to launch the program into new U.S. states. Back in 2022, it filed to offer insurance to Florida drivers, but it did not launch.

However, the company just filed to update its Private Passenger Auto program in Florida, according to the insurance site CoverageR.

It would be the first new state to obtain Tesla Insurance since Utah and Maryland launched over three years ago.

Tesla Insurance is now in Utah and Maryland

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Tesla has its eyes on other states, including Georgia, New Jersey, Oregon, and Virginia.

It has also tried to expand to Europe, as it opened an office specifically for Insurance. It was also hiring for Legal Counsel specializing in Insurance on the continent, but nothing ever expanded to an actual offering of vehicle coverage.

Tesla Insurance is an advantage for owners specifically because the company is familiar with its vehicles, the parts, and the repair processes that are required to get a car back on the road.

This was a big reason some drivers switched from the previous providers to the in-house Insurance Tesla was able to offer.

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Tesla launches new interior option for rare Model Y trim

Tesla just launched a new light grey interior option for the Model Y L in China, which will cost $1,120.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla has launched a new interior option for the rare Model Y L trim that is available only in China, marking the first new color for the inside of a vehicle in some time.

Tesla has traditionally stuck with either Black or White interior options with the Model 3 and Model Y, although the Model S and Model X have had additional colors. The Model S and Model X still have a Walnut Cream interior option that costs an additional $2,000.

With the mass market models, however, Tesla has maintained the Black or White selections, until now, at least in China.

Tesla just launched a new light grey interior option for the Model Y L in China, which will cost $1,120.

It differs from the white interior slightly, but it is nice for buyers in China to have this third option:

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The new color is only available on the Model Y L in China, so customers who take delivery of other trim levels or in other regions will not have this color available to them, just as the vehicle configuration itself is exclusive to that market.

In terms of whether it will make its way to other markets, CEO Elon Musk has said that the Model Y L could potentially make its way to the United States at the end of 2026, but it is not a certainty.

Musk said:

“This variant of the Model Y doesn’t start production in the U.S. until the end of next year. Might not ever, given the advent of self-driving in America.”

This came as a disappointment to many fans and owners in the U.S. because people here have been pushing Tesla to create and manufacture a new, full-size SUV, or at least something more traditional that competes with vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition.

While the Model Y L is not on par with the size of those vehicles, it is a longer and larger version of the best-selling Model Y.

Tesla China shows off Model Y L’s manufacturing process in new video

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Nevertheless, the new interior option is something we could hopefully see added to U.S. vehicles, although it seems Tesla’s focus is truly dialed in on the Cybercab and expanding Robotaxi and autonomy.

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Tesla Gigafactory Texas builds its half millionth vehicle

The milestone was shared via Twitter/X by the official @Gigafactories account.

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing/X

Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas has officially rolled out its 500,000th vehicle, marking a significant achievement in the factory’s history and reinforcing its role as a central hub in Tesla’s vehicle manufacturing network. 

The milestone was shared via Twitter/X by the official @Gigafactories account. “Congratulations to the Giga Texas team for building 500k vehicles,” the company’s X post read.

As could be seen in Tesla Manufacturing’s post, the Gigafactory Texas team celebrated the milestone by posting for a photograph with the facility’s half millionth unit, a white Tesla Model Y. The team held balloons that spelled “500K” on its commemorative photo. 

Giga Texas, located near Austin, has ramped its operations since its launch, producing Tesla’s Cybertruck and Model Y. Crossing the half-million vehicle mark solidifies the facility’s importance to Tesla’s overall operations, especially considering the fact that the Model Y is the company’s best-selling vehicle.

While Giga Texas is just producing the Model Y and the Cybertruck for now, the facility is also poised to produce the Cybercab. The Cybercab is expected to be Tesla’s highest volume vehicle, with Elon Musk estimating that the company would be producing about 2 million units of the autonomous two-seater per year. 

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The Cybercab is unlike any vehicle that is currently produced today, and its production would be quite extraordinary. As per Elon Musk’s previous comments, the Cybercab’s manufacturing line would not look like an automotive production line at all. Instead, Musk noted that the Cybercab’s line in Gigafactory Texas would resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line instead.

“We do want to scale up production to new heights obviously with the Cybercab. Cybercab is not just revolutionary car design. It’s also a revolutionary manufacturing process. So I guess we probably don’t talk about that enough, but if you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line. It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line,” Musk previously stated.

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