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butthurt [soylentnews.org] writes:

from the celeron dept.

According to The Guardian, [theguardian.com] the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) is gathering information that may bring about a "formal investigation," potentially resulting in a recall of Tesla Motors' Model S electric automobile. The agency has been told of "a possible defect causing suspension control arms to break and the driver to lose control" over which car owners were allegedly asked to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports [reuters.com] that the company will again sell its Model S 60, which will come in an all-wheel-drive and a rear-wheel-drive variant; "the two newer Model S versions offer more capabilities than the discontinued one." The offerings are named for their 60 kWh charging capacity. With a software update costing $8.500 to $9,500 (variously reported; may depend on whether it is bought as part of the original sale or later), charging capacity increases to 70 kWh or 75 kWh (variously reported). The rear-wheel-drive Model S 60 is to be the company's lowest-priced vehicle. Tesla had recently been selling a Model S with a charging capacity of as much as 90 kWh, which will remain available.

further coverage:

• San Jose Mercury News [mercurynews.com] (about suspension and new models)
• Chicago Tribune [chicagotribune.com] (about new models)
• Teslarati [teslarati.com] (about new models)
• Teslarati [teslarati.com] (about suspension)
• Wired [wired.com] (about new models)
• The Verge [theverge.com] (about new models)
• Seattle Times [seattletimes.com] (about suspension)
• Los Angeles Times [latimes.com] (about new models)
• CNet [cnet.com] (about suspension; Javascript required (alternate link [archive.is]))

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