Tesla Model S owners will receive upgraded charge adapters

After a garage fire in Irvine, Calif., in November of last year in which an overheated charging system for a Tesla Model S sedan was stated to possibly have been involved, Tesla will be sending out upgraded wall-charger adapters to all Tesla Model S owners. This upgrade comes on the heels of an over-the-air software update for the charging system in the Model S sedan. Software version 5.8.4 would enable the charging system to automatically reduce the charging current by 25 percent if the system detects unexpected fluctuations in the input power, essentially slowing the charging current and reducing the heat created in any high-resistance connections if the car senses that the current is unsteady.

VW Beetle Dune concept (2014) first official pictures

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 13 January 2014 18:31 Heard of sandboarding? The VW Beetle Dune has been revealed at the 2014 Detroit motor show in what VW says is a ‘concept with near-production car design’ (wink, wink) designed for those into this new sport. The Dune was the name given to the rugged-looking version of the Polo, sold in the UK between 2004-2008, and this Beetle follows the same formula.

Chief engineer of Ford Focus quits to lead German yacht builder

Jens Ludmann, chief program engineer for Ford Motor Co.'s new Focus, is quitting the automaker to head a German-based maker of luxury yachts. Ludmann led a team at Ford's European base in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, that developed the Focus, the first car from CEO Alan Mulally's global One Ford strategy and flagship of the company's new range of global C-segment products. The German native, who joined Ford in 2000, will become CEO of Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH, effective Aug.