Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA) News: Connected Car, Supercharger, General Motors Company (GM)’s Worries & More

Editor’s Note: Related tickers: Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)How Tesla Is Going Against Traffic — Again (Fool)
One trend you should be aware of as an investor is that of the “connected car”. Your vehicle can connect with the outside world through a dedicated modem, or — increasingly these days — through your smartphone. …Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and most other automakers are heavily embracing the shift toward smartphones as the conduit to the outside world. But Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has a different approach to this technology. As Lanctot explains to Motley Fool analyst Rex Moore in the video below, this is one area, at least, where Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is not at the forefront of a new user experience.

Tiny Tesla a threat to GM? Akerson takes no chances, assigns study team (AutoNews)
General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) CEO Dan Akerson has assigned a small team to study Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and determine whether the upstart electric vehicle maker poses a threat to the 104-year-old automaker’s business. General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) Vice Chairman Steve Girsky told Bloomberg that Akerson “thinks Tesla could be a big disrupter if we’re not careful.” “History is littered with big companies that ignored innovation that was coming their way because you didn’t know where you could be disrupted,” he said. …Girsky added that paying attention to Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is a change for General Motors Company (NYSE:GM).

Tesla Acquires Land for Test Track (EVWorld)
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has gobbled up a 35-acre site in Fremont near its automotive factory, apparently to build a test track for its all-electric automobiles. “The land is attached to the Tesla factory property,” said Shanna Hendriks, a spokeswoman for Tesla. “We will use it as we expand our use of the facilities.” Although Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) didn’t provide details about precisely how the land would be used, analysts say it would allow the company to expand an old test track that was built when General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) and Toyota made cars and pickups there.

Tesla Bounces Back (AutoNet)
Another week, another spate of stories about Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) far disproportionate to the size of the California-based maker of the $77,800 Model S electric car. And even what loomed as a roadblock, in the form of a bearish Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) report on Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) share prices, turned out to be just a speed bump. The week began well. On Tuesday, the upstart automaker joined the ranks of the largest non-financial companies on the NASDAQ 100 Index, which includes heavyweights such as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX).

Tesla electric car owners can now juice up in Burlington (HeraldNet)
Four years ago, Matt Moreno of Everett had solar panels installed on his house and, just a few months ago, bought a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s S all-electric sedan. Now, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has opened a “supercharger” station in Burlington, allowing Moreno and other Tesla owners to charge quickly for free, for life. All of it cost Moreno a pretty penny. He won’t say what he paid for the car — the Model S sells for between $70,000 and $117,000, depending on options. Moreno’s solar power system cost $30,000 in 2009.