Models

Sorry, that should read "Model S".

This story from Autocar today makes it look like Ford are being a bit cheeky.

It reports on how Ford are planning to get into the electric car segment using the name "Model E" - including a rival to Tesla's Model S.

In fact, according to that article, Ford blocked Tesla’s attempts to trademark the name "Model E" back in 2013 leading to Tesla then choosing the Model 3 name for its forthcoming entry-level car.

But, then again, Ford could have laid a claim to "Model S" too if they had wanted to - after all, they were using it 109 years ago:

This was a precursor to the more famous Model T - which I reported on in 2014 challenging a Tesla Model S to a race from Detroit to New York.

That article included this picture that I really liked:

And now this article gives me an excuse to publish another picture of a model that I really like.

Tripping

Three linked stories from America.

Although the first one is really from South Wales.

But it is reported by Fox News.  It is about a guy called Gary Egan who has to commute 187.5 miles each way every day between Porthcawl and Watford.  He uses a Renault Clio Diesel which Fox describe (quite accurately) as a "subcompact car" - don't know what they'd call a Twingo though.

Fox suspect this commute would be a World Record if such a category existed.

Which it doesn't.

A category has been invented though for the second story - also from Fox News.

The category is “the least non-driving time to cross the United States in an electric vehicle.”

Tesla are going to drive two Model S's from L.A. to New York to try to take this record and since this is a new category, if they get there they will take the record.  Speed records of this nature are not allowed, presumably for safety reasons, so this will be measuring the least time stood still - ie recharging.

The third story also involves a Model S going on a road-trip - up against a Model T - a Ford Model T from a hundred years ago.  It's basically a race from Detroit to New York and it is a brilliant article from Car & Driver.

Now I've always found C&D to be quite anti-electric cars so I did read it with some trepidation expecting the Model T to win (which it didn't) and C&D to be quite scathing (which they weren't despite the closeness of the result) - but, in the end it was just a very, very interesting piece.

Many of the readers' comments praised the article and several likened it to something Top Gear would do.

I concur.

And I really liked this picture: