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Tesla hosted its Battery Day event in Palo Alto, California, on Tuesday.
Tesla announced that it expects to debut an affordable, autonomous electric vehicle in three years' time during its inaugural Battery Day event.
"We're confident that long term we can design and manufacture a compelling $25,000 electric vehicle," CEO Elon Musk said to the drive-in audience of stockholders, many of whom honked upon hearing the news. "This has always been our dream from the beginning of the company."
Important note about Tesla Battery Day unveil tomorrow. This affects long-term production, especially Semi, Cybertr… https://t.co/FO4xHXAs9Q— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1600721812.0
This model will be enabled by a new "tabless" battery that the company announced it will begin producing in-house for its cost benefits and energy improvements. Musk and other Tesla executives said this new battery product will eventually halve the company's cost per kilowatt-hour, the unit of energy commonly used to measure the capacity of electric vehicle battery packs.
Tesla did not say where this new vehicle will be produced. However, earlier in the Battery Day event, Musk touted the benefits of the company's new and forthcoming factories, including Giga Texas, which is currently under construction in Southeast Travis County.
"For Giga Texas in Austin, even if we had exactly the same (vehicle) classes in California, it would still be advantageous to do it there because it's roughly two-thirds of the way across the U.S.," he said. "So in terms of delivering cars to the central U.S. and the East coast, it's just faster, costs less, and it fundamentally improves our economics."
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Historic preservationists, for their part, overwhelmingly support historic zoning, which would preserve the buildings in perpetuity. The Historic Landmark Commission unanimously voted to initiate historic zoning in July, citing architectural significance, landscape features and association to historic figures. City staffers recommend historic zoning, calling both structures one-of-a-kind examples of vernacular architecture.
Tarrytown neighbors have also banded together to stop the demolition. Many have written letters, and a few spoke at the meeting. “How could anyone buy this property with the intent of destroying it?” Ila Falvey said. “I think it’s an architectural treasure.”
Michael Whellan, an attorney representing the property owner, said that the claims made by preservationists are shaky. The buildings are run down, he said, and have had substantial renovations. A structural engineer hired by the owner said any attempt at preservation would involve tearing down and rebuilding – an undertaking Whellan said would likely cost millions.
Whellan also argued that any historical significance derived from the property’s association with Delisle and longtime owner C.H. Slator is dubious. “These men are not noted for any civic, philanthropic or historic impact,” he said.
What’s more, according to Whellan, Slator likely participated in segregation as the owner of the Tavern on North Lamar Boulevard between 1953 and 1960.
A city staffer, however, said she found no evidence to support the claim. “We would never landmark a property where a segregationist lived, or there was a racist person,” Kimberly Collins with the Historic Preservation Office said.
Commissioner Awais Azhar couldn’t support historic zoning in part due to lingering uncertainty about Slator. “Focusing on that factor is not here to disparage an individual or family. It is not about playing the race card. This is an important assertion for us to consider as Planning commissioners,” Azhar said.
Commissioner Carmen Llanes Pulido said that allegations of racism should come as no surprise. “We’re talking about white male property owners in the 1950s, in Austin, on the west side – and of course they were racist,” she said. But she argued that allowing the house to be demolished based on these grounds does nothing to help people of color who have been harmed by racism and segregation.
The question of tax breaks was also controversial. Michael Gaudini, representing the property owner, said that the tax breaks associated with historic zoning would exacerbate inequality by shifting property tax burdens to less affluent communities. City staffers estimate that the property, appraised at $3.5 million, would get either a $8,500 or $16,107 property tax break annually, depending on whether a homestead exemption is applied.
Commissioner Grayson Cox preferred the commission focus not on tax breaks but on whether the structures merit preservation. “To me, nothing in the historic preservation criteria lists, is this person deserving of a tax break or not?”
Azhar, on the other hand, said he plans to propose a code amendment getting rid of city property tax breaks for historic properties.
The commission fell one vote short of recommending historic zoning, with six commissioners in support and three opposed. Azhar and commissioners Claire Hempel and Greg Anderson voted against.
The odds of City Council zoning over an owner’s wishes are slim. Nine out of 11 members must vote in favor, and there have only been a handful of such cases over the past several decades.
