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Audi just unveiled a new battery-electric SUV. Set to enter production in early 2018, it's the first direct competitor to Tesla's Model X. How does it compare?
Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has been saying for years that he wants the big automakers to get serious about electric cars.
This week, we learned that one of the very biggest is doing just that. Upcoming offerings from the Volkwagen Group's (NASDAQOTH:VWAGY) luxury brands look set to give Tesla its first serious competition, starting in about two years.
That should make Musk happy. But what does it mean for Tesla?
It's just a concept for now. But this all-electric Audi SUV looks set to be the first serious challenger to Tesla Motors. Image source: Audi.
As was widely expected, Audi unveiled a battery-electric luxury SUV at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show. Audi chief technical officer Ulrich Hackenberg described the vehicle, which Audi is calling the "e-tron quattro concept," as a "concrete foretaste" of an SUV that will go into production in early 2018.
That vehicle is expected to be called the Q6, and if it's anything like the concept, it'll provide stiff competition for Tesla's Model X SUV. The e-tron quattro concept sports three electric motors, one in front and two driving the rear axle. Together, they provide 320 kilowatts of output, Audi says, enough to push the SUV from zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds.
The concept's interior is finished to a high standard and looks nearly production-ready. Image source: Audi.
The concept's battery pack suggests that the VW Group is close to matching Tesla's technological edge. It's a 95 kilowatt-hour unit, and Audi claims it gives the concept a range of "over 500 kilometers," or 311 miles.
VW also seems to have taken a big step forward in fast-charging technology. The Audi concept incorporates what it calls the Combined Charging System, or CCS, which allows charging with either DC or AC electrical current. It claims that with the right DC charger, the concept's 95 kWh battery pack can be fully recharged to 500 km of range in just 50 minutes. That's very competitive with Tesla's Superchargers, which can add about 270 kilometers of range to a Model S in about 30 minutes.
Naturally, Audi's concept vehicle comes with striking styling, a top-notch interior, and a long list of high-tech luxury features.
So what does all this mean for Tesla?
The short answer is "nothing, yet." It's one thing for an automaker to make claims for a concept car, another thing entirely for a production version to prove those claims in real-world testing. The production version of this Audi SUV won't even be available to reviewers for at least two years. That gives Tesla time to sell a whole lot of Model Xs -- and time to hone its technological edge further.
But the e-tron quattro concept and a similarly impressive electric sports sedan that corporate sibling Porsche showed off this week are first tangible signs of what is said to be a very well-funded effort by the VW Group to develop legitimate, cutting-edge electric cars for the mass market.
Another view of the Audi e-tron quattro concept. Image source: Audi.
Compared straight-up to the Teslas, they appear to compete well. VW has roughly matched Tesla's battery and recharging technology, and both Audi and Porsche are likely to outdo rival Teslas on the fronts that play to their brands' strengths.
So is that good or bad for Tesla? That depends on the market: If the VW Group's serious commitment to battery-electric technology ends up expanding the market for (or put another way, increasing consumers' acceptance of) electric cars, Tesla will have a bright future as long as it manages to stay competitive with its (much) larger rival.
But if the market for "premium electric vehicles" turns out to be limited to well-heeled technology buffs, then Tesla will have a fight on its hands. Stay tuned.
Cover of Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow"
Twenty-four hours after the election of Donald Trump as this nation’s 45th president, the stock prices of privately run prisons in this country soared. This reversal of fortune came as no surprise to private prison operators—or criminal justice reform advocates. With Trump in the White House, privately owned prison companies rightly presumed that they had a staunch ally of their business model and motives in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
As a candidate, Trump publically praised and supported private prisons. During a town hall meeting, Trump said, “I do think we can do a lot of privatization and private prisons. It seems to work a lot better.” With his appointment of Jeff Sessions—a well-known criminal justice hardliner—as attorney general, his words of praise and support would inevitably transform into the torrent of policies we have been confronted with since his inauguration that absolutely reverse hard fought for strides in criminal justice reform.
Only six months ago, private prison operators were fighting for their fiscal survival after Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates issued a memo in August that directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to phase out its use and reliance on private prisons. Yates’ memorandum was issued on the heels of a report that concluded private prisons provided limited cost savings—if any; that they were less safe for both inmates and prison staff than in federally run prisons; and, that due to a number of policy initiatives—including reducing excessive drug offense sentencing guidelines for low-level drug defendants—the number of people in federal prisons has been on a decline over the last four years, eliminating the need for private prisons.
Yet, the stock prices of the two largest private prison operators, CoreCivic, formerly known as the Corrections Corporation of America, and Geo Group, have skyrocketed since Election Day. CoreCivic, which donated $250,000 to Trump’s inauguration events, has seen its share prices shoot up 140 percent.
Geo Group, which also donated $250,000 towards Trump’s inaugural events, along with another $225,000 donated by a Geo Group subsidiary to a pro-Trump super PAC, has seen a near 100 percent rise in its share prices. The corporations even enjoyed another profit boosting bump after Sessions’ Senate confirmation.
If the fortunes of private prison operators are direct reflections of the harshness or equitableness of our nation’s criminal justice policies, than it is safe to assume that the Trump administration means to put into effect policies that make America’s federal prisons full again.
Private prison operators stand at the ready to profit from policies that embrace large-scale incarceration. CoreCivic and Geo Group both stand to profit mightily from increased immigration enforcement. Not only do both companies run the majority of for-profit prisons, but they also own facilities used to detain undocumented immigrants. Last year, over 60 percent of Homeland Security detainees were reportedly held in privately owned prisons. Trump has also called for the construction of more jails along the Mexico/United States border to accommodate the expected upsurge in our nation’s detainee population. Recently, the White House signaled “greater enforcement” of federal laws against recreational marijuana use, which could translate into greater numbers of inmates in our federal prisons.
“I hereby rescind the memorandum dated August 18, 2016, sent to you by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, entitled 'Reducing our Use of Private Prisons.'"
This 14-word statement of rationale should send a chill down your spine: “impaired the Bureau’s ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system.” You may diverge from Sessions on policy, but you cannot fault his logic. As long as we the people complacently allow the Trump administration to criminalize and harshly penalize low-level crimes, and engage in the mass arrests and detention of undocumented immigrants in our name, the administration will need the extra bed space to warehouse all those bodies.
Yesterday I made a call to a gentleman I had never met about a job. I was using my best anchorwoman voice which usually comes out like a hopped up Carol Brady. He sounded like a barely conscious Christian Slater. "We had a baby last week," he said.
At that moment I realized that we were still calling ourselves new parents whenever we got the chance. It had become our crutch. Our difficulty forming a sentence or recalling a friend's name was blamed on the freshness of parenthood, exhaustion or stress. It was the new baby in our house making us act a fool. Never mind that he is nearing 8 months old and in No. 3 diapers.
The guy on the phone had a 1-week-old.
All of the ways that we are no longer newbies started to come to light. First of all, when we get stirred from sleep, it is usually a cat banging on the blinds. If a few complaints come from Elliot's crib we're like, "Nice try, buddy. We know that tune."
I remember how we used to hold Elliot so gingerly, like he was a fancy teacup and saucer at my grandmother's house. We'd go to great pains not to clear our throats or, heaven forbid, sneeze while he slumbered in our arms. Now we're like, "Sorry, dude. Hope I didn't get ya with that one."
Elliot has no interest in sleeping in our arms. He wants to stand on our legs while we sing, "Wobbly Jones! He just wobbles 'cause his legs have no bones." He likes to grab glasses, lips, noses and make really sloppy attempts at kissing. Cuddling has gone bye-bye hopefully to return in a few more months.
We have also realized that those lists of items you simply must have for a baby are crap. The breast-feeding pillow was good for a while, but I could have survived without it. The baby lotion is used occasionally, but sun screen applied like butter on a Thanksgiving turkey sort of does the same thing and more. We have survived just fine without one of those infant car seats that people carry around like an anvil. I have hardly touched my baby Q-tips, Vaseline, four tubes of diaper rash cream and lifetime supply of baby shampoo.
Speaking of bath time, I am going to let truly new parents in on a little secret. It doesn't need to occur as often as you think. All of the marketing for baby bath wash, towels, toys and oils would have you believe that this absolutely must occur daily or every other day. Not so.
That doesn't mean your baby doesn't get cleaned. A moist wash cloth and disposable wipes go a long way on a baby who isn't yet mobile. When there is a bath time, it isn't the production that one might imagine. You get the bits that need a good scrub, allow the baby to play for a while and get him out before he goes No. 2.
My husband and I can't wait for bath time to become a real event. Soap crayons, mohawks held up by suds and the sinking of toy submarines. We are dying for a naked toddler to come running from the bathroom as we chase him with a diaper and pajamas.
When your baby really gets to know you, and you them, it is more fun than you ever imagined. A sense of humor emerges so early. I taught Elliot to make that noise where you repeatedly tap your hand over your mouth while going, "Ahhhhhh." He decided to practice it in the library the other day. Maybe you heard those muffled snickers in Adult Fiction?
Elliot has also learned to fake cry, but he breaks into a smile a few seconds into it.
Please do not think we have left all of our insecurities behind. They are just different. We are no longer tense about keeping him alive. We are too busy making sure he doesn't kill himself. For example, when do you really trust that they can sit up by themselves?
I'm picturing a 14-year-old boy on the floor playing video games surrounded by sofa cushions.
Christine Fuller Lucas writes about being a first-time mom and adventures with baby.
Vocational programs: a fast track to immigration?
Some teachers say many international students don’t seem interested in learning a trade and view the process as a shortcut to citizenship.
When international students started flocking into the English Montreal School Board’s vocational programs in recent years, teachers initially welcomed the influx.
“We said, ‘Oh, OK, that’s nice,’ ” said Stacey, a vocational teacher at the EMSB who, like others interviewed by the Gazette, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.
But the teachers’ attitude soured when they noticed many of the new students did not speak English or French, showed up late, skipped classes and spent class time shopping or playing games on their cellphones.
Cheating on exams increased, and with desks spaced close together in packed-to-capacity classrooms, and students using translation apps to understand questions, teachers were unable to control it.
High school vocational programs have long been a stepping-stone to a rewarding career for adults eager to learn a trade.
But in the last few years, they have also become a fast track to immigration for international students who enrol in courses at Quebec’s English school boards.
At the EMSB, foreign students pay an average $24,000 for courses lasting one to 1½ years. China is the top country of origin, but the board also hosts students from countries like Korea, India, Mexico and Brazil.
The Quebec Experience Program (QEP), launched by the government in 2009, allows foreign students who graduate from qualified programs at universities, colleges or vocational high schools to become permanent residents, even without Canadian work experience. They also must pass intermediate-level spoken French.
Secondary-level vocational programs are an increasingly popular choice with foreign students seeking a path to citizenship because of the lack of academic prerequisites and the fact they can earn a diploma in as little as a year vs. three or four years for a CEGEP or university program.
But the programs have come under scrutiny in recent months. On Nov. 30, the Education Department revealed it has ordered an audit and called in the anti-corruption squad to investigate allegations of irregularities at the English Montreal and Lester B. Pearson School Boards.
Teachers who spoke to the Gazette said they welcome the probe and hope it will lead to change.
“All we can hope is when this all comes out in the wash … there will be some repercussions, some irregularities exposed, so they will maybe clean up their act in terms of being not so overly eager to push the students through, but to show a little more respect for the rules and regulations,” Stacey said.
For a board that is losing enrolment, it is really beneficial.
International enrolment has been a windfall for Quebec’s struggling English school boards, whose numbers have declined for decades under Bill 101, which restricts access to English school.
Foreign students contributed $10.3 million to the EMSB’s gross revenues last year, the board said, of which nine-tenths was for adult vocational programs.
In December, the Gazette reported that the EMSB has paid $5.66 million since 2010-11 to Can-Share Connections Inc., a company owned by Cui Wen (Cindy) Yao, to recruit students in China for its vocational programs. It has also paid Can-Share another $281,539 since 2014 for recruiting support from community groups for the EMSB’s vocational programs.
The EMSB offers programs in everything from automobile mechanics to welding, but not all qualify for the QEP, which requires 1,800 hours of study.
EMSB spokesperson Mike Cohen said the boom in international enrolment has injected much-needed revenue into the school system.
“For a board that is losing enrolment, it is really beneficial,” he said.
Total enrolment at the EMSB (including elementary, high school and vocational students) dropped from 27,000 in 2001 to about 19,000 this year. The decline has been partly offset by the boom in vocational education, where enrolment has nearly doubled since 2010-11, with 4,601 students currently enrolled, of whom 1,342 are foreign students.
In August, board chairperson Angela Mancini noted the EMSB was one of the few school boards in Quebec that began the current school year with a surplus, with operating revenues exceeding expenditures by $7.3 million.
The EMSB said it transfers 90 per cent of revenues from international fees to the Education Department, which then subsidizes vocational education on a per-student basis.
John Winrow, an executive assistant at the Montreal Teachers Association, the union representing EMSB teachers, accused the board of lacking transparency on its goals for international enrolment.
“I think there’s a huge ethical question. This is a school board in the public sector,” said Winrow, who questioned whether it’s right for a board to be courting fee-paying foreign students to fulfill its core mission of public education.
“It’s arguable that maybe that’s an appropriate use but I think it needs to be out in the open, transparent and debated properly. Because right now I think we’re masking things by using vocational education services to finance services for which that particular revenue was not intended,” Winrow said.
It took us by surprise to realize that we had students who did not have any intention of working in this field. They were just there to get their diploma for their immigration.
Teachers who spoke to the Gazette said the EMSB’s eagerness to attract international students, and its readiness to tweak schedules and relax norms to accommodate them, are a betrayal of the educational values they hold dear.
“They just want to take their money and shuffle them through the system as quickly and easily as possible,” Stacey said.
Many of the international students don’t seem interested in learning a trade, but view the vocational programs as a shortcut to citizenship, teachers say.
“It took us by surprise to realize that we had students who did not have any intention of working in this field. They were just there to get their diploma for their immigration,” Stacey said.
Lee, another teacher, said some of the newcomers are conscientious students, but others have poor motivation and spend class time shopping for condos on their cellphones.
Pat, another teacher, said some students have questioned why they got poor marks, noting it makes no difference whether they master the skills.
“(They say:) ‘Why do you fail us? We’re not going to be working in this field,’ ” Pat said.
Hardest of all, according to the teachers, is the lack of language skills. They say students are required to speak Grade 10-level English to be accepted into the program, but many do not.
“It gets very frustrating for teachers when there are three, four or five students in a class who really don’t speak the language,” Lee said.
Asked about the issues raised by teachers, the EMSB’s Cohen provided a series of written answers.
“Although English is not the first language of these students, the majority have a very good working knowledge of English,” the statement said.
It also defended the international students’ academic performance.
“The majority of our international students are motivated to learn and are successful in their studies. But like any other educational institution — including CEGEPs and universities — there are sometimes students who are less serious. They are often, therefore, not successful,” the statement said.
Winrow also said the board appears to be skimping on costs in the vocational sector by increasing the size of classes, paying new teachers by the hour instead of putting them on staff, and forcing them to teach longer hours. The union has filed several grievances on those issues, he said.
“There needs to be an analysis and debate about what’s going on. And it has to start, I think, with a recognition that the school board is not spending the amount of money that it gets in revenue from vocational education that it should to deliver a proper vocational education program,” he said.
“We’re supposed to be delivering the ministry’s programs, and if in fact they’re not doing that properly I think that needs to be explained. And my position is we are not doing that properly,” Winrow said.
Vocational teachers hired to instruct international students are being paid less than full-time teachers, he said.
“They’re paying a teacher to teach a class of 22 students less than $40,000,” he said.
Winrow charged the EMSB has turned a deaf ear to vocational teachers’ complaints.
“We’ve had zero success. Zero,” Winrow said.
“The union and the school board are undergoing mediation talks to bridge the gap between their respective interpretations of some clauses in the Collective Agreement. This mediation process is governed by a strict signed confidentiality clause that both parties agreed to. Therefore, neither party is at liberty to discuss the details at this time,” the board said.
“There are subtle and not-so-subtle pressures to pass them,” Lee said. “Teachers who don’t want to pass a student, they’ll give it to another teacher.
It’s in a view to getting them in and out as quickly as possible because there’s a huge revenue stream there.
Even when students are caught cheating, teachers say, the only consequence is they have to rewrite the exam.
In the past, they say, if a student didn’t seem cut out for a particular trade, the teacher would encourage him or her to switch to another program, but now, lack of aptitude is no longer considered a problem.
Most international students are much more stressed about passing the government’s French test than succeeding in their vocational programs, the teachers say.
But the EMSB denied pressuring teachers to pass international students.
“Teachers are not under any pressure to pass students. Our success rate shows that there are indeed students who do not pass,” reads the statement to the Gazette.
The union also criticized accelerated schedules that have international students spending up to nine hours a day in class.

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