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F1 has a new trailer out that makes it seem, you know, like a movie about dudes driving around in circles. The film centers on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a retired driver whose F1 team-owning friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) pulls him back onto the track to mentor up-and-coming racer Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris). It hits theaters on June 27th before it winds up on Apple TV Plus at some point in the future.
Tesla has been promising more affordable models as the thing that will help pull it out of its current rut. But a new report out of China (by way of Electrek) suggests that they’re likely to be stripped down Model Ys. This follows reports that the company was testing sub-$35,000 Model 3s in Mexico with cheaper materials and fewer screens. Based on the 36kr report, the project is being spearheaded by Tesla’s Chinese engineers — which makes sense, because car companies in that country have really cracked the code on cheap EVs.
The big news in Rivian’s most recent software update was Enhanced Highway Assist for hands-free driving on compatible highways, but let’s take a moment to call out a very simple quality-of-life upgrade: you can now set the side mirrors to tilt down automatically when you go into reverse. (Lots of other cars have this feature, which makes parking a big vehicle like an R1S or R1T much easier.)
Decoder listeners know I asked CEO RJ Scaringe for this feature when he was on the show last year because it’s such a common request in the Rivian forums. He committed to adding it on the show, and now it’s here. See? Results.
[stories.rivian.com]
After filing for Chapter 11 in the US in November, Northvolt — which worked with Volkswagen, Volvo, Audi, Porsche, and BMW — has now filed for bankruptcy in Sweden. The company was founded by two ex-Tesla executives and was one of Europe’s leading efforts to rival US and Asian battery manufacturers before racking up billions in debt.
“As the bankruptcy process unfolds, the court-appointed trustee will determine the future of Northvolt’s businesses and their assets, including technology and production facilities.”
[northvolt.com]
Donald Trump livestreamed a Tesla showcase in the White House driveway on Tuesday, apparently reading the notes of a Tesla sales pitch as he performed choosing one of its EVs to purchase from five delivered for the event.
Standing alongside Elon Musk, Trump attempted to boost the automaker, after prices of its shares dropped 15 percent over the last five days, and said he’d label violence against its locations as domestic terrorism.
Although there have been an increasing amount of protests against Tesla, “the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) has not yet said whether foul play was suspected as the cause of the fire, which is under investigation,” according to KOMO News.
Rest of World looks at a small-town political fight over whether a planned EV battery plant from Chinese company Gotion was a boon for employment, an environmental disaster-in-the-making, or a “Communist Trojan horse.”
It opens with the VP of Gotion’s US subsidiary deciding “he would have to eat part of a battery” to prove they’re safe. So far, the plant hasn’t been built.
Musk tweeted that in 2022, adding that it could “...cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.” Today Electrek highlights this incident that occurred Monday morning in Ventura, CA.
It’s unknown if the Cybertruck’s driver forgot to engage “wade mode” or made some other error while trying to launch a jet ski from the boat ramp, but KABC reports the vehicle was completely submerged by the time fire crews arrived. A Facebook post says it took about an hour and a half to recover the Cybertruck.
Better batteries through Breathe’s better algorithms.
At least, that’s what this SEC filing says. He’s one of several insiders who’ve been selling lately, I notice; the chair of Tesla’s board, Elon Musk’s brother, and Tesla’s CFO all dumped tens of millions in shares last month, too. Tesla shares closed today at $222.15, down 41 percent this calendar year. They’re still up about 25 percent from this time last year. It remains unclear whether the continuing Tesla protests have rendered the brand toxic.
[sec.gov]
With Tesla shares crashing over 50 percent since December, some shareholders are left wondering how much longer they can hold out. Fortunately Reddit is a place where financial masochism thrives, and losses that cross into the six-figure territory are seen as a sign of fortitude. A post from a Tesla shareholder who lost “tens of thousands” of dollars and was looking for coping strategies yielded these absolutely master-class responses:
That’s according to the Aeroht subsidiary of EV carmaker Xpeng, which is planning to start mass production of its “land aircraft carrier” next year, The Straits Times reports, hoping to succeed where other consumer flying car projects have failed.
The modular offering includes a folding two-seater passenger drone ferried aboard a Cybertruck-looking six-wheeled van. The package is set to cost no more than two million yuan (about $276,000), with 10,000 vehicles expected to be produced each year.
Six people were arrested Saturday after “several hundred protestors” blocked entrances to a Manhattan Tesla showroom, The New York Times reports. “Tesla Takedown” protests aim to hurt Elon Musk by targeting Tesla, which has seen sales dropping globally since Musk started directing deep cuts in the federal government.
The Times details violence beyond formal protests, including shots fired at a showroom Thursday night. Earlier that day, feds charged someone accused of “planting a Molotov cocktail near a vehicle.”
[nytimes.com]
Volkswagen previewed its ultra-low cost €20,000 ID EVERY1 electric vehicle yesterday, but the press material didn’t mention that it’s the first EV to launch with technology developed by Rivian, thanks to their $5.8 billion joint venture.
Thankfully, TechCrunch got the inside info. Notably, VW’s €25,000 ID.2all, coming in 2026, will be built on E3 1.1 stack developed by VW’s software unit Cariad. I find it very interesting that VW is tasking Rivian to develop a central nervous system for its cheapest model first.
US consumers hoping to avoid price increases associated with Trump’s tariffs can’t just “buy American,” not with supply chains spanning North America and the world. The New York Times explores the impact tariffs will have on US automakers who are particularly at risk given the number of cars assembled in Mexico and Canada — with US-made engines and transmissions — before being shipped back across the border for purchase.
Users on a Facebook group for Cybertruck owners are posting about public backlash being directed towards their vehicles, showing people flicking them off and lewd or abusive messages they’ve received.
Cybertrucks are a recognizable target for the “Tesla Takedown” protestors opposing Elon Musk’s federal government takeover. Many owners are embracing the hate, however, with 404 Media noting that group members chalk it up to something only “crazed,” “poor,” or “brainwashed” “libs” are doing.
The battery pack that will underpin the Neue Klasse gets new tech, a new layout, and more range.
Tesla is currently offering prospective Foundation Series Cybertrucks free Supercharging “during your ownership of the vehicle,” as spotted by automotive journalist Chad Kirchner. Tesla is showing banners advertising the promotion on the Cybertruck website.
Nine people were arrested over the weekend during a “raucous” demonstration outside a Tesla showroom in Manhattan this past weekend, Reuters reports. The protest, which drew hundreds of participants, was part of an escalating “Tesla Takedown” movement opposed to Elon Musk’s takeover of the federal government. The protesters want to hurt Musk by deterring sales of Tesla vehicles and tanking the company’s stock price. Huge crowds turned out for demonstrations in Florida and Arizona as well.
Meanwhile, Tesla sales have plummeted and the stock price isn’t looking so hot.
