Author: New York Times Online News

Tesla Will Build Heavy Trucks at a New Factory in Nevada

Tesla will build a factory in northern Nevada that will manufacture electric semi trucks, the company said Tuesday, putting pressure on traditional truck makers like Daimler and Volvo that are just beginning to sell battery-powered vehicles. The factory, along with a new battery plant, will add 3,000 employees at an existing Tesla facility east of… Continue reading Tesla Will Build Heavy Trucks at a New Factory in Nevada

Elon Musk Said Tesla Buyout Plan Didn’t Involve ‘a Specific Number’

Under direct questioning by a federal judge on Tuesday, Elon Musk could not say exactly how much money investors were considering putting into his 2018 proposal to take Tesla off the stock market. Mr. Musk wrote on Twitter on Aug. 7, 2018, that he had “funding secured” for the deal. But during his last day… Continue reading Elon Musk Said Tesla Buyout Plan Didn’t Involve ‘a Specific Number’

Elon Musk Says He Could Have Raised Funds to Take Tesla Private

Elon Musk said on Monday that he had not lied or misspoken about his plan to take Tesla off the stock market in 2018, testifying in federal court that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had “unequivocally wanted to take Tesla private.” Investors are suing Mr. Musk, Tesla and the company’s board because they contend that… Continue reading Elon Musk Says He Could Have Raised Funds to Take Tesla Private

Elon Musk Testifies That His Tweets Did Not Drive Tesla’s Stock Price

In his testimony, Mr. Musk said he thought Twitter was “the best way to communicate with people,” including “investors, big and small.” He also said he used Twitter to share memes, a comment that drew laughter from some people watching the trial. Mr. Musk also acknowledged that in July 2018 his associates and friends, including… Continue reading Elon Musk Testifies That His Tweets Did Not Drive Tesla’s Stock Price

Carl Hahn Dies at 96; Made the VW Beetle Ubiquitous

“Without him, there would likely not have been the ads, which did indeed change the whole story for VW outside of Germany and did indeed result in a lot of needed healing, as well as revenue,” Andrea Hiott, the author of “Thinking Small: The Long, Strange Trip of the Volkswagen Beetle” (2012), said in an… Continue reading Carl Hahn Dies at 96; Made the VW Beetle Ubiquitous

Elon Musk’s Appetite for Destruction

I wanted to ask Musk to elaborate on his philosophy of risk, but he didn’t reply to my interview requests. So instead I spoke with Peter Singer, a prominent utilitarian philosopher, to sort through some of the ethical issues involved. Was Musk right when he claimed that anything that delays the development and adoption of… Continue reading Elon Musk’s Appetite for Destruction

Elon Musk Goes to Trial Over His 2018 Plan to Take Tesla Private

More than four years after he said he had secured the funding to take Tesla off the stock market, Elon Musk will try to defend that statement in a trial that began on Tuesday in a federal court in San Francisco. The case is brought by investors who claim Mr. Musk, the electric automaker’s chief… Continue reading Elon Musk Goes to Trial Over His 2018 Plan to Take Tesla Private

Tesla Cuts Prices Sharply as It Moves to Bolster Demand

New competitors are on the way, too. This year, General Motors is supposed to start making electric versions of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup and Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox sport utility vehicles. Tesla has also had trouble in China, its largest market, where a local manufacturer, BYD, is now the No. 1 electric vehicle brand. Tesla… Continue reading Tesla Cuts Prices Sharply as It Moves to Bolster Demand

Uber Drivers Say They Are Struggling: ‘This Is Not Sustainable’

When Lamin Jatta began driving a yellow cab in 2012, competition was stiff to procure a taxi for his shifts from a busy garage in Queens. Along with other drivers, he would have to slip up to $25 to a dispatcher to make sure he got a car. This cost, though unofficial, was on top… Continue reading Uber Drivers Say They Are Struggling: ‘This Is Not Sustainable’