I want to preface this story with a caveat: Lemons exist (and I don’t mean the fruit). Sometimes, you just get a bad car. And generally speaking, I have a very empathetic view toward the job of vehicle software engineers. The functions that customers expect their vehicles to perform have grown immensely in the past… Continue reading Auto journalist’s Blazer EV road trip turns into a software nightmare
Author: Electrek Newsfeed
Waymo says its self-driving cars are safer than human drivers by up to 10x
Waymo has released a report saying that its Waymo Driver self-driving vehicles outperform human drivers significantly, leading to much fewer crashes and injuries when compared to benchmark human drivers. Waymo’s data claims a 57% reduction in crashes that were reported to the police and an 85% reduction in crashes that caused any bodily injury. The… Continue reading Waymo says its self-driving cars are safer than human drivers by up to 10x
Tesla removes stock-based compensation this year, report says
Tesla has reportedly decided not to give stock-based compensation to employees as part of their annual performance review. CEO Elon Musk has often claimed that Tesla has the best employee compensation in the auto industry and that’s because of its stock options. Just last month, Musk told a crowd at a New York Times conference:… Continue reading Tesla removes stock-based compensation this year, report says
Tesla claims over 600 ‘solar neighborhoods’ as part of home builder program
Tesla has been partnering with major new home builders all over the US to deploy solar and Powerwalls, and it now claims to have deployed “over 600 solar neighborhoods.” Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the… Continue reading Tesla claims over 600 ‘solar neighborhoods’ as part of home builder program
VW, Audi, Porsche finally commit to NACS connectors in 2025
VW, Audi and Porsche have all committed to use the Tesla-developed NACS connector starting in 2025. It’s one of the last dominos to fall towards universal adoption of the connector. NACS has taken the industry by storm this year, after Tesla released specifications of its charging connector in November 2022. It called it the “North American… Continue reading VW, Audi, Porsche finally commit to NACS connectors in 2025
Audi puts big EV push on the back burner
Audi says it is now pulling back on what was a fairly ambitious rollout of upcoming electric vehicles in response to what its newly appointed CEO says is the EV “slowdown” and to “avoid burdening” factories and dealers. “We first looked at what order and density of launches the organization could handle,” CEO Gernot Döllner… Continue reading Audi puts big EV push on the back burner
Tesla drivers have highest accident rate despite Autopilot claims, who is lying?
A new study based on insurance claims shows that Tesla drivers have the highest accident rate of any brand in the auto industry. That’s despite Tesla claiming that its Autopilot safety features result in a much lower crash rate than the industry average. Who is lying? Tesla used to release an “Autopilot safety report” that… Continue reading Tesla drivers have highest accident rate despite Autopilot claims, who is lying?
Move over Tesla: BYD has caught up and is expected to take the lead in global BEV market share
As we navigate the final half of the last month of 2023, there’s a genuine chance that Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) will take the crown from Tesla as the leader in global BEV market share. A global technology research firm thinks so based on BYD’s continued growth that led to it catching Tesla… Continue reading Move over Tesla: BYD has caught up and is expected to take the lead in global BEV market share
Tesla and Mercedes-Benz to compensate for loss of German EV subsidies
The German government announced that it will abruptly end its subsidy program for electric vehicles on December 31, which has dealt a blow to automakers in one of its biggest European markets. But Tesla and Mercedes-Benz say that they will compensate for it, covering the full price of the subsidy for German buyers, with other… Continue reading Tesla and Mercedes-Benz to compensate for loss of German EV subsidies
Tesla to offer package that turns Cybertruck into an actual boat
Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla plans to offer a “mod package” that is going to turn the Cybertruck into a boat – at least to traverse 100 meters of water. Musk has made claims before about how Tesla vehicles could float and briefly serve as a boat. They have never been taken too seriously as… Continue reading Tesla to offer package that turns Cybertruck into an actual boat