Electric Cars

The Wall Street Journal reports that Troy Jones, director of Tesla’s North American sales, is leaving after 15 years at the company. This comes after Tesla reported a steep drop in sales for the second quarter. Other execs have similarly been fleeing. Elon Musk fired Omead Afshar, who formerly led operations in North America and Europe. And the company’s director of human resources for North America, Jenna Ferrua, departed in June, according to the Journal. The C-suite is getting thin.

The electric automaker is launching its new map built on top of Google Maps using the service’s Automotive SDK. Rivian, which notably does not allow Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in its vehicles, says the new maps feature real-time traffic updates, tappable points of interest, and satellite imagery.

Don’t expect Elon’s EV company to turn its fortunes around any time soon after launching in India today. It may be the world’s third-biggest auto market, but EVs make up less than 5 percent.

The Swedish automaker said it will take a one-off, non-cash impairment charge of 11.4 billion Swedish kronor ($1.19 billion) in the second quarter related to two plug-in models: the EX90 and ES90. That means Volvo is basically reducing the value of the EVs on its balance sheet. The reason is because Donald Trump’s tariffs are making it impossible for Volvo to make a profit on these models. The EX60 is still on track, apparently.

The automaker announced today that it will upgrade its Spring Hill, TN factory for the production of low-cost lithium-ion phosphate batteries. The factory is run by Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, building on a $2.3 billion investment from 2021. Tesla and Ford are also producing electric vehicles with LFP batteries, which tend to be cheaper and longer lasting but aren’t as energy dense as NCM (nickel cobalt manganese) batteries. Ultium Cells also supplies batteries to Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, and Rivian.

The xAI chatbot will arrive on Tesla vehicles by “next week at the latest,” according to Elon Musk, who previously said in January that it was “coming soon.” This wasn’t mentioned during last night’s live demo of Grok 4.

The EXP 15 “design concept” is supposed to preview the British automaker’s first all-electric model, due in 2026. Bentley said the design was inspired by the “Blue Train,” which was a 1930 three-seater Speed Six. But this crazy concept looks more like a real train with that massive front end and an elongated body. Bentley says none of this is intended for production, which, like, duh.

Apparently following through on his threat to challenge Republicans who supported Donald Trump’s budget bill, Musk tweeted, “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” He also said it will be ready next year -- a “consistently proven wrong” theme for Musk.

Elon Musk’s embrace of acronyms like MAGA and DOGE has alienated the left, while his commitment to clean energy and EVs continues to enrage the entrenched oil and gas interests of the Trumpian right. So, can anyone still appreciate Tesla’s massive new off-grid Supercharger, even if it’s only because the company finally nailed a timeline?

A bunch of Tesla fans seem to think that the popular YouTuber needs to shave his head now that Tesla has successfully launched its (very limited, still in beta) robotaxi service. After all, that was the bet he made last year, right? Not so fast, Marques says. Here he is on the Waveform podcast reminding us about the actual bet he made.

When I first saw the Robotaxi wordmark, I assumed someone had already vandalized the car like a Waymo caught in a protest. The creative experts consulted by Fast Company are even more critical of the cyberdork aesthetic:

Ford says it will complete the EV battery factory its building in Michigan, even without the generous tax breaks included in the (probably doomed) Inflation Reduction Act. The $3 billion factory is being built in Marshall, about 100 miles west of Detroit, in partnership with China’s CATL. That combination alone (an EV factory? with China?) makes it a likely target of Republicans who are in the process of gutting all the IRA’s clean energy investments. But Ford is sticking with its plan, even without generous tax breaks on the table.

By most accounts, the company’s robotaxi launch in Austin yesterday went off without a hitch. Most of the Tesla fans and influencers who received invites to test it out said the experience was “smooth” and “natural.” But you knew something was going to happen, and that something turned out to be a robotaxi briefly driving in the opposite lane of traffic. Not a good look.

The Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan congressional advisor — says Republicans are violating a budget reconciliation rule in their attempt to fast-track some parts of President Trump’s agenda.