Between heat waves and major storms, the number of blackouts and brownouts has increased sharply in recent years, but a start-up launched by a former Tesla exec plans to use as many as 100,000 old EV batteries in “second-like” backup energy storage systems to minimize the risk of grid outages. More from Headlight.News.
Yet again, Tesla sales stumbled by double-digits in May, marking the fifth monthly decline in a row. Meanwhile, the man appointed to run operations and sales in Europe and the U.S. has left the automaker, as has its head of human resources. Tesla has seen a flood of senior execs leave in recent months, including the head of its Optimus robot program. But it did manage to snag the former head of autonomy from GM’s now shuttered Cruise subsidiary.
Looking for the brands delivering the highest levels of initial quality? Lexus and Nissan rose to the top in this year’s J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, while General Motors had more top-ranked models than any other manufacturer. There were some surprises in this year’s IQS by Jaguar and Ram. But, yet again, motorists pointed to onboard technology as the biggest source of trouble. More from Headlight.News.
Mercedes’ AMG performance arm has a history of rolling out ever faster and more powerful supercars. But the new GT XX Concept takes things to a new level, delivering 1,340 horsepower and setting a top speed of 223 mph. Did we mention it is all-electric and previews a new model set to soon enter production? More from Headlight.News.
Tesla’s first day of robotaxi service in Austin, Texas appeared to go off without a disastrous hitch. However, federal safety regulators are looking into situations where the vehicles may have broken local traffic laws. Meanwhile riders offered their largely positive reviews. Get details at Headlight.News.
Tesla’s first robotaxis took to the streets of Austin, Texas on Sunday, the start-up ride-sharing service picking up invite-only riders for a flat $4.20 a trip. The move was hailed by Tesla bulls who see the move as the first step in what could become an even bigger business than the company’s EV operations. But it’s yet to be seen if Tesla can stand up against competitors like Waymo and Uber — or whether the backlash facing Tesla EVs will cripple the robotaxi service, as well. More from Headlight.News.
Production of the Tesla Cybertruck, as well as the newly updated Model Y, will be paused later this month. The temporary move comes at a time when both products are struggling due to slow demand. Separately, Tesla is facing pressure to delay the launch of the long-awaited Robotaxi tentatively scheduled to also roll out of its Austin, Texas plant this coming weekend. More from Headlight.News.
Tesla isn’t the only automaker with ties to the aerospace industry. Honda has just demonstrated a new rocket that, like the ones operated by SpaceX, is designed to be able to safely fly back to earth and then be reused. More from Headlight.News. A number of major...
This year’s annual American-Made Index from Cars.com saw the Tesla Model 3 rise to the top of the list, followed by the rest of the Tesla lineup. Last year’s winner was the Model Y so this is getting to be old hat for the brand. However, the big surprise was what company didn’t have a vehicle in the top 20. Go to Headlight.News to find out which Red, White and Blue touting company didn’t make the grade.
After a first-quarter surge, EV registrations took a sudden tumble in April, the first fall in more than a year, according to industry data. The dip came despite a strong showing by several brands, including General Motors. The primary reason for the downturn as slowing demand by the giant in the battery-sector, Tesla. More from Headlight.News.
The first Tesla robotaxi is “tentatively” set to roll out on June 22, according to CEO Elon Musk, though that date could be pushed back, he indicated in a tweet because he is being “super paranoid about safety.” With Tesla’s EV sales sliding fast in many key markets, analysts and investors believe fully self-driving vehicles will be critical to the brand’s future. More from Headlight.News.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared to be waving a white flag early Wednesday morning, saying he “regret(s) some” of the criticism he aimed at Pres. Donald Trump last week. But it’s not clear whether that will be enough to deescalate the sudden feud between the two former allies. Trump and allies had warned Musk he could be putting billions of dollars in federal contract for his companies – including Tesla and SpaceX – at risk. Headlight.News has more.