Tag Archives: tesla

Mercedes-Benz Alabama Workers Ask NLRB for Union Vote

Energy appears to be on the side of the union. Alabama has been a so-called “right to work state (for less?) since 2016, meaning that union-membership is not required for employment. By late February, less than two months after Mercedes workers went public with their drive to join the UAW, a majority of them had signed union cards.

The Mercedes workers are part of the growing national movement of non-union autoworkers organizing to join the UAW in the wake of the historic Stand Up Strike victory at the Big Three auto companies last fall. More than 10,000 non-union autoworkers have signed union cards in recent months, with public campaigns launched at Mercedes, Volkswagen, Hyundai in Montgomery, Ala., and Toyota in Troy, Mo. Workers at least two dozen other facilities are also actively organizing. The main event in this fight will likely be at Tesla in AutoInformed’s view with Twitter owner Elon Musk, mustering all the anti-worker tweets he can. Continue reading

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Do Media Have the Electric Vehicle Market Collapse Wrong?

The European Passenger Vehicle (PV) Battery Electric Vehicle market EV market grew ~32% with positive growth in all months except December during 2023. This growth was better than many forecasters indicated at the start of last year (and better than in 2022), with some predicting no growth. BEV sales volume came in at just under 2.1 million units. This is 500,000 more than were sold in 2022.

“It is clear there has been some recent slowdown in the market, but it depends where you look. Some brands are doing considerably better than others, with the likes of MG and Tesla standing out as strong performers in 2023,” the respected consultancy GlobalData said today. Continue reading

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GM Creates New VP of Batteries Position

General Motors (NYSE: GM) said today that it has hired Kurt Kelty, a battery expert and former Tesla executive, to be vice president of Batteries, reporting to GM President Mark Reuss. Kelty in a new position at GM will be charged with GM’s battery cell strategy and what it is calling an “end-to-end approach.” This will include the use of raw materials, research, developing and investing in new technology, commercialization of cells and packs, and end of life opportunities.

“The foundation that GM has established coupled with Kurt’s exceptional battery expertise in leading battery chemistry development, establishing partnerships, building out supply chains and partnering closely with teams that have developed leading battery systems will help us achieve our electrification goals and position GM as a leader in EV technology,” said Reuss. Continue reading

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Slow Sales Start for US Light Vehicles in January 2024

“After a flurry of sales activity in December, there was always a risk that January would see some payback, with fewer consumers on the hunt for a new vehicle, and so it transpired. Apart from normal seasonal effects, the current environment is such that buyers remain price-sensitive and if the right deals are not available, volumes are liable to suffer,” said David Oakley, Manager, Americas Sales Forecasts, GlobalData. Continue reading

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Audi, Porsche, Scout Motors and VW EVs to offer NACS in 2025

“This is great news for our electric vehicle customers in the North American Region,” said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “This potentially provides them with access to more than 15,000 additional charging points as well as the current near-4,000 DC fast charging outlets operated by Electrify America.” Continue reading

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SEC Sues Musk for Blatant Refusal of Subpoena

The filing in US Court for the Northern District of California concerns an ongoing investigation by the SEC regarding, among other things, potential violations of various provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with Musk’s 2022 purchases of Twitter stock, and Musk’s 2022 statements and SEC filings relating to Twitter. According to the filing, the SEC seeks Musk’s testimony to obtain information not already in the SEC’s possession that is relevant to its legitimate and lawful investigation. Continue reading

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Ford Cuts F-150 Lightning Prices by $6000 to $10,000

Ford Motor said today that it is lowering the MSRP of F-150 Lightning® electric vehicle for all customers by $6000 to $10,000. The largest cuts are on the least expensive models. The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan is currently closed completing changes that will triple the plant’s annual capacity to a targeted 150,000 F-150 Lightning trucks beginning this fall. Tesla, of course, surprised the industry with its recent price cuts. The increasing supply of semi-conductors is also adding to downward pricing pressure. Continue reading

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Electrify America to add Tesla’s NACS EV Charging Connector

Electrify America said today it will add the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector to Electrify America and Electrify Canada’s fast charging networks to broaden charging s for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. NACS was previously known as the Tesla connector introduced more than a decade ago with its unique pin or plug design that can use both a/c and d/c charging. Electrify America will continue to provide the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) connector throughout its network as it transitions to also support automakers adding NACS charging ports. Continue reading

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Ford EV Customers to Get Access to Tesla Superchargers

“We’ve spent the last 10 years building an industry-leading Charging Network that enables freedom to travel and provides charging confidence for our Tesla owners. We’re excited to deliver on our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy by welcoming Ford owners, and other electric vehicles who adopt NACS, to our thousands of Superchargers across North America,” said Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s senior director of charging infrastructure. Continue reading

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Ford CEO says China is the Main Competitor, Not GM

“If you localize Chinese technology in the US – the customer is going to get screwed,” Farley said. The candid, tough talk comes at a time when Ford is investing more than $50 billion (2022 through 2026) in electric vehicles and battery components. Ford is on track to reach an annual targeted production run rate of 600,000 electric vehicles globally by the end of 2023, and 2 million by the end of 2026. Electric vehicles are expected to account for half of the company’s sales by 2030. Continue reading

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Ford Motor US Sales Drop 10% during October 2022

A look at the sales by model reveals that Ford is now essentially a truck and SUV maker with dwindling car sales of ~41,000 year-to-date. Lincoln sold no cars at all ytd. Mercedes Benz posted a huge increase in sales of  more than 50%. The difficulty in analyzing what the data mean comes from what sales were from previously placed orders, and when the US will return to a normal sales environment, which might be undefinable at this time. Ford no longer holds sales calls for media and analysts. Continue reading

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FBI with a Tesla Employee’s Help Stops Malware Attack

Kriuchkov planned to cripple Tesla’s electric battery plant in Nevada with ransomware and steal company secrets for extortion. Furthermore, it was alleged that Kriuchkov acted on behalf of co-conspirators abroad and attempted to use face-to-face bribery to recruit the insider. Continue reading

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Used Electric Vehicle Battery Reports Offered by Recurrent

“Recurrent is working on an important question we get all the time from our customers at iDrive,” said Dink Davis, Owner, iDrive1 Motorcars. “We’re one of the largest pre-owned Tesla dealerships in the country and are thrilled to offer Recurrent’s vehicle reports to our customers.” Continue reading

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Lordstown and Lithium. A New GM Constellation is Rising

Back in March GM revealed a third-generation global EV platform powered by proprietary “Ultium” batteries. GM claimed it will allow the company to compete for almost every customer in the market today, whether they are looking for affordable transportation, a luxury experience, work trucks or a high-performance machine. A space that is largely occupied by Tesla, which caught all global automakers napping. Covid 19 has complicated launch plans across the industry and timing on such projects is unstable. Continue reading

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Porsche Opens Zuffenhausen Factory for All-Electric Taycan

German automakers whose entire reputations – especially in expensive segments – are built on technology and they are struggling to catch up with Toyota on hybrids and have few EV entries thus far. Add in the emerging threats of Apple and Google in the auto business and the Dieselgate fiasco and there’s a case to be made that the Germans are playing defense. Continue reading

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