Transpo

The big news in Rivian’s most recent software update was Enhanced Highway Assist for hands-free driving on compatible highways, but let’s take a moment to call out a very simple quality-of-life upgrade: you can now set the side mirrors to tilt down automatically when you go into reverse. (Lots of other cars have this feature, which makes parking a big vehicle like an R1S or R1T much easier.)

After filing for Chapter 11 in the US in November, Northvolt — which worked with Volkswagen, Volvo, Audi, Porsche, and BMW — has now filed for bankruptcy in Sweden. The company was founded by two ex-Tesla executives and was one of Europe’s leading efforts to rival US and Asian battery manufacturers before racking up billions in debt.

Donald Trump livestreamed a Tesla showcase in the White House driveway on Tuesday, apparently reading the notes of a Tesla sales pitch as he performed choosing one of its EVs to purchase from five delivered for the event.

Although there have been an increasing amount of protests against Tesla, “the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) has not yet said whether foul play was suspected as the cause of the fire, which is under investigation,” according to KOMO News.

Rest of World looks at a small-town political fight over whether a planned EV battery plant from Chinese company Gotion was a boon for employment, an environmental disaster-in-the-making, or a “Communist Trojan horse.”

That’s apparently a version for Lyft in development that’s designed for elderly customers, Bloomberg reports:

Musk tweeted that in 2022, adding that it could “...cross rivers, lakes & even seas that aren’t too choppy.” Today Electrek highlights this incident that occurred Monday morning in Ventura, CA.

The new F1 season is about to get started in Australia this weekend (you’ve caught up on Drive to Survive right?), and its subscription video package has some changes. For $129.99 per year, the new F1 TV Premium tier adds the above features and a customizable multi-feed view -- Pro subscribers should check out the fan-built MultiViewer app.

At least, that’s what this SEC filing says. He’s one of several insiders who’ve been selling lately, I notice; the chair of Tesla’s board, Elon Musk’s brother, and Tesla’s CFO all dumped tens of millions in shares last month, too. Tesla shares closed today at $222.15, down 41 percent this calendar year. They’re still up about 25 percent from this time last year. It remains unclear whether the continuing Tesla protests have rendered the brand toxic.

With Tesla shares crashing over 50 percent since December, some shareholders are left wondering how much longer they can hold out. Fortunately Reddit is a place where financial masochism thrives, and losses that cross into the six-figure territory are seen as a sign of fortitude. A post from a Tesla shareholder who lost “tens of thousands” of dollars and was looking for coping strategies yielded these absolutely master-class responses:

That’s according to the Aeroht subsidiary of EV carmaker Xpeng, which is planning to start mass production of its “land aircraft carrier” next year, The Straits Times reports, hoping to succeed where other consumer flying car projects have failed.

Six people were arrested Saturday after “several hundred protestors” blocked entrances to a Manhattan Tesla showroom, The New York Times reports. “Tesla Takedown” protests aim to hurt Elon Musk by targeting Tesla, which has seen sales dropping globally since Musk started directing deep cuts in the federal government.

Phil Molyneux is stepping down as chief executive of the embattled e-bike company, Electrek reports. The once dominant e-bike company has faced a series of challenges over the years, including layoffs, recalls, import taxes, lawsuits, and regulations. And now it appears to be going through another leadership shakeup. Molyneux, a former Sony and Dyson executive, was Rad Power Bikes’ chief operating officer when founder and CEO Mike Radenbaugh tapped him as his replacement. According to Electrek, the company’s CFO Stephanie Roberts will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a replacement.

This perfect billboard was spotted in LA by The Curbivore (which crossed my radar via Glenn Mercer’s Car Charts). My hat’s off to the Law Brothers’ pun game. And the fact that this photo was taken from a Waymo vehicle is just the cherry on top.

Last year, United announced its intention to upgrade its entire fleet with Wi-Fi powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. As of today, the first Starlink-equipped regional plane is ready to fly. United said it only took about 8 hours to install the equipment, which is about 10 times faster than installing non-Starlink WiFi tech. The carrier plans to upgrade approximately 40 planes each month starting in May, with the goal of equipping the entire fleet of two-cabin regional aircraft by the end of the year.

Following the Miraidon project created by Toyota last year, both of the legendary mascots from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have now been brought to life. The life-size Koraidon prototype is on display until Sunday at Tokyo’s Honda Aoyama Building. Its legs can actually move to imitate how the Pokémon runs in-game! The bike is only for show right now, but may be moving by this summer at a leisurely 6 mph.

The unexploded bomb was discovered overnight in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris during works on the tracks, halting the Eurostar and all other local trains at Gare du Nord, France’s busiest station. Impacted Eurostar travellers are being asked to move their journey to a different date.

Waymo has been testing the new vehicle for months now, but always with camouflage. Now it seems like the wrapping is coming off, thanks to this video captured by YouTube channel “I Love Vehicles.” As some Reddit users noted, the rear lidar in particular could prove tempting to folks looking to do some chin-ups.

Volkswagen previewed its ultra-low cost €20,000 ID EVERY1 electric vehicle yesterday, but the press material didn’t mention that it’s the first EV to launch with technology developed by Rivian, thanks to their $5.8 billion joint venture.

The popular online grocer will now offer same-day delivery in New York City via Uber Eats, the companies announced today. It’s the first time that Fresh Direct’s catalog will be available on a third-party app. And it will provide Uber Eats more ammunition in its war against Amazon, Instacart, Walmart, and other players in the online grocery delivery space. Especially now as all those super-rapid venture-backed grocery delivery startups evaporated.

The 20-inch all-terrain wheels and extended wheelbase make the ride less twitchy compared to the iconic British foldable and it still packs up incredibly small for those last-mile commutes. Prices start at $3,300 for the non-electric pedal bike. The Electric G models will be available Stateside in the fall with a 20mph top speed and handlebar controls for a price that’s TBD, but will likely demand a 40 percent premium if European pricing holds true. Look for my review in the coming weeks.