Tesla

It’s the company’s first earnings report since Donald Trump’s inauguration and Elon Musk’s elevation as cost-cutter in chief for the new administration. So even though we’re probably all sick of Musk and his various antics, it’s probably worth tuning into the webcast at 5:30PM ET to hear Musk respond to questions about AI, China, robotaxis, and the likely elimination of federal EV incentives. And I’m sure we’ll hear a lot of concerns about how the world’s richest man chooses to split his time.

If you can find them, that is. While there aren’t a lot of new V4 posts out there yet, they’re supposed to support up to 500kW of fast charging once Tesla upgrades the on-site cabinets. For now, locations with the newly-designed stalls will support 325kW charging for Cybertrucks. Electrek notes that Elon Musk once suggested V3 would be capable of more than 350kW.

Chinese regulators are issuing a notice about a Tesla software update for 1.2 million vehicles to fix a problem with CPUs that can short out and prevent safety equipment like the rear-view cameras from working.

While Elon Musk is making suspiciously fascist hand gestures at Trump rallies, the value of his company’s brand is dropping. Tesla sunk 26 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to an annual ranking of top brands by London-based Brand Finance. And it wouldn’t be the first time that Tesla’s aging lineup and the political antics of its chief executive have resulted in a loss of brand reputation.

This clip of a Tesla failing to correctly identify a passing train reminds me of Elon Musk’s deep-seeded antagonism toward public transportation. (He thinks it’s a “pain in the ass.”) I’m sure that’s not exactly why the train appears in the Tesla UX as, like, a bunch of squished, stretched-out cars. But still, makes you think.

The automaker said it would file an appeal after a Delaware judge rejected Musk’s $56 billion pay package a second time, and now it officially has, as reported by Bloomberg Law. The state’s Supreme Court will now review the appeal.

No one visually gets hurt in this video — you see a big explosion, a bystander running away, and a lot of firework-like secondary bangs. But authorities found one person dead inside the Cybertruck, and seven others reported minor injuries.

“Tesla Recharged” gives customers year-end insights in the Tesla app for stats such as how often users’ homes are powered off-grid.

The company has been trading emails with the city’s autonomous vehicle taskforce about deploying a robotaxi service next year, according to Bloomberg. Texas has fewer regulatory hurdles for autonomous vehicle operators than California. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Austin residents: be on the lookout for driverless Teslas hopping curbs and rear-ending other cars.

The self-driving computer in some new Teslas is apparently failing, according to Electrek:

Zheng Gao worked at Tesla for eight years, most recently as head of autopilot hardware design. He also spent nine years at Apple on its connector and input device product design team. At Zoox, he’ll lead the hardware engineering team, where he’ll be under pressure to meet the Amazon-owned company’s deadline to launch a commercial robotaxi service in 2025. Zoox’s co-founder has previously dinged Tesla for promoting self-driving technology that “doesn’t work.”

The satellite radio service has been available in the Model S and X since 2020 but was conspicuously absent from Tesla’s two best-selling models and electric truck.

ABC 7 Bay Area reports that last night in Piedmont, CA, a Cybertruck “jumped the curb, struck a cement wall, and then wedged in between the wall and a tree,” according to officials who said speed was a factor. Like a fatal Cybertruck wreck in August, it then caught fire.

According to Bloomberg, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office is considering adding “market-share limitations” to its proposal to revive the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate program. The program would be in lieu of a federal EV tax credit, which is on Donald Trump’s chopping block. Tesla CEO (and Trump donor) Elon Musk, unused to his chickens coming home to roost, is calling the proposal “insane.”

A new job listing noticed by Electrek says the team will provide “remote access to our robotaxis and humanoid robots.” The job calls for a “C++ Software Engineer” who has experience with Python, 3D graphics, and Unreal engine; it offers a salary between $120,000-$318,000.

Tesla notified a California judge that it had reached a conditional settlement with Rivian, reports Bloomberg, four years after accusing Rivian in a lawsuit of intentionally poaching Tesla employees and stealing trade secrets.

A Tesla Cybertruck was spotted joining President-elect Donald Trump’s motorcade in Texas while traveling to the SpaceX Starship launch.