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Good news for Tesla tinkerers with salvaged vehicles. Tesla is establishing a process to allow them back on the Supercharger network – something that has been a big issue for them over the last few years.

In 2020, Tesla blocked access to Supercharging and third-party fast-charging to all salvaged vehicles.

It was a big blow to people who refurbished salvaged Tesla vehicles and got them back in running shape.

The automaker claimed that it was a safety issue, but it didn’t offer any path to inspect the cars and get them approved back on the Supercharger network, which is a big part of the value proposition of Tesla vehicles.

Last year, we got hope that Tesla was going to do the right thing and give back access to the important feature, but it was short-lived.

In 2021, Tesla started giving back Supercharger access to salvaged vehicles without any explanation, but it appeared that it was a mistake since the automaker reverted the move a week later.

But now it looks like it’s happening for real.

Electrek obtained internal Tesla documents that details a new process being put in place to inspect salvaged Tesla vehicles and give them back access to fast-charging.

In the document titled “Salvaged-Titled Vehicle Fast Charging Safety Inspection,” Tesla explains a two-step process that involves inspecting the high-voltage battery pack and all the components related to charging.

If the car passes the inspections, Tesla will reenable fast charging, and if it doesn’t, the company will offer repairs.

Here are the steps Tesla communicated to employees in the documents obtained by Electrek:

  • The Salvage-Titled Vehicle Fast-Charging Safety Inspection cannot be started until the vehicle has passed the Salvage-Titled Vehicle High Voltage Safety Inspection.
  • If a component fails inspection, diagnosis is required, and component rectification may be required.
  • Diagnosis and component rectification are not included in this inspection procedure and may be performed only at customer expense.
  • If the customer declines to authorize repair, stop the inspection procedure, note that the vehicle has failed the inspection and reinstall any removed components. Fast-Charging will not be enabled.
  • Once the vehicle has passed inspection and fast charging has been enabled, if the vehicle fails the final charging test, any further diagnosis or repair are treated like any other vehicle. If charging has already been enabled and the customer declines further diagnosis or repair, do not disable fast-charging.

This new process is currently being put in place for all Tesla models.

Electrek’s Take

This is great news. It’s important to note that many Tesla vehicles that end up with salvage titles are not necessarily completely destroyed – like the one pictured above. It doesn’t take a lot these days for an insurance company to consider a vehicle totaled.

On paper, it looks like the right thing to do: Offer a path to make sure refurbished salvage-titled Tesla vehicles can safely use fast charging and enable the capability if it is safe.

However, it remains to be seen how it is going to work in practice and whether or not Tesla will actually reenable Supercharging on most of these vehicles without charging for super expensive repairs.

It’s something that we will keep an eye out for.

As for why now and not two years ago, I suspect Tesla opening up its Supercharger network to other EVs might have something to do with it. Tesla has no way of knowing whether or not a VW ID.4 coming to use its Supercharger has a salvage title or not. It would be ridiculous to allow non-Tesla salvaged EVs to use its charging network but not its own vehicles.

It should greatly increase the value of salvaged Tesla vehicles, which is good since Tesla should encourage people who are fixing those since it’s literally recycling.

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U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

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U.S. crude oil falls below  a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears

A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025. 

Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters

U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.

Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.

Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.

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Oil futures, 5 years

The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.

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What EV sales slump? Illinois’ EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

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What EV sales slump? Illinois' EV sales outpace the nation by 4:1

Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.

Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.

Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)

What’s going on in Illinois?

File:Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (33167937268).jpg
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the Chicago Auto Show; by Ray Cunningham.

While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.

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At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).

We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.

SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

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XCMG launches XE215EV battery swap electric excavator ahead of bauma

The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.

Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.

XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.

We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).

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XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?

Easy in, easy out

XCMG battery swap crane; via Etrucks New Zealand.

The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.

You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.

SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.

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