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A new report states that Tesla engineers tried to convince Elon Musk not to give up on radar for its Autopilot and self-driving effort.

Tesla has a weird history with radar sensors for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving vehicle programs.

The automaker decided to remove its front-facing radar and, more recently, the ultrasonic sensors from its sensor suite.

It’s all part of its “Tesla Vision” approach, where the automaker believes that the best way to achieve self-driving capability is through cameras being the only sensors. The logic is that the roads are designed to be operated by humans who operate cars through vision (eyes) and biological neural nets (brain).

Tesla believes that the best way to replicate that is through cameras to replace the eyes and neural nets running on a computer to replace the brain.

The company removed the radars on its vehicles in 2021 and removed the ultrasonic sensors last year.

However, we now learn that not everyone at Tesla was on board with this significant change.

A new report from SF Gate, which claims to have talked to several former Tesla employees, describes an effort to try to convince Musk not to remove the radar:

Some Tesla engineers were aghast, said former employees with knowledge of his reaction, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. They contacted a trusted former executive for advice on how to talk Musk out of it, in previously unreported pushback. Without radar, Teslas would be susceptible to basic perception errors if the cameras were obscured by raindrops or even bright sunlight, problems that could lead to crashes.

The report claimed that Musk overruled a significant number of engineers who tried to warn that removing the radar would be problematic.

The report goes as far as linking the removal of the radar to an uptick in accidents related to Tesla Autopilot:

Musk was unconvinced and overruled his engineers. In May 2021 Tesla announced it was eliminating radar on new cars. Soon after, the company began disabling radar in cars already on the road. The result, according to interviews with nearly a dozen former employees and test drivers, safety officials and other experts, was an uptick in crashes, near misses and other embarrassing mistakes by Tesla vehicles suddenly deprived of a critical sensor.

However, the situation was a little more complicated than that. Electrek spoke to Musk around the time of the removal of the radar, and the CEO was mostly frustrated with the quality of the radars and still believed that higher definition radars would improve Autopilot/Full Self-Driving.

He told Electrek:

A very high resolution radar would be better than pure vision, but such a radar does not exist. I mean vision with high res radar would be better than pure vision.

Sure enough, two years later, Tesla is now including a high-resolution radar in its latest sensor suite for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

The report also claimed that Musk had several Tesla Autopilot engineers, even Ashok Elluswamy, the head of Autopilot and self-driving software, work on Twitter.

Electrek’s Take

I am sure that many people at Tesla weren’t happy about removing the radar. It’s not exactly surprising. Honestly, I am more concerned about the claim in the report that Musk had Tesla Autopilot/Self-Driving engineers work on Twitter.

That’s ridiculous.

Tesla is years behind its self-driving promises; all its staff should be solely focused on making right on those promises. Having them work on Twitter is laughing in the face of Tesla customers who paid up to $15,000 for the Full Self-Driving package.

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Celebrate Labor Day with these awesome (electric) work truck deals

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Celebrate Labor Day with these awesome (electric) work truck deals

It’s Labor Day weekend, which means big deals on car lots across America – especially if you’re shopping for a new electric vehicle to help with your labor. We’ve rounded up the best offers on electric pickups, vans, and even a great option for ride share drivers!

Sure, there’s a bit of irony in pitching “work vehicles” on a holiday meant for not working – but for many small business owners, work is part of who they are. And with the $7,500 federal EV tax credit set to expire, plus a wave of great Labor Day deals on work-ready EVs, now might be the best time yet to plug into a new electric ride.

Here are some of the standout electric vehicles offers we found this Labor Day weekend (2025), organized by vehicle type.

Electric pickup | F-150 Lightning


2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Is Cheaper To Lease Than Its ICE-Powered F-150 Sibling
F-150 Lightning; via Ford.

The “Ford for America,” summer sales event continues through Labor Day with interest-free 0% financing, $0 down payment, and zero payments for up to 90 days for retail customers. Ford is also throwing in $0 maintenance for 24 months.

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But wait, there’s more! Ford Authority is reporting that a complimentary home charger and standard installation might also be included as part of the Ford Power Promise promotion happening at participating dealers in select markets with the purchase of a new F-150 Lightning pickup through the end of September.

Lease customers aren’t being left out, either. You can lease a 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT 4P 311A pickup at $399 per month for 36 months, with “just” $399 due at signing (basically your first month’s payment).

Electric van | Chevy Brightdrop


Chevrolet Brightdrop ZEVO; via GM.

The best electric vehicle deal in the business keeps on truckin’ into Labor Day weekend, with new 2025 Brightdrop models currently eligible for up to $21,500 in manufacturer rebates before any Federal, state, local utility, or even Costco membership incentives kick in.

For your money, you get a capable, Ultium-based electric cargo van with more room than your college dorm and a nationwide dealer network to keep it up and running when you need it most.

Electric van (hon. mention) | Mercedes eSprinter


2024 eSprinter; via Mercedes-Benz.

Despite being based on the company’s existing diesel platform, Mercedes’ eSprinter has proven itself a capable urban hauler in the hands of Amazon, DHL, and countless European tradespeople. Despite that, there are still a handful of leftover 2024 models hanging around dealer lots – enough that Mercedes is offering up to $30,000 (!) Customer Cash on any new ’24MY eSprinter purchased from dealer stock.

That discount is enough to bring the price of this 2024 eSprinter in Chicago from $87,823 all the way down to $57,823 this Labor Day weekend – and that’s before you factor in state and local utility incentives that can bring the price down even further.

As you can imagine, there’s some fine print on that Customer Cash deal. It can’t be combined with Special APR programs through Mercedes-Benz Financial Services (MBFS), but it can be combined with the Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Medium Fleet Program.

Ride share ride | VW ID.4


Volkswagen-ID.4-lease-deal
VW ID.4 AWD Pro S; via Volkswagen.

Ride share drivers looking for comfortable seats, room for five adults and their luggage, proven battery life, and lickety-quick charging speeds can stop looking. Volkswagen is offering a sweet ID.4 lease at nearly half the cost of an entry-level Jetta with payments starting at just $129/mo. – that’s despite the ID.4 carrying a significantly higher MSRP.

And, while we’re at it, it’s probably worth noting that serious road warriors will probably save more than $129/mo. in fuel alone.

If you prefer to own your vehicles after making payments on them for a few years, you can also get 0% interest financing on select ID.4s for up to 72 months. It’s important to note here that Volkswagen’s deals can vary wildly by region. That $129/mo. offer is available in California and a few other West Coast states, for example, but the electric crossover’s listed at $329 for 24 months with $4,499 due at signing in others.

Disclaimer: the vehicle models and financing deals above were sourced from CarsDirectCarEdge, and (where mentioned) the OEM websites – and were current as of 29AUG2025. These deals may not be available in every market, with every discount, or for every buyer (the standard “with approved credit” fine print should be considered implied). Check with your local dealer(s) for more information.

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Denver Public Library deploys novel solar and battery storage system

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Denver Public Library deploys novel solar and battery storage system

Sustainable construction experts McKinstry have teamed up with leading BESS developers Viridi and the Denver Public Library to deploy a first-of-its-kind solar and battery storage system that sets a new standard for fire safety.

The Denver Public Library sought a battery energy storage system (BESS) that could deliver cost savings without compromising safety for staff, visitors, or the architecturally significant, Michael Graves–designed structure itself. That required a battery backup solution that not only met the city’s fire safety standards, but also addressed public fears about the risk of lithium-ion battery fires.

That unique set of project priorities led the library to Viridi, makers of the RPSLinkEX battery solution that’s equipped with a unique, “passive Fail-Safe thermal management and anti-propagation technology” designed to prevent the sort of thermal runaway that leads to li-ion battery fires.

“Public facilities like the Denver Public Library are at the forefront of demonstrating that energy resilience and safety can go hand in hand,” said Jon M. Williams, CEO at Viridi. “This installation highlights how fail-safe battery storage can empower communities to maximize renewable energy, reduce costs, and maintain reliability – all without compromise.”

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Keeping it safe


Denver Public Library; by Michael Graves.
Denver Public Library; by Michael Graves.

Viridi doesn’t talk too much about how its passive Fail-Safe thermal management system works, but if you’re picturing heat-dissipating layers, fire-resistant insulation, and strategically-placed phase change materials (or PCMs) limiting the transfer of heat from one cell to another if it begins to overheat, you’ve probably cracked it.

These passive safety features enable safer deployment scenarios in occupied buildings or near critical infrastructure by reducing dependence on active fire suppression systems like sprinklers or fire extinguishers, and convinced the City of Denver to move forward with the project, which is the city’s first-ever solar + battery storage system.

“The entire McKinstry team is very excited about developing and constructing the first Solar + BESS project for the City and County of Denver,” said Jon Ensley, Sr. Construction Project Engineer at McKinstry. “We are appreciative of all our partners and stakeholders who helped to achieve this goal. We value Viridi’s expertise in deploying this technology and the whole team has been great to work with.”

McKinstry says this latest solar project sets, “a new benchmark for how cities can combine renewable energy and battery storage without compromising safety.” And, with solutions like the RPSLinkEX building systems that meet city planners and politicians where they are, instead of trying to educated them about the objective, proven safety of li-ion batteries, Viridi is helping communities adopt cleaner, more resilient clean energy solutions sooner rather than later.

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SOURCE | IMAGES: Viridi, via PV Magazine; Michael Graves.


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China installs the world’s most powerful wind turbine

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China installs the world's most powerful wind turbine

China’s Dongfang Electric has installed a 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine, snatching the title of world’s most powerful from Siemens Gamesa’s 21.5 turbine in Denmark.

Photo: Dongfang Electric Corporation

The Chinese state-owned manufacturer announced today that it has installed the world’s most powerful wind turbine prototype at a testing and certification base. This turbine, the world’s largest for capacity and size, boasts a blade wheel diameter of more than 310 meters (1,107 feet) and a hub height of 185 meters (607 feet). Dongfang shipped the turbine’s nacelle earlier this month – the world’s heaviest – along with three blades.

This offshore wind turbine is designed for areas with wind speeds of 8 meters per second and above. With average winds of 10 meters per second, just one of these giants can generate 100 GWh of power annually, which is enough to power 55,000 homes. That’s enough to cut standard coal consumption by 30,000 tons and reduce CO2 emissions by 80,000 tons. Dongfang says it’s wind resistant up to 17 (200 km/h) on the extended Beaufort scale.

In May, Dongfang said it had completed static load testing on the turbine’s blades, and the turbine is now undergoing fatigue testing, which could take up to a year before the turbine is fully certified.

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Read more: Trump just killed all offshore wind zones as US power needs surge


The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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