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Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) will continue its global expansion with upcoming EV debuts in Europe, not only under its own namesake, but alongside the official launch of its Denza sub-brand overseas. Here’s what visitors to next month’s IAA Mobility in Munich can look forward to seeing.

BYD Auto continues to deliver another notable year in EV production and global market expansion. In addition to passenger electric vehicles, the company and develops and implements battery technology and has a respectable lineup on the commercial side of new energy vehicles (BEVs and plug-in hybrids).

To date, BYD has a presence in 400 cities across more than 70 countries and is not slowing down as it recently rolled its 500 millionth plug-in EV off its assembly lines this month. Last summer, the conglomerate announced entry into new EV markets in Japan, followed plans for Europe a mere 10 days later.

By October, we learned that BYD’s Seal EV would be making the trip over to consumers in Europe at some point in 2023, joining the ATTO 3 which is already for sale and becoming a best seller in certain countries. Now, we have learned that BYD will not only kick off Seal sales next month in Munich, but is also officially launching its Denza brand on the continent.

BYD EV Europe
The BYD Seal, soon on its way to Europe / Credit: BYD

BYD, Denza to begin new EV sales in Europe next month

To begin, BYD’s premium Denza brand will officially launch at IAA Mobility in Munich a few weeks from now. The sub-brand is a joint venture between BYD and Daimler AG that started in 2010 and has only produced a single EV in its first several years.

Daimler has since lowered its stake in the venture to 10%, but Denza still offers two fully-electric options in China – the latest being a multipurpose vehicle (MPV) called the D9. This will be the EV to kick off Denza’s entry into Europe, although the sub-brand has not divulged when sales will officially begin.

Meanwhile, Denza’s parent company BYD will be launching some EVs of its own in Europe, including the aforementioned Seal. Automotive News Europe points out that the sedan will be sold in two different battery variations – a 71.8 kWh BYD Blade Battery with a 420km (260 miles) range (WLTP) in the Comfort version of the Seal, and a 87 kWh pack in the Design trim offering 500km (310 mi) range.

The Seal EV is expected to begin sales in Europe this fall, alongside the Seal U SUV. Those models will join the Dolphin, Tang, and ATTO 3 currently available in the EU, bringing BYD’s total to six models by the end of this year. Sale overseas remain relatively small compared to its native China, but BYD is working to become a household name in EVs around the globe, so we’d expect to see its presence in Europe continue to grow.

You can see the BYD EVs and Denza D9 on display at IAA Mobility, which will take place at the Munich Exhibition Center from September 5-10, 2023.

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U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says

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U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says

Energy Sec. Wright: We can get to no or very low tariffs, but it's got to be reciprocal

HOUSTON — The U.S. could reach an agreement with Canada that avoids tariffs on imports of oil, gas and other energy resources, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday.

Wright said such a scenario is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say” in response to a question from CNBC during a press conference at the CERAWeek by S&P Global. The U.S. is in “active dialogue” with Canada and Mexico, the energy secretary said.

President Donald Trump has paused until April 2 tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports that are compliant with the agreement which governs trade in North America. Trump originally imposed broad 25% tariffs on goods from both countries as well as lesser 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada.

It’s unclear, however, how much of the oil, gas and other energy that the U.S. imports from Canada is compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Wright declined to provide specifics when CNBC asked how much of those imports are USMCA compliant.

“I’m going to avoid the details for now,” Wright said. The energy secretary said, “We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal” in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.

Canada’s energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, warned last week that energy prices will rise in the U.S. if the tariffs on energy imports go into full effect.

“We will see higher gasoline prices as a function of energy, higher electricity prices from hydroelectricity from Canada, higher home heating prices associated with natural gas that comes from Canada and higher automobile prices,” Wilkinson told CNBC’s Megan Cassella in an interview.

The U.S. has been the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world for years. But many refiners in the U.S. are dependent on heavy crude imported from Canada. The U.S. imported 6.6 million barrels of crude oil per day on average in December, more than 60% of which came from Canada, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Wright acknowledged that the tariffs are creating uncertainty in energy markets as negotiations continue.

“We’re in the middle of negotiations for where things are going to go with tariffs, so that feels frightening and gripping right now but this time will pass,” Wright said. “Deals will be made, we’ll get certainty and we’ll have a positive economic environment for Americans going forward.”

U.S. crude oil fell more than 1% Monday to close at $66.03 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent closed at $69.28 per barrel. Crude oil futures have pulled back substantially as Trump’s trade policy creates uncertainty and OPEC+ has confirmed that it plans to gradually bring back 2.2 million barrels per day of production beginning next month.

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Apple Maps EV Routing adds Tesla Supercharger (NACS) support for Ford drivers – 9to5Mac

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Apple Maps EV Routing adds Tesla Supercharger (NACS) support for Ford drivers - 9to5Mac

Apple is rolling out a notable update to Apple Maps EV Routing for Ford drivers. Starting today, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers can use Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to plan road trips that include Tesla Superchargers – or any station that uses the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.

As I’ve explained before, Ford began shipping adapters CCS to NACS adapters that allow Mach-E and Lightning drivers to charge at Tesla Superchargers last year. Until today, however, Apple Maps was unaware of this change. This meant Apple Maps EV Routing would only route Mach-E and Lightning drivers to CCS charging stations, even though a route with Tesla Superchargers might’ve been more efficient.

With today’s change, Apple Maps via CarPlay will now include NACS fast charging stations, such as compatible Tesla Superchargers, in recommended route planning recommendations.

In a blog post, Ford explains:

Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay allows drivers to input their route and can view the estimated battery level they will have when they get to a destination, as well as suggested charging stations along the way if charging is needed. Previously, Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers would have to manually open another app, then enter a NACS fast charger as a destination to have it added to their route. Now, with the Apple Maps EV Routing and NACS fast charger integration, the experience will be more seamless.

How to Use Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay:

  • Connect your Apple iPhone to CarPlay.
  • Open Apple Maps, go to Settings, and confirm your preferred charging network(s) – make sure you select a NACS fast charging station, such as Tesla Supercharger. You only have to do this once.
  • Enter a destination.
  • Apple Maps will then calculate the estimated state of charge you will have when you get to a destination.
  • If a charge is required, depending on the fastest route, it will automatically route you to a NACS fast charging station.*

This is a significant update to the Apple Maps EV Routing experience for Ford drivers. Next up on my wishlist is support for battery preconditioning when using Apple Maps EV Routing. Android Auto added this feature last October.

The new feature is available now to iPhone users running iOS 17 or later. No software update is required for your car.

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Tesla (TSLA) insider trading: Elon’s friend James Murdoch just unloaded $13 million

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Tesla (TSLA) insider trading: Elon's friend James Murdoch just unloaded  million

James Murdoch, a Tesla board member and friend of CEO Elon Musk, has confirmed that he sold about $13 million in stock today as the stock (TSLA) crashed.

There has been a lot of insider trading at Tesla lately, and by trading, we mean selling – cause no insider is ever buying at Tesla.

We recently reported on Kimball Musk, Elon’s brother, and Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Taneja Vaibhav recently selling ahead of a recent drop in the company’s stock price.

Tesla’s chairwoman, Robyn Denholm, also sold $33 million worth of Tesla shares last week and over $100 million in the last 3 months.

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Now, it’s James Murdoch’s turn. The Tesla board member just confirmed, through a required SEC filing, that he sold 54,776 Tesla shares for just over $13 million today:

He sold as Tesla’s stock crashed 15% today. It is now down more than 50% from its all-time high just a few months ago.

Murdoch was appointed to Tesla’s board in 2017.

He is better known as the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former CEO of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.

Murdoch was one of the Tesla board directors who was forced to return almost $1 billion in cash and stock options to Tesla as part of a settlement for over-compensation.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla insiders are unloading, and those are just the ones we know about. Public companies only have to report insider trading for board directors and listed top executives.

For the latter, Tesla purposefully only lists 3 people: Elon, Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s CFO, and Tom Zhu, whose role at Tesla has bit quite fluid in recent years.

Therefore, we don’t know about the dozens of other top executives potentially selling their shares right now amid a giant correction.

It’s really suspicious because there are clear top leaders at Tesla who are often on Tesla’s earnings calls, and they are not even listed, like Lars Moravy, for example.

But it’s par for the course at Tesla, which has some of the worst corporate governance I have ever seen. It’s truly shameful.

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