15 Tesla vehicles were burned down by group of radical morons
15 Tesla vehicles were burned down at a car dealer in Frankfurt, Germany this week, and a radical group of environmentalists has claimed to be behind the act of arson.
With the incident alone, this gang of morons is probably responsible for more pollutant emissions than they can ever counter with their so-called activism.
IAA moved its car trade show from Frankfurt to Munich a few years ago, mainly due to environmentalist protests affecting the event.
I have been attending the show for the last two editions as it has transitioned into a “mobility show” with a lot of electric vehicles being featured.
There are still some protests in Munich, but nothing compared to Frankfurt.
I was there last week and only saw some cohorts on bikes with sign going around the city and giving speeches at some hot spots.
Greenpeace did this protest at the conference center, but I missed it. Although, I’m pretty sure that they heavily photoshopped this image because the artificial pond in front of the center is no more than one or two feet deep.
While the protests over IAA in Munich were mild, it looks like the group in Frankfurt hit again in a much more criminal way.
15 Tesla vehicles were burned down at a dealership in Frankfurt last night. 40 firefighters were involved in the attempt to extinguish the fire and over 500,000 euros of damage has been done.
Now a radical group has taken credit for the criminal attack.
They released a letter on the Germany version of the Indymedia website, which is often used by radical left-wing groups for communications.
In the letter, the anonymous writers reference the IAA protest and then claimed the arson in Frankfurt (translated from German):
That’s why we flambéed some new Teslas in Frankfurt tonight. As a greeting to the protests in Munich. As one attack among many on the destructive auto industry.
Their main problem with Tesla appears to be the mining of lithium and cobalt and the impact on indigenous communities (translated from German):
Tesla is one of our most prominent enemies. The company represents like no other the ideology of green capitalism and the ongoing global and colonial destruction. Electric motors are constantly presented as the clean alternative. That’s a cynical lie. Like other companies, Tesla exploits resources worldwide. The necessary raw materials for electric car batteries, such as lithium and cobalt, are mined under terrible conditions in Latin America and Africa. Despite the great green paint, fossil fuels are needed for transport and production. All of this always happens in connection with the oppression of indigenous communities, whose resistance must be a signal to us to act.
Furthermore, they take issue with Elon Musk and his “patriarchal fantasies”. They think that his efforts to colonize Mars is about creating a “vacation destination for the richest” and not making life multiplanatery.
Electrek’s Take
I think there’s value in bringing attention to ethical mining of resources, but that’s just not the way to do it.
First off, you are not a real environmentalist is you think it’s smart to burn down EVs that would have displaced literal tons of CO2 over their lifetime and could have been recycled at their end of life.
Instead, Tesla will get insurance money and build those cars again. It’s dumb.
As for ethical mining, the truth is that most mining companies have deals with local indigenous communities.
In the US and Canada, it is a must for any new project.
Now if it’s not the case for any specific project, then it needs to be addressed, and it’s important to bring attention to it, but big actions like that need to come with big proof.
Do they have clear examples of mining projects that Tesla benefits from that are being contested by indigenous communities? Because if they don’t, these idiots are just burning cars for the sake of burning cars. They are petty criminals and not unsung heroes.
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Amid several reports that Volkswagen is cutting EV production at two German plants, the automaker revealed the reason – slowing demand.
Volkswagen suspends EV production in Germany
Last week, a report from the German newspaper Automobilwoche claimed Volkswagen was pausing EV production at its Dresden facility in Germany.
Volkswagen’s Dresden facility has built over 150,000 VW Phaeton, e-Golf, ID.3, and Bentley Flying Spur models since beginning production in 2002. Last year, 6,500 ID.3 EVs were built at the location.
The automaker will temporarily suspend ID.3 production at the plant for two weeks during the Saxon autumn holidays, as first reported by Germany’s DPA news. Starting October 16, the electric car will be built again in regular single-shift operation.
Dresden’s roughly 300 employees will be reassigned to other areas, including “innovative manufacturing and testing.”
Meanwhile, at Volkswagen’s main BEV plant in Zwichau, one of the two production lines will shut down during the holidays, according to a spokesperson (via Automobilwoche).
The news comes after VW announced at a staff meeting earlier this month it would be cutting 269 temporary jobs at the site.
Although Volkswagen’s ID.3 and Cupra Born will be impacted by the halt, ID.4, ID.5, Audi Q4 e-tron, and Audi Q4 sportback e-tron models will continue regular production in three shifts.
Volkswagen is discussing with local labor reps how to proceed with EV production at the Zwickau plant.
The company did not specify how many units or employees would be affected by the changes.
Volkswagen is struggling to attract new EV orders amid higher inflation and weaning subsidies in Europe. Europe’s largest automaker also faces a growing threat from more advanced EV competitors like Tesla and BYD.
Electrek’s Take
The core Volkswagen brand faces pressure as cheaper, more advanced EVs are taking market share at home and abroad.
In Volkswagen’s largest market by revenue (China), the automaker was surpassed by BYD as the best-selling car brand earlier this year.
In the wake of slowing demand, VW slashed ID.3 and ID.4 prices in the region. But how long can VW keep this up?
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume aims to boost VW brand returns to 6.5% over the next three years. Currently, it’s around 3.6%.
With EV makers like Tesla, BYD, and several other Chinese start-ups expanding rapidly, Volkswagen will need to act urgently to risk falling further behind.
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At the Japan Mobility Show next month, Honda will showcase several new products and tech, including a new electric sports car that will headline the booth.
The new electric sports car will “enable the driver to experience the pure joy of driving,” according to Honda.
Although the automaker was light on the details behind the project, it claims the concept will represent “Honda’s continuous pursuit of the joy of driving” while embodying Honda’s universal sports mindset and distinctive characteristics.
Also ready to make an appearance at the booth is Honda’s SUSTAINA-C Concept and Pocket Concept, designed to use limited resources.
Both models are made of recycled and reused acrylic resin with the idea of “resource circulation” for environmental sustainability and future mobility freedom.
Other EV products set to make their world debut include the Honda CI-MEV. The two-seat, four-wheel mini EV uses Honda’s cooperative intelligence (CI) and automated driving for last-mile deliveries and areas with limited mobility options.
A prototype of Honda’s new commercial-use mini EV with a portable external power output device, Power Exporter e: 6000, will also be displayed.
Honda to unveil new electric sports car
Honda revealed plans to launch 30 new EV models globally by the end of the decade, including at least two electric sports cars.
One will be a specialty model, while the other will be a flagship. Speculation suggests one of the models will be an NSX, a two-seater sports coupe (An Acura model in North America), with the other being a GT.
Honda teased the upcoming electric sports cars under wraps, showing a low-profile vehicle with a similar body design to the NSX.
According to the British automotive magazine Car, Honda’s EV performance car will ride on the automaker e:n platform, featured in its e:Ny1 electric SUV.
The EV could also wear the Type R badge, as Honda’s technical consultant, Kotaro Yamamoto, said, “Type R stands for racing. It’s a pleasure transported. An electric car can deliver this, and a Type R is not obliged to use a combustion engine. Even in a fully electric society, there will still be Type Rs delivering ultimate driving pleasure.”
Other than that, Honda is keeping the details under wraps. We’ll learn more about the electric performance car next month.
The electric sports car will make its world debut at the Japan Mobility Show, running from October 28 to November 5, 2023. Media days will be October 25-26.
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New Tesla Cybertrucks, rumored to be “Master Candidates,” the final step before production, have been spotted coming out of Gigafactory Texas.
For the past month, Tesla has had full and at times, partial shutdowns, of production at Gigafactory Texas as it conducted factory upgrades.
Yesterday, a drone video shot by Joe Tegtmeyer confirmed that workers are now coming back to the factory.
The video showed new Model Y bodies coming out of the factory and new Cybertrucks.
There have been rumors that the shutdown at Gigafactory Texas might have been linked to the start of Cybertruck production.
Tegtmeyer, who often gets to talk to Giga Texas employees as he flyes drones there almost daily, claims that the new Cybertrucks spotted coming out of the factory are “Master Candidates,” the last step before production.
While it can’t be confirmed if they are master candidates or production versions, the two Cybertrucks spotted at the factory did look a lot more refined than the previously spotted prototypes:
The trims and fittings seem to blend better with the stainless steel body of the electric pickup truck.
While we can’t judge the vehicle’s fit and finish too closely because the footage is taken from a distance with a drone, the looks of those two Cybertrucks are encouraging.
Tesla is expected to officially start Cybertruck production any day now with deliveries to start at an event likely within the next month.
More Cybertrucks have been spotted parked at the homes of Tesla employees, which is a good sign that internal testing has expanded.
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