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Almost 4,000 car dealerships in the US banded together in a new lobbying effort to ask the government to slow down the adoption of electric vehicles.

They even falsely claim to be “the voice of customers” in this Luddite effort.

A coalition representing 3,882 dealerships in the US has signed a letter sent to President Biden to lobby for a slower electric vehicle mandate.

The letter starts out like this:

“We are auto dealers from across the country who collectively sell every major brand in the U.S. We are small businesses employing thousands of Americans. We are deeply committed to the customers we serve and the communities where we operate, which is why we are asking you to slow down your proposed regulations mandating battery electric vehicle (BEV) production and distribution.”

It doesn’t start very well since there’s a lie in the very first sentence. These auto dealers don’t represent “every major brand in the U.S”.

Tesla is undoubtedly a “major” auto brand in the US, and it happens to sell more electric vehicles than all others combined.

Their argument is that BEV inventory is pilling up at their dealerships and they are having issues selling the vehicles:

“Last year, there was a lot of hope and hype about EVs. Early adopters formed an initial line and were ready to buy these vehicles as soon as we had them to sell. But that enthusiasm has stalled. Today, the supply of unsold BEVs is surging, as they are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships — even with deep price cuts, manufacturer incentives, and generous government incentives.”

However, what those dealers are leaving out of their argument is that BEVs are not the only vehicles sitting unsold on their lots.

In fact, new-vehicle inventory is at a two-year high, according to Cox Automotive research.

As of the start of November, new-vehicle inventory volume in the US was sitting at a record 2.4 million units. It is safe to say that those are mostly gasoline-powered vehicles since the inventory level is currently higher than the number of EVs that the US will produce all year.

The truth is that the current interest rates have affected all automotive sales, EVs or otherwise.

It’s true some of those people who placed reservations for EVs last year are reconsidering their purchases now, as highlighted by the group of dealers, but that’s not because they are not interested in EVs anymore. It’s because they can’t afford the several hundred dollars more for the monthly payments now thanks to high interest rates.

It makes it so much more frustrating that these dealers are making this false argument while claiming that they are the “voice of customers”:

Mr. President, no government agency, no think tank, and no polling firm knows more about the automobile customer than us. We talk to customers every day. As retail automotive dealerships, we are agnostic as to what we sell. Our business is to provide customers with vehicles that meet the needs of their budgets and lifestyles.

The dealers are asking for President Biden to “tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate”.

Electrek’s Take

If anything, this should be a clear sign to legacy automakers who are committed to electric vehicles that their dealerships are going to be a problem in the EV transition.

Now, when trash-talking dealers, I always want to make it clear that even though I’m not a fan of the third-party car dealer model, I know there are plenty of good car dealerships.

For example, about 4,000 dealers signed this letter, but there are more than 18,000 car dealers in the US.

But yes, in general, dealers have caused more trouble than helped with EV adoption in the US.

When the demand is strong for EVs, they mark up the prices – taking advantage of demand generated by the manufacturers at launch, and when macroeconomics affects EV demand negatively, they misrepresent the situation to lobby against EVs.

Anyone taking the current demand situation with EVs as an excuse to slow down the transition is being completely short-sighted.

Norway is at almost 100% of new car sales being BEVs. Yet, these dealers believe we can’t catch up to even two-thirds of that by 2032? That’s basically admitting that the US is more than a decade behind the Scandinavian country. I thought the US was always number 1?

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Chevy drops new Silverado EV Stars & Steel Special Edition with a patriotic makeover

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Chevy drops new Silverado EV Stars & Steel Special Edition with a patriotic makeover

Chevy is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a patriotic lineup of special edition Stars & Steel models, including the electric Silverado EV pickup.

Meet the Chevy Silverado EV Stars & Steel edition

The new Stars & Steel collection is “a curated lineup of uniquely designed vehicles that embody purpose-driven patriotism and American craftsmanship,” Chevy said

Chevy is releasing five special-edition vehicles for 2026, including the Silverado EV, Corvette, Silverado LD, Silverado HD, and Colorado, in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.

Each vehicle is assembled in the US and will feature exclusive interior and exterior design elements, including American-flag-inspired graphics on the hood, as well as other premium options that “underscore patriotism,” according to Chevy.

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The Silverado EV Stars & Steel Special Edition will be available on the RST Crew Cab trim. Buyers can choose from Summit White or Black exterior colors, while a Sky Cool Gray interior with bucket seats offers “a bold electric interpretation” of the Stars & Steel theme.

Every 2026 Chevy Silverado special edition model includes American Flag-inspired stripes in Satin Silver or Satin Black and “250” flag graphics.

Chevy also added 24″ high-gloss black wheels, black nameplates, and a new Brembo heavy-duty brake system with red-piston front calipers, and larger 15.7″ brake discs.

Chevy-Silverado-EV-Stars-Steel
The 2026 Chevy Silverado EV Stars & Steel Special Edition (Source: Chevrolet)

For every Stars & Steel vehicle sold, Chevy will donate $250 to nonprofits that support veterans. Be on the lookout as the collection will make its first public appearance this weekend during the Army-Navy game on Saturday, December 13, 2025.

Chevy said production of the new lineup is expected to begin in early spring 2026, and prices will be announced at a later date.

The 2026 Chevy Silverado EV offers an impressive driving range of up to 494 miles and can tow up to 12,500 lbs. It’s available in three trims: Custom, LT, and Trail Boss, starting at $55,895.

If you’re interested in test-driving the electric pickup, we can help you get started. You can use our link to find available 2026 Chevy Silverado EVs in your area.

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Elon Musk delusionally claims Waymo ‘never had a chance’ against Tesla

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Elon Musk delusionally claims Waymo ‘never had a chance’ against Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) this morning to dismiss Waymo’s progress in autonomous driving, claiming that the Alphabet-owned company “never really had a chance against Tesla” and that this will be “obvious in hindsight.”

The comment came as a direct response to a discussion about Waymo’s newly released safety data—a level of transparency that Tesla has yet to match.

The exchange started when Google DeepMind Chief Scientist Jeff Dean pointed out the massive disparity in validated autonomous mileage between the two companies. Dean noted that Tesla doesn’t have “anywhere near the volume of rider-only autonomous miles that Waymo has,” citing Waymo’s fresh milestone of 100 million rider-only miles.

Musk, who has promised a fleet of “1 million robotaxis” by the end of 2020 (a deadline that passed five years ago), responded with his usual bravado:

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“Waymo never really had a chance against Tesla. This will be obvious in hindsight.”

In fact, Tesla has zero Robotaxi miles with rider-only as its service still has in-car safety supervisors. Despite the safety drivers preventing an untold number of accidents, Tesla has a much higher accident rate with its supervised robotaxis than Waymo or average human drivers.

Even with this worrying situation, Musk said yesterday that Tesla plans to remove the safety drivers in the Austin Robotaxi within 3 weeks.

Musk’s comment is particularly ill-timed given the context. Waymo just released a massive tranche of safety data covering its operations across San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. 

The data show that Waymo’s Driver avoids crashes at a rate significantly better than human drivers, with a 91% reduction in serious injury-causing crashes compared to human benchmarks.

Meanwhile, Tesla has yet to deploy a single vehicle without supervision for a commercial ride or even share anywhere near the amount of data Waymo shares..

While Tesla regularly releases a “safety report”, it was widely criticized by safety experts for being an “apples-to-oranges” comparison. Tesla’s report relied on airbag deployments as a proxy for crashes and lacked the granular injury data that Waymo provided. Furthermore, Tesla’s data covers a system that is supervised by a human 100% of the time, making it impossible to isolate the safety performance of the software itself.

Tesla frames the data as proving “FSD is better than human drivers”, but in truth, if you take the data, it faces value; it only compares “FSD with human supervision to human drivers.”

Electrek’s Take

I find it increasingly difficult to reconcile Elon’s statements with reality. Waymo is currently operating fully driverless commercial services in multiple major cities. Tesla is still testing a Level 2 driver-assist system that requires constant human attention.

Apple and oranges.

We are looking at two companies. One has nearly 100 million miles of documented, driverless driving with specific, published safety data showing it is safer than humans. The other has zero driverless miles, vague safety reports that rely on proxies like airbag deployments, and a CEO who has been promising “next year” for a decade.

For Elon to look at Waymo, which is currently operating the exact service Tesla has been trying to build for years, and say they “never had a chance” is baffling.

To put it in terms that a racing enthusiast like Elon might understand: He thinks Tesla is leading the race because he can see Waymo in his rear-view mirror. What he doesn’t realize is that he isn’t ahead; he’s actually being lapped.

When a car is a full lap ahead of you, it appears behind you on the track. But that doesn’t mean you are winning.

I understand that he believes that Tesla’s cheaper system will enable it to scale faster once it solves unsupervised self-driving, but there’s simply no evidence of that.

If Tesla removes the safety drivers from its fleet in three weeks, as Musk claims, which is a big if, it will officially be about 5 years behind Waymo and will still need to prove safety without a supervisor and then scale.

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Bo M2 review: The premium e-scooter unlike anything I’ve ever tested before

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Bo M2 review: The premium e-scooter unlike anything I've ever tested before

I’ve ridden a lot of electric scooters over the years. Most blur together – two wheels, a deck, a motor, and a series of compromises. But every now and then, one stands out. And after a couple of weeks riding the Bo M2 electric scooter, I can confidently say: this one’s different.

The Bo M2 is not your average e-scooter. It’s a purpose-built, premium commuter with some seriously refined features – and a price tag to match. At $2,490, it’s firmly in high-end territory. But for riders who want a serious transportation tool, not a toy, there’s a lot to like here.

Bo M2 scooter review

To see what I mean, check out my ride review video below. Then keep reading for even more details on this innovative electric scooter!

What makes the Bo M2 stand out?

Let’s start with the construction. The M2 is built around a single-piece aluminum unibody frame, which the company calls the Monocurve chassis, and it’s beautiful. No welds, no hinges, no rattling folding mechanisms. Just one sweeping curve of aluminum that feels solid as a rock and helps explain the scooter’s clean, futuristic aesthetic.

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This thing looks more like a design concept from a European mobility expo than something you’d expect to lock up outside a coffee shop. But it’s not just for looks (even if it does look beautiful). The rigid frame gives the whole scooter a planted, roadworthy feel. It doesn’t flex, wobble, or creak, even when you’re riding aggressively or hitting uneven pavement.

Even the most rigid of folding scooters will always have a bit of play in the folding area, but the Bo M2 just feels like a solid frame throughout – more like a motorcycle frame than a standing scooter frame.

And speaking of stability, let’s talk about the real magic trick here: the steering system.

The best handling I’ve ever felt on a scooter

The Bo M2 uses a proprietary feature the company calls Safesteer, which is essentially a built-in steering damper. Think of it as power steering for a scooter – but in reverse. Instead of making the steering looser or twitchier, it actually adds some light resistance and dampens those small, unwanted wobbles you often get when riding one-handed or over rough terrain. The result is that the bars don’t wiggle and they also naturally have a slight return pull towards the neutral position.

The effect is genuinely impressive. You can feel it from the first few feet of riding. At slow speeds, the front end feels calm and composed, not fidgety or loose. At high speeds, it tracks in a straight line with an almost eerie smoothness. I can even ride the scooter no-handed like a bicycle or motorcycle, though it just feels wrong to do so because I’ve spent my entire life knowing that you can’t ride a scooter no-handed… at least until now.

It’s one of those features you don’t realize you need until you experience it – and now I wish every scooter had it.

For newer riders or anyone who’s ever felt nervous about steering on a scooter, Safesteer is a game changer. And for experienced riders, it just makes the whole ride feel more premium.

Performance and range

The Bo M2 uses a 400W-rated motor with an actual peak output of 1,270W, and it delivers a top speed of 22 mph (35 km/h). That’s fast enough for most urban commuting in the bike lane and likely more than enough to keep pace with bike traffic.

It’s not going to pace a Class 3 e-bike in the US, but it’s still pretty fast for riding along on 10×2.5″ tires.

Acceleration is strong but not jerky, especially in Sport mode, which gives you full power. There’s also an Eco mode if you want to conserve battery or ride more gently. I mostly stuck with Sport mode, since it’s fun without feeling twitchy.

Range is rated at up to 26.2 miles (42 km), or one marathon, and while that’s best-case scenario, I could get over 20 miles (32 km) per charge riding at mixed speeds in the city. I’d call that sufficient for most daily commuters, and the 672 Wh battery charges in about 4.5 hours with the included fast charger.

Braking and control

Bo takes a slightly different approach to braking than most scooters. Up front, you get a sealed mechanical drum brake. Out back, there’s a regenerative electronic brakes with e-ABS that activates when you pull the left lever. The regenerative braking can pull as much as 1,000W of power, helping to (briefly) recharge the battery during each stop.

Braking is smooth and progressive, and the regen system is particularly satisfying. It slows the scooter down quickly and recaptures a bit of energy while doing it. Plus, there’s less maintenance to worry about with sealed drums and electronic brakes.

And of course, having the Safesteer system means you can brake hard without worrying about wobble or oversteer. Everything feels composed, like it was designed by automotive engineers… since it was.

Ride quality, comfort, and details

The ride comfort on the Bo M2 is among the best I’ve experienced on a scooter without full suspension. Part of that is due to the Airdeck system, which is a layer of EVA foam that adds vibration damping to the standing deck. Combined with the 10-inch tubeless pneumatic tires and ergonomic silicone grips, it smooths out a surprising amount of road chatter.

It’s not a plush, bouncy ride as you’d get with spring suspension, but it feels deliberate and connected to the road, like riding a high-quality urban bicycle. This will absolutely not make up for big pot holes, but it will feel better on normal rough roads then a typical rigid scooter. You’re giving up the advantages of long travel suspension for the benefit of rigidity, and the Airdeck system helps make swallowing that compromise a bit easier.

There are also a lot of thoughtful features that make the M2 feel like a real vehicle. The 800-lumen headlight is excellent, and the 270° daytime running light ring makes the scooter more visible from all angles. The rear light includes a brake alert, and everything is IP66-rated, so riding in the rain is no problem. Or at least it’s not a problem for the scooter. I’d still recommend you not ride in the rain unless you have to since its harder to be seen by cars and you do have to worry about loosing traction on slick surfaces like wet leaves, smooth pavement, etc.

The scooter comes with a MOUS Intralock phone mount (which I didn’t use because I’m married to the Peak Design phone lock system, but they do include an adapter if you want to stick it to the back of your own phone case). There’s also lockable anchor points for a U-lock and a built-in motor immobilizer that you can activate via the Bo smartphone app, giving you a bit more peace of mind in terms of theft prevention.

Is it worth the price?

At $2,490, the Bo M2 is definitely not cheap. You can get solid e-scooters for less than half that price. And so I will immediately tell you that this is not the scooter for everyone, or even most people. This is not a bang-for-your-buck scooter. This is something fancy for those who want to pay more for fancier features like steering dampers and a design that speaks to things no other scooter ever has.

This is a commuter-grade vehicle for someone who wants to ditch the car or bus and ride something premium, daily. And it genuinely delivers on that promise.

If you’re looking to spend less, Bo also offers the Bo M1, which shares much of the same design DNA but has lower power and a slightly reduced spec sheet. It starts at $1,990, saving around $500 compared to this higher spec version. But after riding the M2, I’d say the upgrade is worth it if you want the best experience.

And if you’re considering a Bo scooter at all, let’s just say that money probably isn’t your first concern. A scooter that was brought to you by former engineers at outfits like Jaguar and Land Rover was never going to be designed to compete on price, but rather on premium features and design.

Final thoughts

The Bo M2 is one of the most refined electric scooters I’ve ever tested. It’s beautifully built, thoughtfully engineered, and loaded with features that actually make a difference in day-to-day riding.

The steering damper alone puts it in a league of its own for ride stability, and the unibody aluminum frame gives it a level of build quality that most folding scooters can’t touch.

No, it’s not for everyone. If you just need a cheap ride for a few blocks, this is 100% overkill. But if you’re serious about getting something premium, you definitely want the standing ride of an e-scooter, and you want a daily commuter that feels more like a transportation appliance than a toy, the Bo M2 is worth every penny.

And with a scooter that rides this smoothly, you might actually look forward to your commute.

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