The UAW has launched an unprecedented campaign to unionize the entire US auto sector at once, with thousands of auto workers at 13 companies announcing simultaneous unionization campaigns.
After UAW’s big strike win, winning 25%+ pay increases at the “Big Three” American automakers after a simultaneous strike at GM, Ford and Stellantis, the union is looking to maintain that momentum and go bigger.
Immediately after declaring victory, UAW President Shawn Fain said that in the next negotiation in 2028, UAW wants to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate not just with the Big Three, but with “a Big Five or a Big Six” – implying that the union planned to expand to other automakers. And President Biden said that he would support a UAW push to unionize Tesla and Toyota.
Now we’ve seen an official announcement that UAW isn’t just looking to unionize two or three more automakers, but all of them at once. Typically, unionization campaigns focus on a single company at a time, but here UAW is targeting a whole sector with simultaneous campaigns at each individual company. This seems like a tall order, but UAW’s triple-strike against the Big Three seemed to work out well, so it’s now applying that simultaneous tactic to organizing new union drives.
In service of its goal, UAW launched a new website at uaw.org/join, asking workers at each company to sign their union card. The website mentions several automakers by name, and has links to individual campaigns for each automaker where workers can go to express their interest in unionizing:
The campaign was accompanies by a video narrated by Fain making his union pitch. In short, UAW says that automakers and investors are making record profits, but that worker compensation has not kept up. The video specifically mentions Tesla and Rivian’s recent quarterly results, and also states that the Japanese/Korean automakers have combined to make $470 billion in profits, and the German automakers have made an additional $460 billion, in the last ten years.
Since the UAW’s big wins, other automakers have moved to increase pay to (partially) keep up with pay increases at the Big Three. VW, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda have all announced hikes in pay, showing how union wins can buoy an entire industry by making automakers compete for workers with higher pay.
But UAW doesn’t want to stop at a few voluntary pay hikes from other companies, it thinks that unionizing those companies can give workers a better deal. One worker at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant put it thusly:
We’ve lost so much since I started here, and the raise won’t make up for that. It won’t make up for the health benefits we’ve lost, it won’t make up for the wear and tear on our bodies. We still build a quality vehicle. People take pride in that, but morale is at an all-time low. They can give you a raise today and jack up your health benefits tomorrow. A union contract is the only way to win what’s fair.
Jeff Allen, 29-year Toyota assembly worker
UAW also quoted workers at Hyundai, VW, Mercedes and Rivian in its release, focusing on how they think unionization would improve safety and benefits at these automakers.
Much of union popularity has been driven by COVID-related disruptions across the economy, with workers becoming unsatisfied due to mistreatment (labeling everyone “essential,” companies ending work-from-home) and with the labor market getting tighter with over 1 million Americans dead from the virus and another 2-4 million (and counting) out of work due to long COVID.
Unions have seized on this dissatisfaction to build momentum in the labor movement, with successful strikes across many industries and organizers starting to organize workforces that had previously been nonunion.
But union membership has been down over several decades in the US, and as a result, pay hasn’t kept pace with worker productivity and income distribution has become more unequal over time. It’s really not hard to see this influence when you plot these trends against each other.
It’s quite clear that lower union membership has resulted in lower inflation-adjusted compensation for workers, even as productivity has skyrocketed. As workers have produced more and more value for their companies, those earnings have gone more and more to their bosses rather than to the workers who produce that value. And it all began in the 80s, around the time of Reagan – a timeline that should be familiar to those who study social ills in America.
All of this isn’t just true in the US but also internationally. If you look at other countries with high levels of labor organization, they tend to have more fair wealth distribution across the economy and more ability for workers to get their fair share.
We’re seeing this in Sweden right now, as Tesla workers are striking for better conditions. Since Sweden has 90% collective bargaining coverage, it tends to have a happy and well-paid workforce, and it seems clear that these two things are correlated. And while that strike is continuing, meaning we haven’t yet seen the end of it, most observers think that the workers will eventually get what they want since collective bargaining is so strong in that country.
These are all reasons why, as I’ve mentioned in many of these UAW-related articles, I’m pro-union. And I think everyone should be – it only makes sense that people should have their interests collectively represented and that people should be able to join together to support each other and exercise their power collectively instead of individually.
This is precisely what companies do with industry organizations, lobby organizations, chambers of commerce, and so on. And it’s what people do when sorting themselves into local, state, or national governments. So naturally, workers should do the same. It’s just fair.
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In a significant move that marks a departure from its traditional e-bike offerings, Trek has introduced the FX+ 1, its first-ever electric bike equipped with a throttle. This launch responds to growing consumer demand for more versatile and accessible e-biking options, particularly in the North American market.
The FX+ 1 is a hybrid e-bike designed for urban commuting, recreational riding, and light off-road adventures. At its core is a 500W Hyena rear hub motor delivering 60 Nm of torque, providing enough power for various terrain riding, though it might not be able to hang with the wide range of 750W e-bikes cruising US streets. The motor is paired with a UL-certified 540 Wh battery integrated into the downtube, offering a range of up to 50 miles on a single charge.
The top speed can be user-adjusted to either 20 mph or 28 mph (32 km/h or 45 km/h), providing performance that matches the maximum limit for Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes in the US, respectively.
Riders can choose between two versions: the standard FX+ 1, a Class 2 e-bike with pedal assist and throttle support up to 20mph, and the FX+ 1S, a Class 3 variant that extends pedal-assisted speeds up to 28mph while maintaining the same throttle limit.
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The FX+ 1 boasts a lightweight aluminum frame available in both mid-step and high-step configurations, accommodating riders from 5’1” to 6’6”. It rolls on 27.5-inch wheels fitted with 50mm Bontrager GR0 gravel tires, balancing efficiency on pavement with comfort on rougher paths.
The bike includes with integrated front and rear lights, with brake light and turn signal functions as well. Trek even says that once the battery is depleted to 0%, there’s still enough juice left in it to run the bike’s lights for another three hours.
The bike also features an 8-speed Shimano ESSA drivetrain, hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors, and mounts for racks and fenders, improving its utility for daily commutes and errands.
Charging is streamlined through Trek’s new EasyMag magnetic charger, which fully charges the battery in approximately 5.5 hours. The system includes a wall-mountable unit with easy-to-see LED indicators, simplifying the charging process.
Historically, Trek has focused on pedal-assist e-bikes, emphasizing a natural riding experience shying away from throttles that allow riders to power the bike’s motor without any pedaling input. The introduction of a throttle-equipped model signifies a strategic pivot to meet the preferences of many North American e-bike consumers who have long shown a buying preference for e-bikes with throttles..
Taylor Cook, marketing manager for Trek Canada, explained the rationale: “There are a lot of bikes out there calling themselves e-bikes that aren’t really made to be pedaled. This isn’t that. It’s still a Trek bike, built to be ridden, just with an extra bit of help when you need it.”
By entering the throttle e-bike segment, Trek positions itself head-to-head against newer brands that have capitalized on this market niche. The FX+ 1’s combination of reputable build quality, thoughtful design, and relative affordability (for a Trek) at $1,999 makes it a compelling option for a broad range of riders.
Electrek’s Take
The FX+ 1 is certainly an interesting expansion of Trek’s e-bike portfolio, and I think fans will be happy to see the company blending traditional cycling performance with modern electric bike throttles. Its introduction shows that the company is well aware of how many US riders prefer to have a throttle on their e-bike, and has made moves to meet that need.
The fact that Trek’s sister company Electra began including throttles two years ago was likely a great way for Trek to get its feet wet in the throttle game. The company no doubt saw the increase of riders that were flocking to Electra’s throttle-equipped electric bikes and wanted to get a piece of that pie as well.
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That network of dependable high-speed chargers, paired with solid app integration that makes it easy for Tesla drivers to find available chargers just about anywhere in the US, gave the brand a leg up – but no more. By opening up the Supercharger network to brands like Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and others, Tesla has given away its biggest competitive advantage.
Add in charging and route-planning apps like Chargeway, that make navigating the transition from CCS to NACS easier than ever with its intuitive colors and numbers and easy on/off switch for vehicles equipped with NACS adapters, and it feels like the time is right to start suggesting alternatives to the old EV industry stalwarts. As such, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Here, then, are my picks for the best Tesla S3XY (and Cybertruck) alternatives you can buy.
Less Model S, more Lucid Air
Lucid Air sedans; via Lucid.
Developed by OG Tesla Model S engineers with tunes from Annie Get Your Gun playing continuously in their heads, the Lucid Air promises to be the car Tesla should and could have built, if only Elon had listened to the engineers.
With panel fit, material finish, and overall build quality that’s at least as good as anything else in the automotive space, the Lucid Air is a compelling alternative to the Model S at every price level – and I, for one, would take a “too f@#king fast” Lucid Air Sapphire over an “as seen on TV” Model S Plaid any day of the week. And, with Supercharger access reportedly coming later this quarter, Air buyers will have every advantage the Supercharger Network can provide.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Less Model 3, more Hyundai IONIQ 6
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited; via Hyundai.
Hyundai has been absolutely killing it these days, with EVs driving record sales and new models earning rave reviews from the automotive press. Even in that company the IONIQ 6 stands out, with up to 338 miles of EPA-rated range and lickety-quick 350 kW charging available to make road tripping easy – especially now that the aerodynamically efficient IONIQ 6 has Supercharger access through a NACS adapter (the 2026 “facelift” models get a NACS port as standard).
Once upon a time, Mrs. Jo Borrás and I were shopping three-row SUVs and found ourselves genuinely drawn to the then-new Model X. Back then it was the only three-row EV on the market, but it wasn’t Elon’s antics or access to charging, or even the Model X’s premium pricing that squirreled the deal. It was the stupid doors.
We went with the similarly new Volvo XC90 T8 in denim blue, and followed up the big PHEV with a second, three years later, in Osmium Gray. When it’s time to replace this one, you can just about bet your house that the new 510 hp EX90 with 310 miles of all-electric range will be near the top of the shopping list.
The sporty EV6 GT made its global debut by drag racing some of the fastest ICE-powered cars of the day, including a Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG GT, a Porsche, even a turbocharged Ferrari – and it beat the pants off ’em. Combine supercar-baiting speed with an accessible price tag, NACS accessibility, $10,000 in customer cash on remaining 2024 models ($3,000 on 2025s) and just a hint of Lancia Stratos in the styling, the EV6 is tough to beat.
If you disagree with that statement and feel like driving a new Tesla Cybertruck is the key to happiness, I’m not sure an equally ostentatious GMC Hummer EV or more subtle Rivian R1T will help you scratch that particular itch – but maybe therapy might!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
COMMENTER FAVORITES
Not getting the USAF joke.
Projecting obsessions onto the author.
Feeling butthurt about the Pit Vipers and tribal tats.
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Komatsu-Dimag mobile charger at work; rendering via ChatGPT.
There’s no question that electric construction equipment is safer, more precise, and generally better than the diesel equipment it’s replacing, but getting power to that equipment remains a logistical challenge that hasn’t been solved for. With this new mobile Megawatt charging station, however, Komatsu think they’ve found a solution — with up to 6 MW of power!
Developed by Tesla co-founder Ian Wright, Dimaag, and Japanese equipment giant Komatsu, the groundbreaking Mobile Megawatt Charging System (MWCS) promises to bring electricity where it’s needed, anywhere on the job site, then quickly dispense enough energy to get the electric machines under its care back up and running.
And, with Megawatt power delivery on tap, the new Komatsu-Dimaag MWCS can power up equipment assets between shift changes — if it even takes that long!
Komatsu Dimaag mobile charger
Mobile Megawatt charger; via Dimaag.
The MWCS boasts a compact, high-efficiency DC-DC converter and a long-life, high-discharge-rate Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on board that can be connected to a DC fast charger itself, or get “trickle charged” between shifts. Both the battery and its control systems make use of an advanced thermal management solution that Komatsu and Dimaag say optimizes both safety and battery life during high-power delivery.
To make sure the MWCS can get all that power where it needs to, wherever it needs to, the machine is equipped with with stout, construction-grade AT tires, 4-wheel drive, and 4-wheel steering to navigate tight surroundings and rough terrains that other solutions wouldn’t be able to get to. And, while it isn’t mentioned in the press release, there’s a common sense idea here that you could, in a pinch, use the MWCS to tow less capable vehicles out of the mud and snow, if needed.
For their part, it seems like the people at Dimaag are pretty happy with the results. “Dimaag is excited to collaborate with Komatsu, introducing our advanced ESS and DC-DC architecture to revolutionize electrification in construction,” stated Ian Wright, VP Engineering at Dimaag. “Off-road vehicle electrification demands practical solutions that not only meet but exceed the performance of equivalent large diesel engine vehicles, while also providing substantial Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings. Dimaag’s electrification and high-power megawatt charging systems are designed to achieve this.”
The prototype MWCS shown, above, features a 295 kWh battery pack and an MCS connector delivering up to 1,500 amps and 1,000 volts of power. Komatsu envisions a scenario wherein the mobile charger makes its rounds on the job site charging up equipment and heading back to grid power (if available) to charge itself.
Conceptually similar to the mobile power platform being developed by American firm Dannar, this new mobile Megawatt charging unit has some heavy-hitting names behind it that make it impossible to ignore. Combine that with Komatsu’s ever-increasing push towards full electrification (the two machines shown, above, are all-new in the last 60 days, with more to come) and it really feels like the MWCS is going to be A Real Thing™️somewhat sooner than later.
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