Tesla told employees today that it will do another pay adjustment, a second in a few weeks, after employees expressed disappointment with the last one.
But the automaker has now delayed the second pay increase, which is happening amid the CEO, Elon Musk, asking for a historic compensation package.
Tesla recently announced the annual wage increases for employees across the company following annual reviews.
Much has been said about Tesla factory workers getting pay bumps following the auto workers union’s win over the Big Three Automakers, putting more pressure on non-unionized automakers like Tesla.
However, not all Tesla employees have been happy with the pay adjustments.
The pay increase was also less than anticipated for hourly employees amid the high inflation environment.
Tesla employees have reached out to express those concerns.
A Tesla employee told Electrek about the impact of the reduced stock compensation:
This has had a severe impact with morale within the engineers at the company, since the increase in compensation hasn’t made up for the amount inflation as gone up over the last year. There has been significantly more discussions “at the bar” between engineers about compensation than seen in the past. Especially with a lot of high performers leaving for significantly higher pay by going to competitors. This is additional leaving holes in certain groups that haven’t been able to backfill. Newer employees also don’t believe that their current starting equity will have the same explosion that those who have been with the company pre-2019 have seen.
Apparently, Tesla heard some of those concerns and on January 1st, the company sent an email to employees letting them know that it will do another pay adjustment.
Tesla wrote in that email:
Thank you for sharing your feedback on the recent pay adjustments. We value your feedback and have decided to do another comprehensive review of our variable rate pay bands and the increases that were provided to ensure we get it right. Our goal is to provide market-competitive pay and benefits so we can retain the great, skilled talent we have.
Any adjustments that were already communicated will still go into effect on January 8 and we will update you by January 15 on any additional changes. As always, Tesla is a pay-for-performance company and employees must maintain good performance to be eligible for market adjustments. Thank you for your patience and sharing your feedback with us directly.
However, the January 15 deadline came and employees didn’t receive an updated pay adjustment.
Hourly employees were told that Tesla would need another two weeks to do a “market review”.
Electrek obtained the email sent to employees earlier this week:
It’s important to us that these decisions are made thoughtfully, so we will follow up in the next two weeks with information about what the market review means for you specifically.
This second wave of pay adjustments at Tesla comes amid the CEO, Elon Musk, himself discussing his own potential new compensation package.
But the CEO is using a negotiation tactic akin to a union threatening a strike, which is ironic considering he is hoping to keep unions away from Tesla.
Musk said that he wants 25% voting power at Tesla, which would require him to roughly double his number of shares in the company. If that doesn’t happen, the CEO said that he would prefer building AI products at his new startup xAI.
The threat is especially problematic as the CEO describes Tesla as an AI/robotics company and even said that Tesla is worth nothing if it doesn’t solve the AI problem with self-driving.
Electrek’s Take
As a Tesla fan, one of my biggest concerns has always been talent retention. Tesla is what it is today, the biggest driving force in the electric revolution, because of the incredible talent at the company.
That’s why it is super frustrating to me when Elon Musk supporters claim that Tesla would die without him:
This is an insult to 150,000 Tesla workers. Tesla in 2024 is certainly not Apple in 1985. The comparaison is ridiculous.
The compensation has been good at Tesla, but that’s mostly due to stock options and the performance of the stock up until 2022.
The company also had the benefit of being an extremely mission-driven organization, which generally attracts talent, and had an inspiring leader in Elon Musk.
But now it feels like all these things that attract and retain talent at Tesla are slowly eroding.
Tesla’s stock performance is down. Stock options are down. Employees are not happy with the pay adjustments. The mission is still there, but it feels like the electric revolution is now well on its way. And finally, there’s Musk, who is increasingly polarizing, and he is asking for Tesla to basically give him back the shares he wasted on buying an overpriced Twitter.
Again, I’m not saying Musk doesn’t deserve a new compensation plan, but the way he asked for it by threatening to divert AI product development from Tesla to xAI should be concerning to Tesla shareholders and employees.
It feels like a dark cloud is over Tesla right now.
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Starting with the 2026 Cadillac Optiq, all future GM EVs will have a built-in NACS port, including the new Chevy Bolt. In the meantime, GM introduced several new charging adapters for current Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EV owners.
GM launches new NACS adapters for EVs
You know how the iPhone seems to get a new plug every year? GM compared the transition to NACS to the evolution of USB-C in smartphones and laptops and the HDMI standard for TVs.
With a similar movement with EV charging transitioning to the NACS standard, GM aims to make the transition as seamless as possible.
Starting with the 2026 Optiq, Cadillac’s new entry-level electric SUV, all future GM EVs will be equipped with an NACS charge point as standard. And yes, that does include the upcoming 2027 Chevy Bolt EV, which is expected to make its official debut by the end of the year.
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The company introduced four new chargers this week to “help ensure that every customer can navigate this transition,” including NACS-to-CSS, CSS-to-NACS, and several others.
2026 Cadillac Optiq EV (Source: Cadillac)
GM’s new adapters are mainly designed to help drivers access Tesla’s Supercharger Network. However, the company is also offering an adapter for NACS-equipped EVs to connect to its Level 2 PowerShift home charger. Another adapter for NACS-equipped models enables vehicle-to-home (V2H) capabilities.
The new adapters are in addition to the NACS DC Adapter that GM began selling last year, so drivers could use Tesla Superchargers.
To help you understand which adapter you need, GM has created a helpful graphic. Although it may seem like a lot, the new adapters are really just designed to help current owners get the best charging experience while GM works to add native NACS ports to all its upcoming EVs.
GM electric vehicle adapters (Source: GM)
With over 46,000 electric vehicles sold in the second quarter, GM is starting to chip away at Tesla’s dominant lead in the US. Thanks to the new Equinox EV, or “America’s most affordable 315+ range EV,” Chevy became the fastest-growing electric vehicle brand in the US earlier this year.
With leases starting at just $279 a month, the Chevy Equinox EV is hard to pass up right now. If you want to test out one of GM’s electric vehicles for yourself, you can use our links below to find Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EVs near you.
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ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT) and Eaton just unveiled ChargePoint Express Grid, powered by Eaton, a V2X‑ready ultrafast EV charging platform with full‑site power gear that pushes passenger EV charging up to 600 kW and brings megawatt‑level power for heavy‑duty fleets.
It’s designed to overcome grid constraints and make it easier and cheaper to roll out high‑power charging as more EVs hit the road.
The system is V2G‑enabled and can sync onsite renewables, energy storage, and EV batteries with local energy markets to help fleets cut fueling costs. With participating utilities and at scale, it can also help balance the grid.
How it works
Eaton custom engineers each Express configuration and ships the site‑ready power package, with an optional skid‑mounted setup to speed installation, trim equipment needs, and simplify connections to the grid and distributed energy resources (DERs).
Eaton plans to commercialize solid‑state transformer technology in the next year through its acquisition of Resilient Power Systems to support DC applications for the EV market and beyond.
ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer said the new ChargePoint Express architecture, particularly the Express Grid variant, will “take DC fast charging to levels of performance and cost not previously imagined.” He added, “Combined with Eaton’s end-to-end grid capabilities, ChargePoint is delivering solutions to help EVs win on pure economics, regardless of tax incentives or government support.”
Eaton’s Paul Ryan, vice president and general manager of energy transition, called it “industry‑changing technology” that can be deployed faster while achieving new levels of reliability and efficiency “at a significantly lower cost.”
Express solutions are available to order for select customers in North America and Europe, with deliveries beginning in the second half of 2026.
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Quick specs
Platform: ChargePoint Express Grid, powered by Eaton
Capability: V2X (with integrated V2G)
Power: Up to 600 kW for passenger EVs; megawatt‑level for heavy‑duty
Deployment: Site‑ready power package; optional skid‑mounted configuration
Grid/DER: Built to sync renewables, storage, and vehicle batteries with local energy markets
Timeline: Orders open (select customers, North America & Europe); deliveries start H2 2026
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Only in China can a company specializing in robot vacuums be bold enough to design, manufacture, and sell EVs. Additionally, China is the only place where such a business could actually work. A company named Dreame Technology is transcending smart appliances and wants to deliver ultra-luxury BEVs. Better still, it’s already targeting Bugatti as its main competitor. Dreame big!
Dreame Technology was founded in 2017 with the goal to, per its website, “revolutionize daily life for our global consumers.” Dreame currently offers a number of electronics that do just that, including robot vacuums, robotic pool cleaners, and hair dryers.
Over the last eight years, Dreame has accumulated manufacturing know-how and its team understands much of the technology behind electric mobility, but does that mean it’s capable of transitioning into a bona fide BEV automaker?
We saw Chinese smartphone behemoth Xiaomi, announce a similar strategy back in 2021. Now, a mere four years later, Xiaomi Automobile’s two flagship BEVs are among China’s most sought-after, and the company is setting world speed records with its technology.
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Dreame Technology has likely drawn some inspiration from Xiaomi, but its automotive development plans actually predate the company’s existence. Today, the robot vacuum maker has already assembled a massive team to “Dreame up” its first all-electric model—one it says will compete against the Bugatti Veyron.
Dreame’s current product offering / Source: Dreametech.com
From robot vacuums to luxury EVs? Meet Dreame
As reported by CnEVPost, Dreame Technology officially announced its entry into the ultra-competitive BEV industry in China, beginning with an ultra-luxe model planned for a 2027 debut that will compete against the Bugatti Veyron.
The flagship EV from the robot vacuum developer will be powered by Dreame super motors as well as an intelligent ecosystem that differs from traditional luxury vehicles, enabling “seamless integration” with user smart homes and smartphones. Per Dreame Technology:
Today, Dreame officially announces its entry into automotive manufacturing to build the world’s fastest car.
While Dreame’s decision to evolve beyond robot vacuums and pool cleaners into BEVs may seem hasty, the company explained that its plans for vehicle development actually date back to 2013, four years before the current iteration of the company was established.
Per the company, it has already assembled an automotive team of nearly 1,000 people, which it will continue to expand as development of its flagship BEV model continues. The company added:
We may not be the earliest to embark on this journey, but we will be the most determined.
What do you guys think? Can a robot vacuum company deliver the world’s fastest BEV? Can it even deliver an all-electric model that can compete in China’s saturated market? Xiaomi did it, so there’s hope. This will be a developing story to keep an eye on.
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