Audi unveils Q6 e-tron: a new standard for next-gen premium EVs
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Today, Audi is unveiling the Q6 e-tron, a next-gen electric vehicle based on the new PPE platform co-developed by Audi and Porsche.
It is going to compete in the highly popular midsize SUV segment, and when it comes to specs and design, I think the German brand has a winner. But pricing is not available yet.
Disclosure: Audi paid for my flights to and from Munich, and my hotel stay so that I could get a “sneak preview” of the Q6 e-tron. The company had no say in our reporting, nor did it ask to.
Last week, Audi brought a bunch of auto journalists and myself to Munich to get briefed on the PPE platform, a new EV platform co-developed by Audi in Porsche, and get a first look at the German brand’s first vehicle built on it: the Q6 etron.
Electrek already checked out the Porsche Macan EV, the other PPE-based vehicle coming to market this year, but we are excited to see Audi’s own take on it.
While several legacy automakers are pulling back on their electrification plans, I made sure to poke around last week and gauge the German company’s own level of commitment to its electrification effort. I was pleased to hear that Audi is still committed to stopping launching new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2027 and going all-electric by 2033.
The launch of the Q6 e-tron makes this much more realistic as it not only comes based on a next-gen EV platform bringing a lot of improvements compared to Audi’s other EV platforms, but it also completes its SUV EV lineup with the Q4 e-tron and Q8 e-tron.
Audi Q6 e-tron’s new PPE platform tech
My main complaint about Audi’s electric vehicles was their efficiency. There were a few reasons for that. The automaker was, and still is to a lesser degree, fairly conservative with a big buffer on its battery packs.
Of course, Audi also makes premium SUVs packed with features, which makes it quite a challenge to achieve a high level of efficiency.
But with the PPE, Audi is benefiting from a much more efficient electric powertrain that helps make the Q6 e-tron much more efficient than previous generations.
At the battery level, PPE includes improvements at every stage, from the cells to the pack:

Audi is now using much more energy-dense CATL NMC cells in a prismatic form factor. It also increased the size of its modules with 15 cells per module and 12 modules per pack.
At the pack level, Audi’s PPE pack is more efficient in design with a new thermal management system.
For the Q6, the battery pack has a total capacity of 100 kWh and a useful capacity of 94.9 kWh:

The European market will get a version with the two middle modules removed for a total capacity of 83 kWh, but like with its other electric SUVs, Audi doesn’t believe that it’s worth bringing vehicles with shorter ranges to market in the US.
At the drive unit level, Audi has also made some major improvements with the PPE platform both on the power and torque density and with efficiency:

This was achieved through a bunch of improvements to advanced cooling and lubrification systems, amongst other things.
With the Q6, Audi is using an asynchronous motor on the front axel and a permanent magnet motor on the rear.
Audi has also improved battery preconditioning,w which now has an even greater impact on charge time:

The automaker already had a great charging curve, but it now says that the new battery pre-conditioning can shave off 18 minutes of charging in cold temperatures.
Speaking of cold temperatures, the Q6 is equipped with a new heat pump integrated with the powertrain thermal management system:

Heat pumps are a great way to minimize the impact of climate control on range. They are generally seen as particularly useful in colder climates, but Audi has shared some interesting data about their impact.
The automaker claims that the new heat pump in the Q6 e-tron can increase the range by 30 km (~19 miles) between -10°C to 20°C (14°F to 68°F):

Beyond all these efficiency and performance improvements, the PPE also brings scalability and cost improvements.
Audi Q6 e-tron Design
The Q6 is a midsize SUV coming to complete the electrification of Audi’s SUV lineup. It sits between the smaller Q4 and bigger Q8, while being the electric counterpart to the popular Q5.
The brand is doing something where the even numbers are electric and odd numbers ICE.
The Audi Q6 e‑tron has a length of 4,771 millimeters (15.6 ft), a width of 1,993 millimeters (6.5 ft) and a height of 1,648 millimeters (5.4 ft) – making it just a smidge bigger than the popular Tesla Model Y.

The vehicle has an extremely long wheelbase with short overhands and a high front-end – giving it an aggressive-looking stance despite some mostly soft lines on the sides.
It has a well-executed fake grille.
From the back, you can see the more classic Audi look:

You have 10 different wheel design options for the Q6 from 19″ to 21″.
The back also features the new second-generation digital Audi OLED lights. There are some really cool things Audi can do with those, but unfortunately, some of the functionalities, specifically everything with motion, won’t be available in the US due to regulations.
You will still be able to configure some static ‘light signatures’, which is pretty cool.
The front trunk or frunk is nothing huge, but it’s big enough to hold a small piece of luggage or your mobile charger.
It holds 64 liters (2.2 cu ft) of storage space.
The trunk is much more spacious at 526 liters (18.5 cu ft) of storage space with the backseat up. If you fold them down, the storage space increases to up to 1,529 liters (53.9 cu ft).

Moving to the interior, you will find a variety of interesting materials. I was particularly impressed by the version that I saw at the sneak preview, which had some cool cloth and mesh materials, but we were unfortunately told that some wouldn’t make it to the North American version of the car.
Nonetheless, the interior is solid with a large back seat that can comfortably seat people much taller than 6 ft.

You have a center console that folds in the middle and two USB C plugs underneath the rear climate controls.
But the cockpit is where the fun is at. The star of the show is a new curve display that actually consists of two screens: an instrument cluster in front of the driver and a touchscreen at the center of the dash:

There’s also an optional passenger display that has a privacy mode limiting the field of view so that the content is not visible to the driver. It enables the passenger to safely play videos on the screen while the car is moving.
As if that’s not enough, there’s also an optional heads-up display for the driver. It’s one of the best I’ve seen so far. It’s bright and covers a very large area that interacts with its environment, like integrating navigation.
Now, all of these screens are powered by new software built on the Android Automotive operating system. It’s smoother, allows easier and more in-depth software updates, and allows better and faster integration of third-party apps.
This should be a big step up in user experience inside the vehicle.
Audi Q6 e-tron Specs
During the sneak preview, we mainly saw the European versions of the Q6 and their specs, but Audi America has released some official specs and estimates.
For example, the North American market is actually getting more powerful motors on the Q6 e-tron.
Here’s what Audi is releasing so far in terms of specs for the US market:
Q6 e-tron quattro |
SQ6 e-tron | ||
| Horsepower | 315 kW (422 hp) nominal- 340 kW (456 hp) launch control | 360 kW (483 hp) nominal – 380 kW (510 hp) launch control | |
| 0-60 mph Acceleration | Est. 5.0 secs. with launch control | Est. 4.2 secs. with launch control | |
| Top Speed | 210 km/h (130 mph) | 230 km/h (143 mph) | |
| Range | The standard Q6 60 e-tron quattro achieves over 300 miles of range on the EPA test cycle based on preliminary manufacturer estimates. | To be announced later this year. | |
| Charging | DC Fast Charging: 270 kW HPC @ 800 volts, capable of 10-80% SOC in 21 mins.AC Charging: 9.6kW (240V/40A) | DC Fast Charging: 270 kW HPC @ 800 volts, capable of 10-80% SOC in 21 mins.AC Charging: 9.6kW (240V/40A) | |
| Lighting | Due to U.S. regulations, certain lighting functionalities are not available. More information will follow later this year. | Due to U.S. regulations, certain lighting functionalities are not available. More information will follow later this year. | |
When it comes to the range, Audi is only confirming “over 300 miles) on the EPA test cycle, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets much more than that as it is getting 625 km (388 miles) on the WLTP standard.
Audi has always had a strong charging curve in its electric vehicles, and the Q6 e-tron with the PPE platform is no exception.
It’s capable of charging at 270 kW on a 800-volt system and 135 kW on bank charging on 400-volt.
But the really impressive thing is how the powertrain is able to keep the high charge rate at a high state of charge. Here’s the full charge curve:

The Q6 e-tron also has a strong 220 kW regenerative braking, and to our enjoyment, Audi is bringing a true one-pedal driving experience to the Q6 e-tron. You can choose between 4 different levels of regen braking with the top one allowing for one-pedal driving and a complete stop.
The electric SUV also comes with adaptive cruise control powered by a front camera, radar, and ultrasonic radars.
Exact pricing and availability have not been released just yet, but it is coming to Europe in the next few months and in North America toward the end of the year.
As for pricing, Audi has limited its communication to “between the Q4 and Q8,” which starts at $50,995 and $73,700, respectively.
No NACS for the Audi Q6 e-tron
This is a real bummer, but it’s not too bad, considering it might be the only real objective downside to this new entry from the German brand. Everything else is either great or subjective.
You also can’t really blame Audi, as it is more of a timing issue than anything. The automaker has announced plans to adopt NACS in North America, but the Q6 is coming a bit too soon for integration, which will come to new vehicles coming in 2025.
Owners are going to have to use an adapter to access the Supercharger network.
On the bright side, the Q6 e-tron has a great charging curve and also two charge ports. The DC-capable driver-side charge port is well located for the Supercharger network, and the passenger charge port is great for street charging.
Electrek’s Take
If you can’t tell yet, I really like this SUV. I only drove it for a few minutes, and it was a nice fully-loaded SQ6 with air suspension, so my driving impressions aren’t worth that much, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Audi is selling about 75,000 Q5 SUVs a year in the US now, and it expects the Q6 to take over that market as it transitions entirely to EVs over the next 10 years.
That’s a big and scary transition for a legacy automaker, but I think the Q6 e-tron should give them confidence going into it. Based on everything I’ve seen so far, it is highly competitive on the higher end of this segment. Emphasis on higher end. This is very much a premium and highly customizable vehicle.
The PPE platform looks like a solid base on which Audi built an interesting design packed with high-tech features, from the lighting to the HUD to the Android-based OS.
Obviously, Model Y comparisons are going to come since it’s now the world’s best-selling vehicle, and it also competes in the midsize SUV segment. During its own sneak preview in Germany last week, Audi itself identified the Model Y as a competitor.
That said, I don’t expect it to compete price-wise, especially in the US, since Audi doesn’t have access to the tax credit as it doesn’t have a US factory. If it does compete with the Model Y, it will mainly shave some demand off the top from customers looking for a more premium experience.
The Q6 e-tron will likely start at closer to ~$60,000, and you will be able to add options probably close to $80,000.
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Environment
Anker SOLIX Halloween Sale takes up to 63% off camping-ready solutions from $279, Lectric XP Trike2 750 with $661 in FREE gear, more
Published
2 hours agoon
October 20, 2025By
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Kicking off this week’s Green Deals, we have the newly launched Anker SOLIX Halloween Sale that is taking up to 63% off power stations, like the new SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station and bundles starting from its second-best rate of $398, among others. We are also shining a spotlight back on Lectric’s ongoing Spooky Sale, particularly on the Long-Range XP Trike2 750 that is getting its largest bundle of $661 in FREE gear (a $558 bundle + $103 in mystery gifts) at $1,799. There’s also EcoFlow’s latest 48-hour Halloween flash sale that is taking up to 68% off four offers, a 2-in-1 Worx lawncare solution, and more waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page, rounded up into our latest edition of Electrified Weekly.
Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
Anker SOLIX Halloween Sale takes up to 63% off camping-ready units, like the new C1000 Gen 2 station at $398
Anker SOLIX has officially launched its Halloween Sale through the upcoming holiday, giving you ample time to take advantage of the up to 63% discounts on a collection of power stations and accessories, especially if you missed the Prime Day event. Among the lineup, we spotted the brand’s new C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station dropping down to $397.99 shipped this time, which also happens to match its pricing at Amazon. While it has been carrying a $799 MSRP since hitting the market at the top of September, we’ve been seeing it regularly keep down near $449, with Prime Day delivering the biggest discount to $379, while today’s $401 markdown from its MSRP gives you the second-best price we have tracked. Learn more about it by heading below or checking out our hands-on tested review here, and be sure to also checking out the early-bird savings on the new SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 power station here.
The first of Anker’s new gen 2 backup power solutions, the SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 power station comes as a lighter and more compact unit over the original C1000 model (which is sitting at the same price). Trading in its modular expandability for this decrease in size, it sports a 1,024Wh LiFePO4 battery that delivers up to 2,000W of steady power to devices and appliances, surging up to 3,000W as needed. There are 10 port options you’ll have to choose from: five AC, two 140W USB-C, one 15W USB-C, one 12W USB-A, and one 120W car output.
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Charging times on this new model have been sped up, with its AC input allowing for a faster 49-minute charge time to get the battery back to full. There’s also options to connect to a gas generator (providing passthrough charging), utilizing up to a maximum 600W solar input, using both AC and solar simultaneously, or by plugging into your car’s auxiliary port. You can get a rundown on what mine has been keeping powered in our hands-on tested review.
Anker SOLIX Halloween Sale C1000 series deals:
- C1000 Gen 1 (1,056Wh) power station: $398 (Reg. $999) | matched at Amazon
- C1000 Gen 2 (1,024Wh) power station: $398 (Reg. $799) | matched at Amazon
- C1000 Gen 1 (1,056Wh) with water-resistant bag: $529 (Reg. $899) | $26 cheaper at Amazon
- C1000 Gen 2 (1,024Wh) with 100W solar panel: $629 (Reg. $1,298) | $11 more at Amazon
- C1000 Gen 2 (1,024Wh) with 200W panel and water-resistant bag: $759 (Reg. $1,698)
- C1000 Gen 1 (2,112Wh) with expansion battery: $838 (Reg. $1,798) | matched at Amazon
- C1000 Gen 1 (2,112Wh) with expansion battery and 100W panel: $949 (Reg. $2,097)
- C1000 Gen 1 (2,112Wh) with expansion battery and 200W panel: $1,098 (Reg. $2,347)
- And much more…
Anker’s other camping-ready SOLIX Halloween Sale deals:
Anker’s SOLIX Halloween Sale electric cooler deals:
You can check out Anker’s full SOLIX Halloween Sale lineup here on the landing page, which includes the larger home backup units. Be sure to also check out the early-bird deals of up to 50% discounts on the brand’s upcoming SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station ahead of its launch next week.

Lectric Spooky Sale offers largest $661 bundle of FREE gear with the new long-range XP Trike2 750 at $1,799
The Lectric Spooky Sale is in full swing with up to $762 in savings being taken off its e-bike bundles with bonus FREE mystery gifts on select models, making it a great time to upgrade your commute. Among the lineup that includes some of the biggest bundles on the XP4 750 e-bikes, we also spotted the biggest packages on the brand’s new Long-Range XP Trike2 750 getting $558 in FREE gear + $103 in FREE mystery gifts at $1,799 shipped, while the standard XP Trike2 is getting $257 in FREE gear at $1,299 shipped. The newer model just hit the scene back in August and has seen bundles of $493 and $455 accompany purchases so far. This sale is now increasing the savings with the largest bundles of free gear – $661 in total – which includes the two mystery gifts, front and rear cargo baskets, an upgraded saddle with a backrest, an Elite headlight upgrade, and a suspension seat post.
If you want to learn more about the XP Trike2’s capabilities, as well as the full lineup of deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this sale here.

EcoFlow 48-hour flash sale drops expanded DELTA 2 bundle with 2x 110W solar panels to $919 low, more from $129
As part of EcoFlow’s ongoing Halloween Sale, you can find the next of the event’s 48-hour flash sales live, with up to 68% discounts on four different offers. Among them, we spotted the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station getting an extra battery and two 110W solar panels at $919 shipped, which is not available as a bundle on Amazon. Carrying a $2,646 MSRP, we’ve seen the costs previously taken lowest to $939 during the brand’s Prime Day Sale event that ended last week. Through October 21, however, you can pick up this solar-capable bundle with even more savings – $1,727 off the MSRP – while this flash offer lasts, giving you the best price we have tracked to date.
If you want to learn more about this well-rounded bundle, or the other offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of this flash sale here.

Keep weeds tamed and lines clean with Worx’s GT3.0 20V 12-inch cordless string trimmer/edger at $75
Amazon is offering the Worx GT3.0 20V 12-inch Cordless PowerShare String Trimmer/Edger with 2.0Ah battery at $74.99 shipped. While it carries a $130 MSRP, we’ve been seeing it keep down at $119 over the year, with it recently holding lower at $79 since late August, and some occasional drops as low as $70. We saw that low price back at the top of September, with today’s deal landing just $5 higher, giving you the second-best price we have tracked, which even beats out its Prime Day pricing from two weeks ago. You’ll also find this tool coming with two 2.0Ah batteries for $110, if you want extended runtimes.
If you want to learn more about this 2-in-1 tool, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.




Best Fall EV deals!
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (camo) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $3,048 (Reg. $3,298)
- Velotric Nomad 2X e-bike (sage or fig) with DELTA 3 Plus station: $2,948 (Reg. $3,298)
- Heybike Hero 750W Mid-Drive Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (return low): $2,299 (Reg. $3,099)
- Rad Power Radster Road Commuter e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Rad Power Radster Trail Off-Road e-bike: $1,999 (Reg. $2,199)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 35Ah Cargo e-bike w/ up to $762 bundle: $1,999 (Reg. $2,761)
- Heybike Hero 1,000W Carbon-Fiber All-Terrain e-bike (new low): $1,899 (Reg. $2,599)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (gray or white) with DELTA 2 station: $1,898 (Reg. $2,198)
- Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike (mango or blue) with DELTA 2 station: $1,828 (Reg. $2,198)
- Rad Power RadRunner Plus Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,799 (No price cut)
- Lectric XP Trike2 750 Long-Range eTrike with $558 bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,357)
- Rad Power RadExpand 5 Plus Folding e-bike (lowest price): $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 26Ah Cargo e-bike w/ $613 bundle: $1,799 (Reg. $2,412)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Long-Range Off-Road e-bike with $404 bundle: $1,699 (Reg. $2,103)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike with extra battery: $1,599 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Abound Cargo e-bike: $1,599 (Reg. $1,999)
- Ride1Up VORSA Modular Multi-Use e-bike: $1,595 (Reg. $1,695)
- Rad Power RadRunner Cargo Utility e-bike with extra battery: $1,499 (No pirce cut)
- Lectric XPeak 2.0 Standard Off-Road e-bike with $247 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,746)
- Lectric XP Trike2 with $257 bundle: $1,499 (Reg. $1,756)
- Rad Power RadWagon 4 Cargo e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon Aventure 2 All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,999)
- Lectric XPedition 2.0 13Ah Cargo e-bike with $346 bundle: $1,399 (Reg. $1,745)
- Aventon Level 2 Commuter e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,899)
- Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat Tire e-bike: $1,399 (Reg. $1,599)
- Heybike ALPHA All-Terrain e-bike: $1,499 (Reg. $1,699)
- Hiboy TITAN Pro Electric Scooter (new model, code HSTP10): $1,350 (Reg. $2,000)
- Lectric XPress 750 Commuter e-bikes with $439 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,703)
- Lectric XP4 750 LR Folding Utility e-bikes with up to $514 bundle: $1,299 (Reg. $1,813)
- Heybike Hauler Dual-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $1,299 (Reg. $1,899)
- Heybike Mars 2.0 Folding Fat-Tire e-bike with extra battery: $1,199 (Reg. $1,848)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 JW Black LR e-bike with $414 bundle: $1,099 (Reg. $1,513)
- Hiboy TITAN Electric Scooter (new model, code HST9): $1,001 (Reg. $1,700)
- Lectric XP4 Standard Folding Utility e-bikes with $79 bundle: $999 (Reg. $1,078)
- Lectric XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes with $414 bundles: $999 (Reg. $1,438)
- Heybike Hauler Single-Battery Cargo e-bike (new low): $899 (Reg. $1,413)
- Segway E3 Pro Electric Scooter: $600 (Reg. $700)

Best new Green Deals landing this week
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
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Environment
Two biggest advisory firms urge ‘no’ vote on Elon Musk’s ridiculous $1T pay day
Published
2 hours agoon
October 20, 2025By
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The two largest independent advisory firms, Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis, have both recommended a “no” vote on the proposed pay package for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, citing many concerns about shareholder dilution and other terms of the plan.
In September, Tesla’s board proposed a stock award worth up to $1 trillion for CEO Elon Musk. It includes several milestones regarding Tesla stock and product performance, each of which unlocks tens of billions of dollars for Musk.
It’s the largest award proposed for any CEO of any company by multiple orders of magnitude – with previous proposed Musk awards holding the second and third place positions as well.
In addition to that much-reported proposal, another proposal is up for a vote which would create a special share reserve of 208 million shares (current value $92 billion) which the Tesla board can give to Elon Musk with no string attached.
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Both proposals will be voted on by TSLA shareholders at Tesla’s shareholder meeting on November 6.
There are a lot of details and history behind this proposal which we at Electrek have covered extensively. Most recently, I went over most of the details of the stock award in this article: Elon Musk’s $1 trillion stock award gets more ridiculous the more you look into it.
But now, both of the largest independent advisory companies have chimed in to point out concerns about the proposals in front of shareholders.
ISS and Glass Lewis state concerns with Musk pay packages
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis are “proxy advisory” companies, both of which who do research and analysis of company proposals and then make recommendations to shareholders about how to vote for them.
Company boards often have their own recommendation on an issue, which may or may not be the best for shareholders – especially if those boards are lacking in independence, and may make recommendations that favor management personally over shareholders as a whole. So, it’s important for independent outside advisors to have a look at proposals and give their take.
Proxy advisory firms are generally less interested in the specifics of what industry a company is in, and just want to ensure good corporate governance – independent and diverse boards, appropriate executive compensation, and so on.
These recommendations are often followed by institutional investors – banks and other large companies that hold large chunks of shares in many companies, many of which they won’t track deeply. So they hire advisory firms to help them make decisions on votes.
ISS and Glass Lewis combined make up the vast majority of the proxy advisory market, so when they make recommendations, it can sway a lot of votes.
And, in looking at the proposals in front of Tesla investors for this year’s shareholder meeting, both of them have stated significant concerns.
On Friday, ISS stated that while it recognizes Musk’s “track record and vision” and the board’s intent to retain him for those reasons, the pay package “locks in extraordinarily high pay opportunities over the next ten years” and “reduces the board’s ability to meaningfully adjust future pay levels.”
It also pointed out that the proposal is designed in such a way as to allow extremely high pay for Musk even if most milestones aren’t achieved, and stated that its “astronomical” size would dilute shareholder value and voting rights.
Glass Lewis’ recommendation counters Tesla board on most proposals
Electrek obtained a full copy of Glass Lewis’ report, but not of ISS’.
Today, Glass Lewis echoed ISS’ statement, saying that dilution to shareholders “warrants significant concern.” It recommended shareholders to vote against all three pay-related proposals (2, 3 and 4), and to vote against re-election of board members Ira Ehrenpreis and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, though it did recommend voting for the re-election of Joseph Gebbia.
Glass Lewis calls proposal 3 “particularly concerning,” as it ties a 208 million share award for Musk to the creation of a pool of 60 million shares for all other Tesla employees combined, and notes that the employee pool is only necessitated by the board’s previous action draining the pool of shares for employees and giving them all to Musk. It suggests that shareholders vote down this proposal, and that the company put up a separate, clean proposal to refill the employee pool.
And proposal 4, the $1 trillion award, is noted as being excessively dilutive for current shareholders and allowing too much concentration of ownership into Musk’s hands, along with producing more “key man risk” for Tesla. Glass Lewis states that attaching Tesla’s future so inextricably with Musk’s is risky, given his “vast and varied interests,” and suggests it would be reasonable to “sets parameters that limit the key man risk to which shareholders are exposed,” which the company has chosen not to do.
It also notes concern over promising billions of dollars of awards to Musk for doing some of the most basic things that a CEO is meant to do, such as developing a succession plan. Shareholders should “reasonably be concerned that the committee feels the need to compel Mr. Musk to perform such duties, particularly at such cost to shareholders.”
The milestones involved in the award are noted as potentially being easy to achieve, particularly given that the board can decide on a whim to grant a tranche of stock even if a product milestone isn’t reached, if market realities have changed between now and then (a “covered event”) resulting in those product milestones becoming unrealistic. The board is given significant discretion in this matter.
Finally, Glass Lewis points out the danger of allowing Musk to vote his entire ownership stake in favor of his own pay, which was not the case in the last shareholder vote over Musk’s pay. This means essentially a free 15% head-start on the vote, due purely to Musk’s own shares. Glass Lewis cites surveys of its clients and others, stating that a majority of both shareholders and non-investors think that executives should not be able to vote on their own pay packages in stating that Musk’s ability to vote on this proposal does not align with market expectations.
Glass Lewis also stated its concerns with a proposal for Tesla to invest in xAI. xAI is a private company which Musk started started to compete with Tesla (and is currently subject to a lawsuit for that reason). Glass Lewis said that this matter should be decided by the board, not shareholders.
In sum, Glass Lewis’ recommendations ran counter to the Tesla’s board recommendation in almost every case. The only proposals they agreed on are the election of Gebbia, ratification of Tesla’s auditor, and proposals 8 and 9, two shareholder proposals recommending Tesla adopt standards on sustainability and child labor.
Tesla responds by lashing out with attacks
Tesla has, expectedly, responded with attacks against both firms.
Both ISS and Glass Lewis have recommended “no” votes on Musk’s pay packages in the past, citing similar concerns over their size and the amount of dilution which they would cause to shareholders. And Tesla has spoken out against the two firms in those instances.
In this instance, Tesla attacked ISS, suggesting that its status as a disinterested advisor (which does not hold shares in the company) somehow makes it less capable of seeing the reality of the situation. It also notes past shareholder votes on other proposals, which were different from the proposals on the table today.
And after Glass Lewis’ recommendation today, Tesla levied another attack, making similar points about votes on past proposals, rather than the proposals in front of shareholders today.
Separately, Tesla also attacked a group of pension funds which are invested in TSLA, mocking them for having returns of 7-13% (which, collectively, is above average for large stable funds). Tesla even hired an outside PR company to publicize this attack.
Electrek’s Take
We’ve been clear here, over and over, about how ridiculous this stock plan is.
However, despite it seeming ridiculous at first glance, it only gets more ridiculous the deeper you look into it.
I went over it all this weekend in the article mentioned above, Elon Musk’s $1 trillion stock award gets more ridiculous the more you look into it. It’s long, but if you want more detail, that’s the place to go.
In short, the analyses presented by these outside firms looking at Tesla’s shareholder proposals, and the environment around them, are clear-headed and made in the interest of Tesla shareholders. If shareholders actually read the letters or analyses involved with their own interests in mind, they will likely be persuaded.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s responses have been filled with the sort of language that someone would expect out of an entity that is trying to deceive – the sort of language we’ve gotten used to in our politics. They read as campaign messages or advertising efforts, not as the result of deep analysis. And Musk also threatened his own company just yesterday, once again, in the hope that shareholders will feel trapped enough that they vote to retain him.
If the only place people read about this is on twitter, which Elon Musk bought for the purpose of spreading his own propaganda and shutting down dissent, they might get one sense of what the proposals mean. In that upside-down world, TSLA investors can only benefit as the stock goes up, and Musk only benefits if the stock goes up.
But looking into the actual details of the proposals, it becomes apparent that Musk can get awarded with a larger payday than any CEO ever for doing nothing at all, that that award comes at the cost of every other Tesla employee and the voting rights of every Tesla shareholder, and that better options are available which would maintain the rights of Tesla investors while also compensating its CEO (whose performance has been exceptionally bad recently).
But those options have not been provided to shareholders to vote on, as Tesla’s board is working more in the benefit of their friend Elon, rather than the benefit of TSLA shareholders as a whole.
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Environment
U.S. and Australia sign critical minerals agreement with $8.5 billion project pipeline
Published
2 hours agoon
October 20, 2025By
admin
U.S. President Donald Trump meets Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 20, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday signed an agreement on critical minerals that includes plans for projects worth a total of up to $8.5 billion.
“There will be $1 billion contributed from Australia and the United States over the next six months with projects that are immediately available,” Albanese told reporters at the White House during a meeting with Trump.
Albanese said there will be three groups of joint projects between the two countries, which will include companies such as Alcoa. The U.S. will invest in rare earths processing in Australia, the prime minister said. One project is a joint venture between Australia, the U.S. and Japan, he said.
“What we’re trying to do here is to take the opportunities which are there,” Albanese told reporters.
China dominates the global rare earths supply chain, particularly refining and processing. The U.S. is dependent on Beijing for rare earths imports. Australia, a close U.S. ally, is one of the few countries in the world other than China that processes rare earths.
“In about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them,” Trump told reporters. The U.S. is also working with other nations to build a supply chain that isn’t dependent on China, the president said.
China-U.S. tensions
China announced strict export controls on rare earths earlier this month, pushing Beijing and Washington to the brink of a renewed trade war. Trump has threatened 100% tariffs on Chinese goods starting Nov. 1 or sooner if Beijing does not back down.
“They threatened us with rare earths, and I threatened them with tariffs, but I could also threaten them with many other things, like airplanes,” Trump said.
Trump confirmed he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month. The U.S. president said he will visit China early next year.
“We had presidents that allowed China and other countries get away with murder,” Trump said. “We’re not going to allow that, but we’re going to have a fair deal. I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with President Xi. We have a great relationship.”
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