Another day, another deeper understanding of the conversations going on behind closed doors as China and the EU approach the negotiating table as they toe the lines of a looming trade war surrounding vehicle imports and anti-subsidy probes of Chinese EVs.
June has been a noteworthy month for global EV market news, as nearly every day, we are delivered a new chapter in an ongoing saga of a looming trade war between China and the European Union.
The dispute between the two global markets began last fall when the EU Commission announced an anti-subsidy probe to determine if Chinese-made EVs imported into Europe were given an unfair advantage due to state-backed funds.
As part of the probe, the EU Commission requested information from several Chinese automakers selling their EVs in Europe, including names like NIO, BYD, XPeng, and state-owned SAIC. Even before the probe results were shared, the EU began threatening tariffs, after the US announced it would quadruple duties on Chinese imports from 25% to 100%.
In retaliation, China threatened tariffs on European imports up to 25%, particularly on gas vehicles from German automakers and other industries. Before sharing its results, the European Commission argued that three Chinese EV automakers, including SAIC, had yet to supply adequate information to the anti-subsidy probe and as a result, would face the highest tariffs (38.1%) on imports.
Across the world, Chinaâs Ministry of Commerce is painting a different picture, calling the requested details of the EUâs anti-subsidy probe of Chinese EVs âunprecedented,â comparing the probe to espionage.
Chinese deem anti-subsidy EV questions spy-like
Per Reuters, Chinaâs Ministry of Commerce has spoken out about the EUâs anti-subsidy probe on EV imports, calling the detailed information demanded from Chinese automakers âunprecedented.â
In a local news conference in China earlier today, Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong said the EU Commission âmandatorily requiredâ Chinese automakers to share advantageous information regarding sourcing raw materials for batteries, manufacturing components, developing sales channels, and their respective pricing.
When asked whether the EU Commission was using the anti-subsidy probe to spy on Chinese EV automakers, Yadong said the following:
The type, scope, and quantity of information collected by the European side was unprecedented and far more than what is required for a countervailing duties investigation.
State media CCTV is pushing a similar âspyâ narrative against Brussels following an article posted Wednesday. During todayâs news conference, Yadong also said that the EUâs claims that Chinese car companies like SAIC did not fully cooperate are âgroundless.â
With Beijing working with European automakers to ease or stop the incoming EV tariffs and the Chinese state media accusing the EU Commission of spying, we appear to have moved beyond brinkmanship and into a potential trade war.
In addition to its own threatened tariffs on EU vehicles imported into China, Beijing has also launched a dumping investigation into EUÂ pork imports, further raising tensions. Meanwhile, Chinese EV automakers who obliged the anti-subsidy EV probe have spoken out against the tariffs but are not wavering on their expansions in the EU markets, no matter what.
Companies like NIO have expressed confidence that they will continue to expand and sell well in Europe, whether they pay duties on each EV import or not.
The EUâs tariffs are expected to take effect on July 4, 2024. This story remains ongoing.
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True to Lamborghiniâs legacy of speed and excess, the first battery-electric vehicle to wear the raging bull is also the fastest of its kind. Only this time, the badge isnât on a car â itâs on a personal watercraft. Meet the all-new Seabob SE63 jet sled.
Co-developed with the Italian supercar brand, the Lamborghini-badged Seabob SE63 features a more powerful jet propulsion system than any of the companyâs existing personal jet sleds, and is fitted with a carbon fiber motor shaft as a further nod to the Italian luxury brandâs high-performance heritage.
The riding experience is not just âa bit fasterâ, but thrillingly intense and unrestrained. Acceleration off the start line delivers an immediate adrenaline rush. Thrust, agility, top speed: everything is designed for maximum performance and pure emotion.Â
The new SE63 backs up those claims with a 6.3 kW (~8.5 hp) electric motor. And, while that hardly makes it a supercar, in the world of ePWCs, itâs enough to make the SE63 a monster. The SE63 also features a bigger, more energy-dense battery than other Seabobs, a combination good for up to 60 minutes of go-fast, water-based fun.
Seabob SE63 Lamborghini
The SE63 can recharge its batteries with a standard power outlet in just 1.5 hours, and be back on the water for even more fun in the sun.
The Seabob SE63 made its debut earlier this week at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Production is set to begin in early 2026, meaning youâll be able to get yours just in time for the summer 2026 beach season. Prices have yet to be announced â but, like any Lamborghini product, if you have to ask you probably canât afford it.
Check out the world premier of the Seabob SE63 for Automobili Lamborghini (the sledâs official name) in the video, below, then let us know what you think of the brandâs first BEV in the comments.
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A duo of Tesla shareholder-influencers tried to complete Elon Muskâs coast-to-coast self-driving ride that he claimed Tesla would be able to do in 2017 and they crashed before making it about 60 miles.
In 2016, Elon Musk infamously said that Tesla would complete a fully self-driving coast-to-coast drive between Los Angeles and New York by the end of 2017.
The idea was to livestream or film a full unedited drive coast-to-coast with the vehicle driving itself at all times.
We are in 2025 and Tesla never made that drive.
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Despite the many missed autonomous driving goals, many Tesla shareholders believe that the company is on the verge of delivering unsupervised self-driving following the rollout of its âRobotaxiâ fleet in Austin, which requires supervision from Tesla employees inside the vehicles, and improvements to its âFull Self-Drivingâ (FSD) systems inside consumer vehicles, which is still only a level 2 driver assist system that requires driver attention at all times as per Tesla.
Two of these Tesla shareholders and online influencers attempted to undertake a coast-to-coast drive between San Diego, CA, and Jacksonville, FL, in a Tesla Model Y equipped with the latest FSD software update.
They didnât make it out of California without crashing into easily avoidable road debris that badly damaged the Tesla Model Y:
In the video, you can see that the driver doesnât have his hands on the steering wheel. The passenger spots the debris way ahead of time. There was plenty of time to react, but the driver didnât get his hands on the steering wheel until the last second.
In a follow-up video, the two Tesla influencers confirmed that the Model Y had a broken sway bar bracket and damaged suspension components. The vehicle is also throwing out a lot of warnings.
They made it about 2.5% of the planned trip on Tesla FSD v13.9 before crashing the vehicle.
Electrekâs Take
Tesla shareholders used to discuss this somewhat rationally back in the day, but now that Teslaâs EV business is in decline and the stock price depends entirely on the self-driving and robot promises, they no longer do.
I recall when Musk himself used to say that when you reach 99% self-driving, it is when the âmarch of the 9sâ begins, and you must achieve 99.999999999% autonomy to have a truly useful self-driving system. He admitted that this is the most challenging part as the real-world is unpredictable and hard to simulate â throwing a lot of challenging scenario at you, such as debris on the road.
Thatâs where Tesla is right now. The hard part has just started. And thereâs no telling how long it will take to get there. If someone is telling you that they know, they are lying. I donât know. My best estimate is approximately 2-3 years and a new hardware suite.
However, competition, mainly Waymo, began its own âmarch of the 9sâ about five years ago.
Tesla is still years behind, and something like this drive by these two Tesla influencers proves it.
I was actually in a similar accident in a Tesla Model 3 back in 2020. I rented a Model 3 on Turo for a trip to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.
I ended up driving over a blown-out truck tire in the middle of the road like this. I was Autopilot, but I donât know if the car saw it. I definitely saw it, but it was a bit late as I was following a truck that just drove over it. I had probably less than 2 seconds to react. I applied the brakes, but my choices were driving into a ditch on the right or into a car in the left lane.
I managed to reduce the force of the impact with the braking, but the vehicle jumped a bit like in this video. There wasnât really any damage to the front, but the bottom cover was flapping down. I taped it together at the next gas station and I was able to continue the trip without much issue.
However, after returning it to the Turo owner and having the suspension damage evaluated by Tesla, the repair job was estimated to be roughly $10,000. I wouldnât be surprised if thereâs a similar situation with this accident.
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Chrysler parent company Stellantis is calling its new, Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS) system a breakthrough technology that will make future EVs lighter, more efficient, and quicker. Now, that âbreakthroughâ tech is now moving from concept to reality.
That improved efficiency carries on to the batteryâs second life, too. IBISÂ facilitates the reuse of electric vehicle batteries in second-life battery energy storage systems (BESS) applications by reducing the need for extensive (and expensive) reconditioning.
up to 10% energy efficiency improvement (WLTC cycle) and 15% power gain (172 kW vs. 150 kW) with the same battery size
reduces vehicle weight by ~40 kg and frees up to 17 liters of volume, enabling better aerodynamics and design flexibility
early results show a 15% reduction in charging time (e.g., from 7 to 6 hours on a 7 kW AC charger), along with 10% energy savings
easier servicing and enhanced potential for second-life battery reuse in both automotive and stationary applications
Those benefits stem from the fact that EVs spend a lot of time and energy converting Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC) and back again with the â thatâs true whether weâre talking about a L2 home charger or energy harvested from regenerative braking. Doing away with that process and the hardware that goes along with it could unlocks significant weight and efficiency benefits, with some estimates indicating that an IBIS car could weigh in at 40 kg less than a conventionally-equipped BEV, while still offering similar range and performance.Â
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