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Elon Musk has repeatedly denied that the fact that he went “all-in on Donald Trump,” the controversial former president, is negatively affecting his businesses. Now, he went as far as claiming that Tesla’s sales are at ‘all-time highs.’

During an X Space yesterday, the Tesla CEO was asked what he thinks of the claims that his support of Trump is affecting Tesla negatively.

Musk responded:

Tesla’s sales are actually doing great. We’re hitting all-time highs. I think people really care about the quality of the product as opposed to whether they agree or disagree with the CEO’s views. The CEO of any given company is going to have political views. At the end of the day what matters is if Tesla makes a great product, and people like buying great products.

There are a few interesting things here.

First off, “sales are hitting all-time highs.” There are many ways to interpret this, but only one can make Musk right: Tesla had its best Q3 for vehicle deliveries last quarter:

With 463,000 vehicle deliveries last quarter, Tesla technically beat its last Q3 record, but the reason has more to do with Q3 2023 than 2024.

Tesla claimed that “a sequential decline in volumes was caused by planned downtimes for factory upgrades.” Without that, Tesla would have likely been flat on deliveries in Q3 2024 versus last year.

This delayed some shipments into Q4 2023 – resulting in Tesla’s all-time delivery high.

But Musk can’t deny that Tesla’s performance in 2024 has been less than stellar.

Tesla’s total deliveries in 2024 (1,293,656) are still down more than 30,000 units compared to the first three quarters in 2023 (1,324,074).

That’s despite Tesla adding the Cybertruck to the lineup, which started to contribute meaningfully last quarter. It’s hard to swallow for a company that is all about growth. The chart above shows that the growth between 2020 and 2023 was awe-inspiring, but it stopped in 2024.

Tesla’s stock performance is also closely tracking its growth in deliveries and then the stagnation:

In 2023, Tesla started cutting prices, which negatively affected its gross margins and profits, and it countered the growth in deliveries in terms of stock performance.

As for the impact of Musk’s very active and public support of Trump on Tesla’s sales, that’s indeed more nuanced.

There have been many polls about the issue showing that car buyers are less interested in buying Tesla vehicles due to Elon Musk, but it’s hard to tell how the polls translate into the reality of car purchases, which are important decisions for most households.

However, there have been direct examples of Tesla losing out on sales because of Musk’s support of Trump. For example, Rossmann, one of the largest pharmacy chains in Europe and a long-time Tesla client, said that it would stop converting its fleet to Tesla vehicles because of Musk’s support of Trump and the former president’s anti-environmentalist policies.

Electrek’s Take

It’s not really encouraging that Elon is oblivious to Tesla’s current situation. I feel like it’s a bit misleading to say that Tesla’s sales are “hitting all-time highs” when Tesla is on track to have its first down year in deliveries in its existence despite adding a vehicle to its lineup for the first time since 2020.

It’s almost like he is just repeating what his biggest fans on X tweet him all the time. He lives in a different reality because of the echo chamber he built for himself and his fans on X.

I know Tesla fans love to say that it’s about macroeconomics and interest rates, which undoubtedly have an impact, but Tesla also greatly reduced its prices over the last year and offered subsidized interest rates.

At this point, it’s a bit ridiculous to act as if Tesla doesn’t have a broader issue. As for the impact of Elon’s support, it’s admittedly impossible to quantify, but I feel like it’s safe to say that it has, at the very least, some impact.

Finally, it’s also unfair for Elon to say that “every CEO has political views” as if he is sharing his like everyone else. Not every CEO calls the other party, “the party of hate”, and gives millions of dollars to elect a candidate with a long track record that goes against Tesla’s mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy.

CEOs also don’t all go on the campaign trail and get photographed jumping up and down like high school cheerleaders behind Trump.

Whatever happens next month, I doubt Elon’s decision will age well. Even if Trump wins, I would be shocked if he doesn’t turn on Elon within a year.

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Tesla teases new product release on Friday

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Tesla teases new product release on Friday

Tesla is teasing a new product release on Friday, August 29th, coming to Europe and the Middle East. It’s likely going to be the Model Y Performance.

On X today, Tesla has teased an upcoming product release coming this friday.

The post is cryptic. It only mentions ‘spoiler alert’ and the date August 29 with what looks like a close up of a vehicle with what appears to be a spoil – hence the “spoiler alert” reference:

There are main suspect is the Model Y Performance due to the spoiler reference.

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Since the Model Y refresh in January, Tesla stopped selling the Model Y Performance. It is due to launch the top performance version under the new design.

When Tesla released the Model 3 refresh in 2024, it took about 4 months for Tesla to launch the new performance version.

Electrek’s Take

The only thing that I find strange with this likely being the Model Y Performance is the fact that they tweeted this from the Europe and Middle East account.

It would be strange for the Model Y Performance to launch there first, but who knows. Maybe Tesla started production at Gigafactory Berlin first.

I don’t think this will have a major impact on Tesla’s business. The Model Y Performance is the least popular version of the best-selling Model Y.

We don’t have the full mix of sales, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it represents less than 10% of Tesla’s Model Y deliveries.

The Model 3 Performance is probably a more popular option within the Model 3 lineup as it is a lot more fun to drive.

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Genesis GV60 Magma EV sheds camo, revealing a radical new look [Video]

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Genesis GV60 Magma EV sheds camo, revealing a radical new look [Video]

The GV60 Magma will have a distinct look and feel compared to other Genesis vehicles. As the first EV from its new performance sub-brand, the Genesis GV60 Magma will debut with enhanced power, advanced suspension, a sporty new design, and more. For the first time, it was caught on video racing around the Nürburgring, giving us our closest look yet.

Genesis GV60 Magma EV flexes new style at Nürburgring

We got our first look at the new Magma models last March at the NY Auto Show alongside the full-size Neolun concept.

Magma is “the brand’s expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles,” Genesis boasted. Among the first vehicles to earn a Magma upgrade is the GV60.

Genesis fine-tuned the electric crossover SUV, giving it a wider and lower stance for improved control. The larger lower air intake contributes to the aggressive new look, while also serving to cool the batteries and motor, both of which have been upgraded for enhanced performance.

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Earlier this year, we got a good look at the GV60 Magma during winter testing in Europe. Although you could see a few new design features, it was mostly covered in camo.

Genesis-GV60-Magma-Porsche
Genesis GV60 Magma testing with other Magma vehicles (Source: Genesis)

After it was recently spotted with less camo at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, we are getting an even better idea of what to expect when it arrives.

The video from CarSpyMedia shows the Genesis GV60 Magma EV with a production body and minimal camouflage.

You can see the high-performance vehicle flexing its power and handling as it rips around the track. Like other Hyundai Motor performance EVs, including the new IONIQ 6 N, you can expect the Genesis GV60 Magma to deliver over 600 horsepower, if not closer to 700.

The current Genesis GV60 Performance delivers up to 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds.

Horsepower 0 to 60 mph
(seconds)
Starting Price
Genesis GV60 Performance 429 3.7 $69,900
Genesis GV60 Magma ? ? ?
Porsche Taycan 402 4.5 $99,400
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
(with Weissach Package)
1,092 2.1 $230,000
Tesla Model S Plaid 1,020 1.99 $89,990
Genesis GV60 Magma vs Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S Plaid

Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma EV later this year in Korea, followed by the US, Europe, and other global markets. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but given the Performance models start at $69,900, you can expect a higher starting price tag, likely closer to $75,000.

At that it would be significantly less than the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Tesla Model S Plaid. Will it match the performance?

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The first US floating solar tracker pilot kicks off in Colorado

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The first US floating solar tracker pilot kicks off in Colorado

Colorado is about to see the US’s first floating solar tracker project hit the water.

Noria Energy has started construction on Aurea Solar, a 50 kW floating solar pilot in Golden, Colorado, that will use trackers. The project will power local water utility operations at the Fairmount Reservoir, which is owned and operated by the Consolidated Mutual Water Company (CMWC).

The system is built with Noria’s new floating solar tracker technology, AquaPhi. Unlike conventional floating solar arrays, which are static, AquaPhi rotates the solar islands so the panels follow the sun. That tracking ability boosts energy output by 10-20%. AquaPhi can be added to new projects or retrofitted onto existing floating solar sites to improve performance.

Floating solar is gaining attention as a cost-effective way to generate renewable energy while saving space. For water utilities, the benefits are twofold: generating clean power on existing reservoirs and reducing water loss through evaporation.

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The Golden pilot is the first in the US to use high-performance solar tracking on water, giving a glimpse of how reservoirs nationwide could double as energy producers. At Fairmount Reservoir, the array will power onsite pumps that regulate water supply for the utility’s customers.

“[This project is an exciting opportunity to] not only produce and conserve energy, but also to improve our water supply by reducing how much is lost to evaporation,” said Jarod Roberts, CMWC’s chief of water resources.

Noria is working with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit that provides renewable energy access and workforce training, and Hazelett Marine, which supplies mooring solutions for floating solar systems.

The 50 kW project is scheduled to come online in September 2025, when it will support CMWC’s mission to deliver clean, safe, and reliable water to more than 100,000 customers in the greater Denver area, while demonstrating the potential for floating solar tracking across the country.

Read more: EIA: Solar and wind leave coal in the dust with record 2025 output


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