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Elon Musk has snapped at Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson over his critical comments about Tesla’s Full Self-Driving program.

Zoox is an autonomous driving company that is now part of Amazon.

It has made some impressive progress as of late – leading miles per disengagement data by a wide margin:

It looks like this recent success has given confidence in the CTO, Jesse Levinson, to comment on Tesla’s own self-driving effort, which grabs most headlines.

He said at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 this week:

The fundamental issue is they don’t have technology that works. And by works, I want to differentiate between a driver assistance system that drives most of the time — except when it doesn’t, and then you have to take over — versus a system that’s so reliable and robust that you don’t need a person in it.

Levinson says that he uses Tesla FSD regularly and he is impressed by what it can do, but he is afraid that it can create complacency:

Usually it does the right thing, and then it sort of lulls you into this false sense of complacency, and then it does the wrong thing. ‘You’re like, Oh, my God!’

That’s fair. Tesla’s FSD has a failure rate nowhere near where it needs to be in order to be operated unsupervised.

Tesla hopes that it can keep improving its software to reach a level of safety better than human on the current hardware.

Levinson disagrees. he believes that Tesla’s hardware is no enough:

Our perspective is you really do need significantly more hardware than Tesla is putting in their vehicles to build a robotaxi that is not just as safe, but as especially safer than a human.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk didn’t like that comment and responded with this:

If he hadn’t gotten bailed out by Amazon, his company would be dead already.

The CEO didn’t actually address Levinson’s specific concerns with Tesla FSD.

Electrek’s Take

It’s strange anti-startup thing to say for Musk, especially considering that Tesla was also bailed out by Daimler back in 2009:

https://twitter.com/FredericLambert/status/1851815973830930912

Tesla also bailed out SolarCity, which was under Musk’s control. It’s a disappointing attack vector for Elon to use.

He should focus on Tesla’s own FSD effort because if it was on this chart:

It would be sitting between Ghost Autonomy and Motional at about 30 miles between disengagement. 150 miles if you only account for “critical disengagement”, which would put them ahead of Apple, but behind Nissan.

There’s still work to do.

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Meet the new Cadillac Vistiq, a luxury three-row electric SUV with over 300 miles range

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Meet the new Cadillac Vistiq, a luxury three-row electric SUV with over 300 miles range

GM’s new luxury three-row electric SUV is about to hit the global stage. After unveiling its new Vistiq electric SUV, Cadillac “continues to set the standard for American luxury.” Here’s our first look at the “mini Escalade,” including prices and specs.

“With the addition of VISTIQ, Cadillac will be one of the only brands to offer an EV entry in every luxury SUV segment,” vice president of Cadillac Global, John Roth, said on Tuesday.

The Vistiq is a three-row electric SUV that will sit between the Lyriq and the larger Escalade IQ. A “mini Escalade,” if you will. Like its big sibling, the Escalde IQ, the mid-size SUV features Cadillac’s sleek new design theme.

One of the first things you will notice is the illuminated pinstripe grille up front, signaling the SUV’s status as an EV. The Vistiq also features the luxury brand’s signature vertical head and tail lights, while more expensive trims gain a Black Crystal Shield.

Inside, the Vistiq is “engineered to provide spaciousness for passengers in all three rows.” It’s also loaded with advanced tech and features, including a massive 33″ LED infotainment screen.

Even third-row passengers get padded armrests, cupholders, a place to store their phones, and USB chargers.

Cadillac-Vistiq-SUV
2026 Cadillac Vistiq electric SUV (Source: GM)

Cadillac unveils three-row electric Vistiq SUV

The SUV has a premium 23-speaker AKG sound system with Dolby Atmos for an “immersive 3D experience.” It also comes with premium safety and driver assist tech, like GM’s Super Cruise, Blind Zone Steering Assist, Bicyclist Alert, and Forward Collision Alert as standard.

For an even safer drive, you can opt for the available Night Vision, which uses infrared sensors to detect people or animals in your way.

Cadillac-Vistiq-SUV
2026 Cadillac Vistiq electric SUV (Source: GM)

Powered by a 102 kWh battery pack, Cadillac expects the electric SUV will offer over 300 miles range. With up to 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque, the “mini Escalade” can hit 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds (with Velocity Max).

The standard AWD system with Road Noise Cancellation tech gives you that quiet, peaceful drive you’ve been waiting for.

Cadillac-Vistiq-SUV-three-row
2026 Cadillac Vistiq interior three-row seating (Source: GM)

At 205.6″ long, 79.7″ wide, and 71″ tall, with a wheelbase of 121.8″, the Vistiq is slightly longer than the Rivian R1S at 201″ in length. However, it’s slightly shorter than the R1S at 77″ in height.

Cadillac will sell the Vistiq globally, including in the US and Canada. Production will start in early 2025 at GM’s Spring Hill, TN, manufacturing plant.

Cadillac-Vistiq-SUV
2026 Cadillac Vistiq interior (Source: GM)

The Cadillac Vistiq SUV will initially be available in Luxury, Sport, and Premium Luxury trims. GM says a Platinum trim with added performance elements and design options will launch in summer 2025.

Cadillac’s new three-row electric SUV will start at $78,790, including the destination fee. Next up will be the Vistiq’s big brother, the Escalde IQ. Stay tuned for more info closer to launch.

How do you feel about Cadillac’s new Vistiq? Would you pay around $80K for the luxury three-row SUV? Let us know your thoughts below.

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EVgo shares record Q3 results and double digit YoY growth for eighth consecutive quarter

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EVgo shares record Q3 results and double digit YoY growth for eighth consecutive quarter

EV charging network EVgo has published its Q3 2024 financial report, which shows record revenue and tremendous year-over-year growth. EVgo’s growth has continued over the last eight quarters, seven of which saw a triple-digit increase in energy throughput.

EVgo continues to grow as one of the United States’ largest EV charging networks. Its current footprint consists of over 1,000 fast-charging locations across 40 states, with many more pending, as shown in the company’s service map below.

In May, we reported that EVgo had doubled its registered users in two years, surpassing 1 million active customers. That milestone also saw a 400% increase since April 2020. While some competitors have caught flak for their lack of maintenance and reliability, EVgo has rolled out a “ReNew” program to repair and replace charging piles and ensure customers can replenish their EVs.

Before today’s Q3 report, EVgo had also rolled out several perks and support programs for EV drivers, including access for Tesla owners and fast charging for Hertz rentals, all while rolling out new 350 kW charging stations through partnerships with companies like Pilot/Flying J, and General Motors.

Those efforts appear to be paying off, as EVgo shared record revenue and steady growth in its Q3 2024 financial report.

EVgo Q3
Source: EVgo.com

EVgo added 147K additional customers in Q3 2024

According to EVgo’s Q3 2024 report, the EV charging network achieved record revenue totaling $67.5 million. That’s up from $35.1 million in Q3 of 2023, representing 92% YoY growth.

EVgo’s total throughput increased to 78 GWh last quarter, compared to 37 GWh in Q3 2023, representing 111% growth during that time. The charging network added over 147,000 new customers in Q3, eclipsing 1.2 million users in total, representing a 39% year-over-year increase. Total accounts are up 57% compared to Q3 2023. EVgo CEO Badar Khan spoke:

I’m pleased to report another record quarter anchored by strong revenues and triple digit year-over-year network throughput growth. Our deployment team continued to meet demand head-on bringing a record number of stalls online in the third quarter. With our conditional commitment from DOE for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion announced last month, EVgo is poised to lead the industry as the charging provider of choice. As we look ahead to the end of the year and into fiscal 2025, we are working diligently to complete the loan process, drive our next phase of growth as an owner and operator of fast charging infrastructure, and deliver continued and sustainable value creation for our shareholders.

EVgo shared that its Q3 revenue milestone represents eight sequential quarters of double-digit growth and seven consecutive quarters of triple-digit growth year-over-year in terms of throughput. Here’s EVgo’s Q3 2024 report by the numbers:

  • Revenue: $67.5 million
  • Network Throughput: 78 gigawatt-hours
  • Customer Account Additions: over 147,000 accounts
  • Gross Profit: $6.4 million
  • Net Loss: $33.3 million
  • Adjusted Gross Profit: $18 million
  • Adjusted EBITDA: $8.9 million
  • Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities: $12.1 million
  • Capital Expenditures: $25.8 million
  • Capital Expenditures, Net of Capital Offsets: $5.2 million

Following today’s report, EVgo appears poised to continue to grow and could eventually become the nation’s largest EV charging network. As reported in October, the network received a loan from the US Department of Energy totaling $1.05 billion to install 7,500 additional EV fast chargers in the US. EVgo’s anticipated states for charger expansion will be Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

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Tesla’s Bitcoin holdings surge by riding crypto wave

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Tesla's Bitcoin holdings surge by riding crypto wave

Tesla’s Bitcoin holdings are surging by riding the crypto wave initiated by Trump winning the US elections.

However, the automaker has yet to start taking Bitcoin payments again.

Tesla is one of the few major companies to invest in cryptocurrency. In early 2021, it bought $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and briefly accepted it as payment for vehicles. However, Tesla soon suspended Bitcoin payments due to concerns over fossil fuel use in mining, particularly coal.

The company reassured investors it wouldn’t sell its Bitcoin holdings and would consider resuming payments once the network had a cleaner energy mix. Though Tesla hinted at reopening Bitcoin payments last year, it hasn’t happened yet.

By 2022, Tesla’s Bitcoin holdings had grown to $2 billion but took a hit as the cryptocurrency’s value dropped. Tesla then sold about 75% of its Bitcoin, yielding $1.2 billion, but still holds 9,720 Bitcoins, making it the fourth-largest corporate Bitcoin holder, ahead of Coinbase.

The crypto mostly traded sideways for the last year, but it surged more than 20% since Trump won the election last week.

The market seems to believe that his plans for deregulation will enable cryptocurrencies to grow faster.

It brings Tesla’s bitcoin holdings to over $800 million. It’s unclear if Tesla plans to take profits again like it did during the last surge in pricing.

Lately, there has been a rare development in Tesla’s crypto holdings.

Last month, ahead of the elections, Tesla moved nearly all of its bitcoins into new unknown wallets.

The reason behind the move is unclear at this point.

There were also some indications that Tesla would be preparing to accept Bitcoin payment for its electric vehicles again, but it has yet to happen.

If you are interested in getting into crypto, my two favorite ways are Coinbase and crypto.com. With the latter, you can even spend your crypto through a regular Visa debit card. You can use my referral code (44sqxfg7zh) at crypto.com, and we each get $25 worth of crypto.

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