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Young electric boat racing series E1 capped off its inaugural season last month with the first championship going to a team led by someone who knows how to win – Tom Brady. As we approach the new year, E1’s focus is on season 2, and it has shared the tentative racing calendar, which includes seven Grand Prix events scattered worldwide, including a race in the USA.

The UIM E1 Championship Series is an electric boat racing league that recently capped off its inaugural season. E1’s season 1 calendar initially consisted of eight scheduled Grand Prix, where its initial nine teams, led by owners like Rafael Nadal, Will Smith, and Marc Anthony, battled every couple of months for a chance to raise the first-ever E1 trophy.

As a nascent league, the E1 Series shifted its schedule several times in the past year. The league’s initial start was pushed, but several events ended up being locked in for competition around the globe.

Events originally planned for Geneva and Rotterdam were nixed mid-season, but the E1 racing teams have competed in five Grand Prix, including Jeddah, Venice, Monaco, and most recently, Lake Como. The E1 Championship was scheduled to take place in Hong Kong in November, but E1 ended up switching the date and location of that season finale to TBC before skipping it altogether.

As such, Team Brady, led by NFL legend Tom Brady, ended the shortened E1 season 1 racing calendar with the most points and was awarded the UIM Championship trophy. We asked a representative why the championship event in Hong Kong was no longer happening and were told that E1 decided it was in its best interests to conclude season 1 after the fifth event in Lake Como and shift its focus to season 2, with an exciting calendar of events to be announced “very soon.”

In early October, before we got details of an official racing calendar for season 2, E1 shared one confirmed location for a Grand Prix in 2025 – Doha in Qatar. Today, E1 has shared its full tentative racing calendar for season 2, and while some events remain TBD, there are some exciting locations on the schedule, including an event in the US.

E1 racing calendar
Source: E1 Series

E1’s season 2 racing events include Monaco and USA

The UIM E1 Championship announced its tentative racing calendar for season 2 this morning, including Grand Prix events returning to coastal areas like Jeddah, Monaco, and Lake Como and some new races in places like Doha and the US. E1 co-founder and CEO Rodi Basso spoke:

‘To see our revolutionary electric racing series come to life in season one was an incredibly special feeling. E1’s growth and expansion across the globe shows that it has arrived as a truly global sport. The inclusion of new race locations in Qatar and the United States in season two, with more to come, is a testament to the growing interest and investment in the championship and we are looking forward to taking the sport to new audiences.

Season 2 will kick off in January 2025 with a Grand Prix electric boat racing weekend in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the current E1 racing calendar:

Grand Prix Location (Provisional) Dates
E1 Jeddah GP, Saudi Arabia January 24-25, 2025
Visit Qatar E1 Doha GP February 21-22, 2025
TBA April, 2025
E1 Monaco July 18-19,2025
E1 Lake Como GP, Italy August 22-23, 2025
TBA October, 2025
TBA – USA November, 2025

E1 shared that it will continue to accelerate preparations for season 2 and share more details of the 2025 racing calendar soon, alongside news of additional Racebird teams. E1 co-founder and chairman Alejandro Agag also spoke about the league’s upcoming second season:

Our mission in season one was to revolutionize and set a new standard for racing on the water. We are pleased to unveil the season two calendar and to continue to drive towards our mission and expand on this success. The calendar sees an inclusion of new cities around the world who are aligned with our vision of building a sustainable sport, and passionate about E1.

While the racing calendar has not revealed it yet, E1 shared that the season 2 championship will take place in a US city to be announced in December 2024. We are not sure if this is still the plan, but when E1 announced musical artist Marc Anthony was joining the league in December 2023 as the owner of Team Miami, it shared that Anthony’s company, Magnus, would help facilitate and host a Grand Prix in the team’s home city during season 2. If and when that event occurs, it will be E1’s debut in the US.

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Tesla (TSLA) valuation surges to equal next 10 biggest automakers over Trump/Musk relationship

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Tesla (TSLA) valuation surges to equal next 10 biggest automakers over Trump/Musk relationship

Tesla’s stock (TSLA) has surged to a $1 trillion valuation – seemingly over the assumption that the Trump and Musk relationship is going to benefit the automaker.

The company is virtually worth more than the next 10 biggest automakers combined.

Tesla has extended its post-election rally another 7% this morning – resulting in its valuation surpassing $1 trillion for the first time in years.

The company has long been the most valuable automaker in the world, but it is now worth more than the next 10 biggest automakers combined:

Considering there has been no significant news concerning Tesla this week other than the US elections, it’s fairly clear that the latest rally is related to the election and the close relationship between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and President Elect Donald Trump.

What is Trump going to do for Tesla?

Tesla added over $200 billion to its valuation since the election. That’s a whole Toyota added to its valuation.

What does justify that? What can Trump do that will help Tesla that much?

It’s hard to tell exactly as what Trump says he will do and what he actually does aren’t always the same things, but there are a few theories.

The President Elect made it clear that he wanted to remove the EV incentives that kept Tesla’s sales from falling in the US over the last few years. This will make Tesla’s vehicles more expensive, but some Tesla shareholders are hoping that it will cripple other EV competition, leaving Tesla alone in the future.

They are expecting something similar with the tariffs that Trump has been promising to impose on goods coming from other countries.

The auto industry is globalized and US automakers rely on parts from other countries, but on average, Tesla is more vertically integrated than other automakers.

While all automotive costs are likely to go up, Tesla investors believe the company will be able to stomach the tariffs better than the competition.

Finally, on the automotive manufacturing front, there’s also the more conspiratorial theory that Trump could carve out exceptions built especially for Tesla now that Musk has his ear.

While automotive manufacturing is still the bulk of Tesla’s business, Musk was clear that he believes that “Tesla is worth nothing without self-driving.” Trump can’t help Tesla achieve self-driving, but Musk has hinted that he could build a federal framework to get self-driving systems approve at the federal level rather than state-by-state.

This would help Tesla more easily roll out when/if it solves self-driving.

Electrek’s Take

They have some good points about Tesla being more competitive than other EV automakers in a harsher cost environment.

Tesla has already proved it during the supply chain crisis amid the pandemic.

My problem with it is that it’s not good for electric vehicles. It’s only good for Tesla. At Electrek, we are for the acceleration of EV adoption in order to help ensure the transportation and energy industries are on an accelerated path to sustainability.

Tesla used to be for that too.

Within a scenario where EV incentives are removed and automotive costs increase due to tariffs, EV adoption goes down in the US. Electric vehicles will be more expensive at the sticker price and historically, that has always resulted in fewer sales.

It’s going to be true of Tesla and all other EV automakers. The only way you can see that as been good for Tesla is if that kills the other automakers and only Tesla survives.

That’s a real possibilities, but it would be bad for the mission to accelerate electric transportation.

It goes against Tesla’s original mission, which was to accelerate the entire industry’s transition.

In a way, it feels like Tesla was early and took advantage of the incentives and as other companies are trying to catch up, Tesla, or rather Musk, aims to close the door behind them. This goes against the original mission.

If that’s really what is going on, Tesla is not mission driven anymore. It has become all about the stock.

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Mercedes is offering dealers up to $3,000 for every EV sold

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Mercedes is offering dealers up to ,000 for every EV sold

Mercedes is now paying dealers up to $3,000 for every EV they sell until the end of the year. As part of its new Q4 2024 EQ Sales Challenge, the company is giving dealers a good reason to move EVs off the lot.

Mercedes is now paying dealers for EV sales

The luxury brand is struggling to gain traction in the US EV market this year, with sales of the EQE, EQB, and EQS class all down by double-digits through September.

Mercedes is looking to turn things around with a new dealer incentive to drive EV sales. According to online vehicle research firm CarsDirect, Mercedes is paying dealers up to $3,000 for every EV they sell.

Through January 2, 2025, Mercedes is running its Q4 2024 EQ Sales Challenge. The program allows dealers to earn $2,000 on almost every 2024 EV model they sell while meeting monthly targets.

Dealers who hit their targets can earn an extra $1,000 on every sale, up to $3,000 per EV. Although the bonus is for dealers, buyers may also see some savings with new incentives to drive sales.

Mercedes-dealers-EV
Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4MATIC (Source: Mercedes-Benz)

Mercedes is offering $7,500 in EV lease bonus cash and an up to $5,000 loyalty bonus. On some models, like the high-performance AMG EQS, a $7,500 lease bonus and $15,000 incentive offer up to $22,500 in savings.

Including incentives, lease prices are listed as low as $419 a month for the 2024 Mercedes EQB 250+ SUV. The EQB model starts at $53,050.

Mercedes-dealers-EV
Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4MATIC (Source: Mercedes-Benz)

More affordable models are coming soon. Mercedes is teasing its upcoming lower-priced CLA EV ahead of its official debut. CEO Ola Källenius took the new EV on a first drive at its Immendingen site this week, revealing new design details like the three-point headlights.

The new model will be a the first of a new family of Mercedes models. The CLA EV kicks off “a new chapter for the entry-level segment at Mercedes-Benz,” the company said. It’s expected to be revealed next year with deliveries in 2026.

Are you ready to drive off in your new all-electric Mercedes? We can help you find the right model at the best price. You can use our links below to find deals on Mercedes-Benz EV models in your area.

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GM is retiring another gas-powered model to make room for the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV

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GM is retiring another gas-powered model to make room for the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV

GM is retiring another gas-powered car at its Kansas plant to clear room for the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV. The facility will soon house a new “family of Bolt models” as GM brings back the popular, low-cost EV.

GM is retiring the gas-powered Cadillac XT4

GM announced it will retire the gas-powered Cadillac XT4 SUV in January as it prepares to reintroduce the Bolt.

The XT4 is Cadillac’s cheapest SUV, starting at $41,990. However, sales are down 12% through the first nine months of 2024 after slipping 28% in Q4 2023.

GM already announced plans in May to retire the Chevy Malibu to make room at its Kansas plant for next-gen EVs, including the Bolt. The Malibu will be phased out this month after over 10 million models have been sold since 1964.

Although GM said XT4 production would begin again on the same line as the Bolt EV, a new Reuters report suggests that no longer appears to be the case.

The report claims GM will now only build Bolt models on the assembly line. Production of the previous Bolt ended at the end of 2023.

GM-retiring-gas-car
Chevy Bolt EV (Source: GM)

Since then, we’ve learned there will actually be several Bolt EV models. GM’s president, Mark Reuss, confirmed that the new model would be a part of “a family of Bolts,” including an even lower-priced model.

Reuss said prices will initially start slightly higher than the $28,785 MSRP on the previous model, but it will be an upgrade with faster charging.

GM-retiring-gas-car
Chevy Bolt EUV (Source: Chevrolet)

GM CEO Mary Barra claims the new Bolt will offer “an even better driving, charging, and ownership experience” with new tech. It will also be the first EV in the US to feature LFP batteries.

The company is expected to begin building next-gen Chevy Bolt EV models in late 2025 as a 2026 model year.

GM is investing $390 million in its Fairfax, Kansas plant to prepare it for re-introducing the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV.

Electrek’s Take

GM reached a milestone last month, selling its 300,000th EV in the US since 2016. The Chevy Bolt EV accounted for the great majority of those sales.

Chevy Bolt EV sales totaled 62,045 in 2023, 38,120 in 2022, 24,828 in 2021, 20,745, 16,418 in 2019, 18,019 in 2018, and 23,300 in 2017. In addition, another 8,582 have been sold in 2024. So, of the 300,000, over 212,000 of them were Bolt EVs.

The company is coming off a record 32,095 electric vehicles sold in the third quarter as its other Ultium-based EVs, including the new Chevy Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado EVs, are rolling out to dealers nationwide.

GM continues introducing lower-priced models, like the 2025 Equinox EV LT. Starting at $35,000, the company claims it’s the “most affordable EV in the US with +315 miles range.”

With the next-gen Chevy Bolt expected to be even more affordable, the new model could be GM’s biggest yet.

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