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’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:

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.

Following the news of sweeping cuts at Volkswagen, Nissan, and Stellantis, now VW-owned Audi announced plans to slash its workforce by 15%, with thousands of jobs on the chopping block.

After sweeping layoffs at Volkswagen numbering in the tens of thousands, other jobs within the VW Group are getting the axe, with Audi reportedly considering a dramatic staff reduction to cut costs.

German media Manager Magazin, as per Reuters, reported on the news, adding that Audi plans to safeguard production line positions and focus on “indirect” jobs, such as those in development.

That means 2,000 jobs are on the line, with reductions in other parts of the business trimming off 4,500 people in total from the payroll, according to the report.

Last month, Volkswagen – which currently has 10 plants and 300,000 employees in Germany –reported its plan to close three German plants, the first time in the company’s 87-year history that it is closing factories on its home turf. The plan includes cutting tens of thousands of jobs and slashing pay for 10% of its remaining staff.

Audi slashing thousands of jobs in Europe

The carmaker also said it would officially close its Audi plant in Brussels where it makes soon-to-be-retired Audi Q8 E-Tron – an €80,000 electric SUV that suffered from low sales –  in a few months. The company announced that it will close the factory on February 28, 2025, with 3,000 workers losing their jobs in the Brussels area.

Audi said that it is in talks with workers’ representatives, but declined to confirm the number of layoffs, Reuters reports.

Audi’s third-quarter sales figures showed a 21% drop in US deliveries to 46,752 units, with almost every model Audi makes showing a dip – except for the e-tron GT EV, which saw a 5% bump to a very modest 673 units, and the Q3 SUV, which saw a 36% increase to 7,422 units.

Things are getting particularly brutal over at Nissan, which is selling part of its stake in Mitsubishi, slashing production capacity, and laying off 9,000 employees.

Back in the US, Stellantis is laying off 1,100 employees from its Toledo Assembly Complex.

Germany, Europe’s largest auto market, is particularly feeling the heat, with a recent study estimating 186,000 jobs could be lost over the next decade as automakers fumble with the transition to EV production. So far, 46,000 autoworkers have lost their job in the country.

It’s grim news, but experts say that the opportunity for new job creation is ripe with potential, as long as Europe remains competitive to still attract investments, reported Euronews. Working against Europe is its high energy costs, which can be up to four times higher than in China and the US. EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs could also drive up prices and spark tensions, cites the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), according to Euronews.

Of course, not everyone sees it that way: The NGO Clean Transport argues that tariffs are beneficial, in the short term at least, giving the EU auto sector a chance to catch up during the transition.

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What happens when you take perhaps the most popular sidecar electric bike in the US and combine it with vintage BMW motorcycle vibes? You get the new MOD Easy Sidecar Sahara, based on the iconic 1940s BMW R 75 Sahara.

The MOD Easy is a retro-themed electric bicycle from Austin-based electric bike maker MOD Bikes. It’s popularly found in its sidecar variant, the Mod Easy Sidecar, which I had the chance to test out in epic fashion.

Now with a new limited edition bringing cool new features, the updated MOD Easy Sidecar Sahara is the coolest-looking three-wheeled e-bike to launch all year.

Each one of the sidecars is custom-made with colorful powders, matched with a sand-beige frame and minimalistic graphics, resulting in a unique and one-of-a-kind look for each bike.

MOD also upgraded the front fork to a robust dual crown motorcycle-style suspension fork, extended the sidecar frame, and added two headlights as well as a top cargo rack for extra storage. A seat and seatbelt combo allows small riders to safely and comfortably join the journey, and an easy-access doggie door is also included in the back of the sidecar, making it easier for four-legged passengers to get in and out.

“We have transformed our headliner Easy Sidecar into a playful, one-of-a-kind ride designed for maximum fun—for you and your copilot,” said MOD BIKES founder Dor Korngold. “Our limited edition isn’t just a bike—it’s an invitation to explore, create memories, and ride in style with your favorite copilot.”

The rest of the bike retains much of what we’ve come to know and love from the MOD Easy, including a 750W rear hub motor and a torque sensor for comfortable, responsive pedal assist. Of course, there’s also a throttle for folks who don’t always want to be dependent on pedaling.

A range of 50-100 miles (80-160 km) is possible depending on setup, though that range is of course impacted by several factors, from speed to terrain to how big of a rider you’ve got in your sidecar.

The MOD Easy Sidecar Sahara is priced at US$3,899 regularly, though is currently on sale for US$3,499 until December 1 as part of MOD Bikes’ current Black Friday sales promotions.