Tesla fans exposes Tesla’s own shadiness in attempt to defend Autopilot crash

Published

12 hours ago

March 17, 2025

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A group of Tesla fans and investors has inadvertently exposed Tesla’s shadiness regarding crashes involving Autopilot by attempting to claim that the advanced driver-assist system was not active in a crash test.

It was not only active, but it also disengaged itself less than a second before the crash—a known shady behavior of Tesla’s Autopilot.

Yesterday, we reported on a crash test video that demonstrates the difference between camera-based and lidar-based advanced driver assist (ADAS) systems by famous engineering Youtuber Mark Rober.

The video included a series of tests in which a Tesla Model Y on Autopilot went against a vehicle equipped with an ADAS system powered by a lidar sensor.

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The last test was the headline-grabbing one as it tested to see if the vehicles would stop for a Wile E. Coyote-style fake road wall in the middle of the road, but it was simply to illustrate the clear advantage of lidar in this case.

The other tests involving fog and rain where lidar outperformed Tesla’s vision-based system were obviously the more relevant and newsworthy tests.

I thought it was simply a well-made video that illustrated the difference between vision-based systems, like Tesla’s, and lidar-based systems, which are more commonly used by companies delivering self-driving technology and now even regular ADAS systems.

But I was surprised to see my X feed inundated with Tesla fans calling me “fake news” for posting it.

The accusations started with an account named “AI Drivr” who is part of a group called “Rebellionaires”, which help “Tesla all-ins investors”. They claimed that “Autopilot wasn’t even turned on during the test”:

They also claimed that I ignored this fact because I wanted “a good anti-Elon article”.

They even got my article on the video “community noted” (since removed, but I have a screenshot here):

The only problem for them is that Autopilot was turned on during the test as clearly shown in the video below.

Rober accelerates to the test’s set speed of ~40 mph. You can see he tried to double-tap the stalk but sort of misses the second, though he quickly does it again, and you can see Autopilot turns on.

It’s true that Autopilot disengages a fraction of a second before the crash when it is impossible to stop it:

From the video, it is clear that Autopilot is engaged, and neither the ADAS system nor the automatic emergency braking system activated to avoid the accident.

However, Autopilot appears to automatically disengage a fraction of a second before the impact as the crash becomes inevitable.

It would still count as an “Autopilot crash” as crashes that happen within 5 seconds of Autopilot being engaged count as Autopilot crashes. The community note was eventually removed from my article this morning, but AI Drivr and his “Tesla all-ins” never issued a retraction to their defamatory comments.

The funny thing is that I missed that Autopilot disengaged at the last second, but the attacks from Tesla investors pointed it out and actually exposed video evidence of a shady practice from Tesla that has been reported in the past.

In NHTSA’s investigation of Tesla vehicles on Autopilot crashing into emergency vehicles on the highway, the safety agency found that Autopilot would disengage within less than one second prior to impact on average in the crashes that it was investigating:

“On average in these crashes, Autopilot aborted vehicle control less than one second prior to the
first impact.”

This would suggest that the ADAS system detected the collision but too late and disengaged the system instead of applying the brakes.

Now, it looks like the Rober video has caught this behavior on camera.

There are many issues with the way Tesla reports or doesn’t report ADAS data. As we previously reported, Tesla went out of its way to avoid reporting data to the California DMV about its autonomous driving tests.

Furthermore, Tesla has been abusing NHTSA’s self-driving crash redaction policies. The automaker is required to report all crashes where Autopilot or its “Full Self-Driving” systems are involved, but it has consistently had all important details redacted from the reports.

You can download the report here, where you can see that all the important data from Tesla crashes and almost all instances are fully redacted, which is not the case for most other automakers.

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Environment

Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto project says it sold $550 million in tokens

Published

2 hours ago

March 17, 2025

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Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto project says it sold 0 million in tokens

The World Liberty Financial website arranged on a smartphone in New York, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

President Donald Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto project said on Monday that it raised $250 million in its second token sale, bringing the total amount of coins sold to $550 million.

WLFI, a venture backed by the first family that describes itself as a sort of crypto banking platform, launched in October, weeks before Trump’s election victory. In a document published at the time of launch, WLFI said the Trump family could take home 75% of net revenue.

In Monday’s release, WLFI said more than 85,000 participants underwent so-called know-your-customer verification to gain access to the token sale. Co-founder Zach Witkoff, son of billionaire U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, is quoted in the release as saying that “WLFI is on track to supercharge DeFi,” or decentralized finance.

In January, Tron blockchain founder Justin Sun upped his stake in WLFI tokens to $75 million. A court filing the following month showed that Sun and the SEC were exploring a resolution to the regulator’s civil fraud case against the crypto entrepreneur.

WLFI is one of several crypto projects in the Trump family that are kicking off just as the president is pushing a crypto-friendly agenda. Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

According to a memo from the White House last week, David Sacks, the Trump administration’s AI and crypto czar, sold over $200 million worth of digital asset-related investments personally and through his firm, Craft Ventures, before starting the job. Sacks said in a podcast that he “didn’t want to even have the appearance of a conflict.”

At the end of February, the SEC declared that meme tokens are not securities. The announcement came after the president and First Lady Melania Trump launched their own meme coins in the days leading up to the inauguration.

WATCH: Trump’s bitcoin reserve leaves crypto investors disappointed

Environment

Volkswagen just revealed the 2025 ID.4’s initial pricing and trim [update]

Published

3 hours ago

March 17, 2025

admin

Volkswagen just revealed the 2025 ID.4's initial pricing and trim [update]

Volkswagen of America announced the initial pricing and trim for the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4 – here’s the lowdown on the latest rebate.

March 17, 2025: The 2025 VW ID.4 is already arriving on dealer lots, and VW is already offering it with a $5,000 Retail Customer Bonus across all 2025 ID.4 trims. However, the rebate is only available when paying cash or financing at a standard rate, which means it can’t be combined with VW’s 72-month 0% APR offer also available for the 2025 ID.4.

CarsDirect crunched the numbers and estimated that over a 72-month term, consumers will save “about $61 per month by choosing the 0% deal over the $5,000, which adds up to almost $4,400 over the course of the term.”

But if you want a better deal on an ID.4, then opt for a 2024 model, because you can stack 0% APR for 72 months with the $5,000 bonus.

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The offers are good until the end of April.

Click here to find a local dealer that may have the Volkswagen ID.4 in stock. –trusted affiliate link

February 3, 2025: Volkswagen has restarted production of the ID.4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant with 82 kWh models rolling off the line. The 62 kWh version will follow later, and all models are set to get additional features starting midyear. Pricing and more details are coming soon.

The 82 kWh ID.4 models stick to a similar trim lineup as 2024. Both the Entry and S trims come in rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, while the top-tier S Plus is exclusively all-wheel drive.

Without further ado, let’s get to it. Here’s the meat-and-potatoes pricing and trim of the 2025 Volkswagen ID.4:

Entry

RWD Pro: starting at $45,095 MSRP

AWD Pro: starting at $48,995 MSRP

Exterior features

19-inch alloy wheels on RWD models
20-inch wheels on AWD models
Gloss black grille
LED head- and taillights
Automatic headlights with rain-sensing wipers
Heated windshield (AWD only)
Heated washer nozzles
Heated mirrors
Black roof rails
3-door KESSY® with proximity unlocking
Tow hitch (AWD only)

Interior features

12.9-inch Discover Pro Max infotainment display with navigation and backlit sliders
Wireless App-Connect (AndroidAuto, CarPlay, and MirrorLink) and charging with compatible devices
45W USB-C charging
Intuitive voice control
5.3-inch ID. Cockpit
Volkswagen Car-Net with Plus Nav and Plus Speech packages included at no additional charge for three years
SiriusXM® with three-month Platinum Plan trial subscription included
Manual cloth and leatherette seats
Heated front seats
Dual-zone Climatronic
10-color ambient lighting ID. Light
Auto-dimming interior mirror
Stitched dashboard
Variable cargo floor cover.
Driver assistance features include standard IQ.DRIVE; plus Park Distance Control; Park Assist (Parking Steering Assistant); Dynamic Road Sign Display; and Light Assist (High Beam Control for headlights).

S

RWD Pro S: starting at $50,195 MSRP

AWD Pro S: starting at $54,095 MSRP

Exterior features

The equipment set from the entry models
20-inch wheels
Illuminated front and rear VW logo and light line in the front fascia
Premium LED projector headlights with Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS)
Poor weather lights
Mirrors with memory function

Interior features

30-color ambient lighting
Perforated leatherette seats
Door-panel stitching
Heated steering wheel
12-way power seats with memory
Ventilated front seats
Rear-seat pass-through
Center armrest with cupholders
Panoramic fixed glass roof with electric sunshade
Power tailgate with Easy Open and Close

S Plus

AWD Pro S Plus: starting at $57,295 MSRP

Exterior features

Features build on the S models
21-inch wheels
Black roof with silver roof accents, C-pillar, and roof rails
Silver accents on front and rear bumpers
Power-folding mirrors with signature lighting

Interior features

Additional features include heated rear seats
Three-zone Climatronic
Harman Kardon premium audio with 14 total speakers including subwoofer
Area View (Overhead View Camera)

Click here to find a local dealer that may have the Volkswagen ID.4 in stock.–trusted affiliate link

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Environment

Kia’s first electric hatch actually looks pretty cool in real life [Video]

Published

3 hours ago

March 17, 2025

admin

Kia's first electric hatch actually looks pretty cool in real life [Video]

Is the hatchback finally coming back? Kia’s first electric hatch, the EV4, looks like the one we’ve been waiting for. It almost looks more like a low-riding crossover on the road, but it could be a cheaper option. Check it out for yourself in the video below.

Kia’s first electric hatch is almost here

We finally got our first look at the EV4 during Kia’s 2025 EV Day last month. Four models, two sedans and two hatchbacks, were showcased.

Both will kick off new segments in Kia’s rapidly expanding EV lineup. The EV4 is part of Kia’s new mass-market electric car lineup, with prices starting at $30,000 and even lower in some markets.

After opening orders for the EV4 sedan in Korea last week, the hatchback version is expected to arrive later this year. The EV4 hatch was recently spotted driving on the road for the first time in Korea, giving us our best look at its bigger backside.

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You can immediately see this is not your average Ford Focus or VW Golf. In Kia’s words, the “EV4 introduces a new typology” for sedans and hatchbacks. And that it does.

The video from ShortsCar shows the EV4 hatch from all angles as it drives by on a public street. It looks about the same as the sedan from the front, but you can’t miss the extended backside.

While the sedan has more of a sports car-like back end, the hatch almost looks like a mini crossover, and not in a bad way.

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Kia EV4 hatch spotted on the road in Korea (Source: ShortsCar)

The EV4 sedan starts at about $29,000 (41.92 million won) in Korea. Although the sedan is built at Kia’s Autoland Gwangmyeong EVO Plant in Korea, the hatch will be built in Slovakia, as it’s primarily aimed at Europe.

Kia plans to begin building hatchback models in the second half of the year. The sedan model will also launch in Europe later this year. It will be offered with two battery options, 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh, for up to 630 km (391 miles) WLTP range. The hatchback is rated with up to 590 km (366 miles) range by WLTP standards.

For those in the US, don’t worry. Kia confirmed that the EV4 sedan will launch in the US. However, no specific date has been set. When it arrives, it’s expected to be among the most affordable EV options at around $35,000 to $40,000.

The hatchback will start at around 37,000 euros ($40,000) in Europe. Sorry to disappoint anyone, but it’s not expected to arrive in the US.

Would you buy the electric hatch if it was sold in the US? I actually like the look. It reminds me of a smaller, low-riding EV6. Let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

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