UAW launches campaign to unionize all automakers at once – Tesla, Toyota, etc
The UAW has launched an unprecedented campaign to unionize the entire US auto sector at once, with thousands of auto workers at 13 companies announcing simultaneous unionization campaigns.
After UAW’s big strike win, winning 25%+ pay increases at the “Big Three” American automakers after a simultaneous strike at GM, Ford and Stellantis, the union is looking to maintain that momentum and go bigger.
Immediately after declaring victory, UAW President Shawn Fain said that in the next negotiation in 2028, UAW wants to come back to the bargaining table to negotiate not just with the Big Three, but with “a Big Five or a Big Six” – implying that the union planned to expand to other automakers. And President Biden said that he would support a UAW push to unionize Tesla and Toyota.
Now we’ve seen an official announcement that UAW isn’t just looking to unionize two or three more automakers, but all of them at once. Typically, unionization campaigns focus on a single company at a time, but here UAW is targeting a whole sector with simultaneous campaigns at each individual company. This seems like a tall order, but UAW’s triple-strike against the Big Three seemed to work out well, so it’s now applying that simultaneous tactic to organizing new union drives.
In service of its goal, UAW launched a new website at uaw.org/join, asking workers at each company to sign their union card. The website mentions several automakers by name, and has links to individual campaigns for each automaker where workers can go to express their interest in unionizing:
The campaign was accompanies by a video narrated by Fain making his union pitch. In short, UAW says that automakers and investors are making record profits, but that worker compensation has not kept up. The video specifically mentions Tesla and Rivian’s recent quarterly results, and also states that the Japanese/Korean automakers have combined to make $470 billion in profits, and the German automakers have made an additional $460 billion, in the last ten years.
Since the UAW’s big wins, other automakers have moved to increase pay to (partially) keep up with pay increases at the Big Three. VW, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda have all announced hikes in pay, showing how union wins can buoy an entire industry by making automakers compete for workers with higher pay.
But UAW doesn’t want to stop at a few voluntary pay hikes from other companies, it thinks that unionizing those companies can give workers a better deal. One worker at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant put it thusly:
We’ve lost so much since I started here, and the raise won’t make up for that. It won’t make up for the health benefits we’ve lost, it won’t make up for the wear and tear on our bodies. We still build a quality vehicle. People take pride in that, but morale is at an all-time low. They can give you a raise today and jack up your health benefits tomorrow. A union contract is the only way to win what’s fair.
Jeff Allen, 29-year Toyota assembly worker
UAW also quoted workers at Hyundai, VW, Mercedes and Rivian in its release, focusing on how they think unionization would improve safety and benefits at these automakers.
Electrek’s Take
Unions are having a bit of a moment in the US, reaching their highest popularity ever since surveys started asking about them.
Much of union popularity has been driven by COVID-related disruptions across the economy, with workers becoming unsatisfied due to mistreatment (labeling everyone “essential,” companies ending work-from-home) and with the labor market getting tighter with over 1 million Americans dead from the virus and another 2-4 million (and counting) out of work due to long COVID.
Unions have seized on this dissatisfaction to build momentum in the labor movement, with successful strikes across many industries and organizers starting to organize workforces that had previously been nonunion.
But union membership has been down over several decades in the US, and as a result, pay hasn’t kept pace with worker productivity and income distribution has become more unequal over time. It’s really not hard to see this influence when you plot these trends against each other.
It’s quite clear that lower union membership has resulted in lower inflation-adjusted compensation for workers, even as productivity has skyrocketed. As workers have produced more and more value for their companies, those earnings have gone more and more to their bosses rather than to the workers who produce that value. And it all began in the 80s, around the time of Reagan – a timeline that should be familiar to those who study social ills in America.
All of this isn’t just true in the US but also internationally. If you look at other countries with high levels of labor organization, they tend to have more fair wealth distribution across the economy and more ability for workers to get their fair share.
We’re seeing this in Sweden right now, as Tesla workers are striking for better conditions. Since Sweden has 90% collective bargaining coverage, it tends to have a happy and well-paid workforce, and it seems clear that these two things are correlated. And while that strike is continuing, meaning we haven’t yet seen the end of it, most observers think that the workers will eventually get what they want since collective bargaining is so strong in that country.
These are all reasons why, as I’ve mentioned in many of these UAW-related articles, I’m pro-union. And I think everyone should be – it only makes sense that people should have their interests collectively represented and that people should be able to join together to support each other and exercise their power collectively instead of individually.
This is precisely what companies do with industry organizations, lobby organizations, chambers of commerce, and so on. And it’s what people do when sorting themselves into local, state, or national governments. So naturally, workers should do the same. It’s just fair.
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SUPER73 just pulled the curtain off its latest e-bike, the SUPER73-MZFT, and it looks like the brand is coming back to its roots – with a twist. Known for building retro-inspired, moto-style electric bikes that blur the line between fun and functional, SUPER73 now says the MZFT represents the first in a new generation of e-bikes that’s designed to welcome in a broader, more diverse group of riders – especially those just getting started.
If you’re familiar with SUPER73’s range, you’ll know the brand splits its lineup into several series – the Youth Series for smaller riders, and the Z, S, and R Series for full-size adults. The new MZFT splits the difference. It’s designed as a stepping stone into the bigger leagues, but still built with the same style and swagger that made SUPER73 a household name among e-bike fans, celebrities, and sneakerheads alike.
The bike features a 500W rear hub motor with a top speed of 20 mph, putting it firmly in Class 2 territory with throttle-first riding right out of the gate. That makes it ideal for new riders, younger adults, or anyone who just wants to rip around without worrying about pedaling uphill. Speaking of which, the company says the MZFT includes a new powertrain designed for improved uphill acceleration, addressing one of the most common weak points in budget-friendly e-bikes.
The 52V 10Ah battery offers 520Wh of capacity and is reportedly sufficient for a range of 15-20 miles (25-32 km) per charge.
SUPER73 says this is their most durable frame yet, and it comes paired with a resilient thru-axle setup, giving the MZFT a stronger and more stable feel under the rider. At 27 inches, the seat height is lower than most SUPER73 models, which will appeal to younger riders or shorter adults looking for something approachable but still styled like a street-ready moto machine.
New features include a modular second battery option (sold separately) that can boost your range up to 40 miles (64 km), and even a bit of built-in internal lockable storage, which is a rare find on electric bicycles.
Hydraulic brakes, LED lighting, and aggressive Vee Jakal tires round out the spec sheet. The total weight comes in at 85 pounds (39 kg), which is beefy but par for the course with SUPER73’s rugged design language. That said, while it may slot well into the typical SUPER73 weight class, it’s still a lot of poundage for a 500W e-bike.
The SUPER73-MZFT launches in two colorways: Cullen Berry (a dark, rich red-purple) and Titanium Ore (a stealthy gray metallic). Either way, the bike oozes the brand’s signature retro moto vibes without the steeper price tag of its S- or R-Series siblings.
But of course, the kicker is always the price, and here we’re looking at a $1,995 e-bike. While that’s definitely the most affordable in SUPER73’s lineup, it’s still a hefty chunk of change for a bike of these performance specs.
Electrek’s Take
SUPER73 has been riding the wave of moto-style e-bikes since long before it was trendy – in fact they pretty much built that trend. And while the brand is best known for its premium, eye-catching bikes with celeb street cred, it’s smart to see them lean back into accessibility. They’ve also been pushing for more inclusion of younger riders paired with proper e-bike education for those riders (believe it or not), and so this fits that strategy well.
The SUPER73-MZFT is clearly designed to attract a new wave of riders: younger and newer riders whose parents won’t buy them a 40 mph Sur Ron, but who still want to feel like they’re part of something cool. With a fun design, expandable battery potential, hydraulic brakes, and a few unexpected surprises like lockable storage, the MZFT could be a strong seller for riders who want something more than a basic commuter but aren’t quite ready to pony up for an R Adventure model.
That being said, it’s not exactly a leader in the watt-per-pound metric, and so we’ll have to see if it has the performance to match the look. And at $2,000, this is perhaps one of the most expensive teen-focused e-bikes out there. While it is true that it is the most affordable way to get into a SUPER73, that’s not exactly a great dollar-per-watt proposition. But then again, very few people have ever bought a SUPER73 because it made fiscal sense; they did it because they wanted a SUPER73.
And so if kids like this model and if it means more people are getting into e-bikes, especially street-legal e-bikes, then I’m all for it.
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Tesla is launching a new car rental program out of its stores in the US, as sales are crashing due to the end of the federal tax credit.
It’s available at select stores in the US right now.
Tesla’s demand in the US, like that of most other electric vehicles, has crashed after the federal tax credit for electric cars ended last quarter, pulling forward a lot of demand.
With inventories piling up at stores and dealers across the country, Tesla has found a new way to use its inventory: it is now renting (not leasing) its vehicles from its stores.
The rental duration is a minimum of three and a maximum of seven days, starting at $60 per day and increasing depending on the model.
Tesla appears to be using this to show potential buyers how convenient it is to own a Tesla vehicle, since it also includes Supercharging and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for free with every rental.
If a rental customer decides to order a vehicle within a week of having rented one, Tesla gives them a $250 credit toward the purchase:
Order your own Tesla within seven days of your rental to get up to a $250 credit toward your purchase.
The program is starting with a couple of locations in Southern California, but it is expected to expand before the end of the year.
Car rental giant Hertz has previously bought a large fleet of Tesla vehicles in an effort to electrify its rental fleet.
However, Hertz has been divesting from Tesla vehicles and selling them over the last 2 years, as declining resale values crushed its fleet economics amid Tesla slashing prices due to declining demand over the last 3 years.
Electrek’s Take
It’s rough out there for people selling electric vehicles in the US right now. The lack of policy consistency is resulting in inconsistent demand and discouraging automakers from pushing electric cars, as they do in Europe and Asia.
It’s particularly challenging for automakers like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, which sell only electric vehicles, because most people who planned to buy an electric vehicle in 2025 have already bought one in Q3 or earlier.
This rental service is not a bad idea, though, but it’s obviously far from a solution to the demand problem in the US.
It’s wild to think that Tesla’s own CEO is largely responsible for creating this situation by backing Trump in the last elections.
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NIU is back at EICMA 2025 (the Milan Motorcycle Show) with a fresh lineup of electric two-wheelers that push the boundaries of performance, design, and smart connectivity. The Chinese electric mobility giant, already known for selling over 5 million electric scooters and motorcycles across over 50 countries, used the Milan show to unveil its 2026 product range – and it’s clear NIU is looking to hang on to that leader status.
For those unfamiliar, NIU launched its first electric scooter way back in 2015 and quickly rose to prominence with sleek, connected vehicles that combined urban practicality with stylish design. There are a lot of electric scooters out there now, but NIU has consistently been known for high-tech and slick-looking models.
Now, a decade later, NIU’s lineup has matured into a globally recognized suite of smart mopeds, e-bikes, scooters, and electric motorcycles. And at this year’s EICMA, the company made it clear that it’s ready to dominate even more niches.
A smarter NQiX Series
The NQiX Series has already gained traction in Europe’s L1e and L3e vehicle categories, but for 2026, it’s getting even better. All models in the series will be updated with improved motor and battery efficiency for longer range and better consistency. Most notably, NIU is adding onboard navigation powered by Google Maps – a major step toward true “smart” scooters.
The biggest news, though, is the introduction of the NQiX 1000. Packing 15.5 kW of peak power and topping out at 125 km/h (78 mph), this model is aimed at commuters who want speed, range, and flexibility. With three removable 72V 28Ah batteries and over 100 km of range, it looks set to be a practical yet powerful urban workhorse. The NQiX 1000 will launch in Q3 2026 with a starting price of €6,499.
My first NIU scooter ever was an NQiGT that I got back in 2020, and it helped me fall in love with the brand. The NQiX series has extended what made the original so impressive, and the NQiX 1000 will push that model line into brand new territory, both for technology and for performance.
FQiX brings a fresh face to urban riding
NIU also introduced a completely new design platform called the FQiX Series, targeted at city dwellers who want tech-forward transportation with a bit of flair. Think sleek body lines, distinctive lighting, and a minimalist aesthetic – paired with smart features like a 5-inch TFT display, rear radar, and Bluetooth/NFC/keyless unlocking.
The FQiX 150 (L1e) and FQiX 300 (L3e) offer two tiers of performance but share the same connected tech ecosystem, powered by NIU’s new “Link Crown” interface. These will also arrive by Q3 2026, starting at just €2,399 – making them a compelling choice for first-time e-scooter riders.
This one definitely feels like NIU’s targetted attempt to bring on younger, more budget conscious riders while still giving them access to the technology that separates the brands’ scooters from much of the competition.
XQi goes off-road (and on-road, too)
NIU has been teasing off-road ambitions for years, but the new XQi 300, XQi 400, and XQi 500 take those ambitions up several notches. They follow on the heels of the successful launch of the NIU XQi3, which, for a lack of a better way to describe it, is NIU’s Sur Ron competitor. I had the chance to test it out recently on a trip to tour NIU’s factory. But unlike Sur Rons, Talarias, and most other light electric dirt bikes in this category, NIU made the XQi3 street-legal from the start, meaning riders could register it like a motorcycle and also ride on trails.
Now the XQi3 has been revamped into the XQi 300, keeping much of what made it a success untouched, but adding highly requested features like on-board charging so the battery doesn’t need to be unplugged to recharge. The XQi 400 and XQi 500 add even more power and performance, competing more with the Sur Ron Storm Bee. The XQi 500 Street, in particular, is likely to prove quite popular as a street-legal electric dirt bike with a massive 28.8 kW peak output and a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), all in a fairly lightweight 92 kg (203 lb) chassis.
Concept 06 maxi-scooter
NIU also showed off a concept for a potentially upcoming maxi-scooter, and it sounds like they actually want to produce it. This likely isn’t just a crazy concept that will never see the road, but rather a roadmap to what could be NIU’s biggest scooter yet.
The company is projecting impressive performance, including a 20 kW motor, speeds of up to 155 km/h (96 MPH), plus fancy features like a tray table so you can get some laptop work done while you’re charging up.
Electrek’s Take
NIU continues to impress me with its mix of smart tech, eye-catching design, and impressive performance. The addition of Google Maps integration and radar safety features is a clear step forward that I’m excited to see implemented. And with models like the XQi 1000, NIU is branching into serious performance territory. And the new off-road bikes (with street-legal status to ride on the road too!) take what was already a great design and make it even more powerful – and convenient to use.
While some of the subscription models might turn off some users, the base functionality of these vehicles seems generous enough to keep most people happy. And all of that tech on top is what helps separate NIU. If the pricing holds and the specs deliver, I think NIU’s 2026 lineup could shake up both urban and off-road electric mobility in a big way.
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