Tesla loses another director – Rohan Ma, energy/autobidder lead
Another Tesla director is leaving the company, amid an exodus of top talent over the last few months.
The director in question this time is Rohan Ma, who was responsible for Tesla’s “Autobidder” software.
Autobidder is a software platform that coordinates energy trading, which works alongside Tesla’s Energy products, like Powerwalls and Megapacks, to sell energy to the grid in real time.
Software like this is what allows grid-tied batteries to buy and sell from the grid, and help the owners of those batteries to make money by arbitraging energy – storing it when it’s cheap and plentiful, and selling it when it’s expensive and demand is high.
Not only does it help make money for battery owners who provide these grid services, but it helps to balance the grid during unstable times of very high demand or when supply is constrained (due to weather, generation plant shutdowns, or the like). It’s also a solution to the oft-repeated “intermittency” problem of solar and wind.
As of 2023, Autobidder made over $330 million in profits for the owners of the then-7GWh battery capacity that was available under its purview. Our last update on Autobidder profits came about a year ago, so surely more has been made since then.
But that update, at the time, came courtesy of Rohan Ma – the very director who announced his retirement from Tesla this week.
He announced his decision in a LinkedIn Post, where he mentioned his pride in contributing to Tesla Energy, thanked his colleagues, and said he has no plans for the future yet:
After eight years at Tesla, this will be my last week. It was a ride of a lifetime!
Today, Tesla Energy is thriving and I can confidently say it’s in the best position it has ever been in to drive impact toward the original mission I signed up for. I’m proud to have contributed over the years to where it is now, and will be cheering the team on from the sidelines as they carry the torch forward and continue to relentlessly solve problems at the frontier of the energy transition.
I want to thank all of my Tesla colleagues, past and present. It was a privilege to work alongside such incredibly resilient, committed and capable people all these years. I’m also grateful to our Autobidder customers, particularly those who partnered with me when it was just an idea on a white board. I always felt grateful for the responsibility of demonstrating what energy storage is truly capable of achieving in electricity markets, and without the trust of our partners and customers, that would never have been possible. Lastly, Drew Baglino, thank you for betting on me and bringing your vision, intellect and relentless optimism to us all over the years.
As for me, I have no plans yet for my next chapter, which is both thrilling and a bit terrifying. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with many of you in the coming months and learning more about what’s going on out there before hunkering down to build again.
The departure follows a string of other high-profile departures from Tesla.
Notably, Drew Baglino, the one person who Ma mentions by name in his departure post, left in April of this year, alongside Tesla’s announcement that it will lay off “more than 10%” of its global workforce. Baglino had been the top engineer at the company and had worked at Tesla for 18 years.
In the last few months Tesla also lost policy head Rohan Patel, Supercharger lead Rebecca Tinucci (and her entire team), program manager for Model S/3/Y Daniel Ho, investor relations head Martin Viecha, ad team leader Alex Ingram (and his entire team), head of product launches Rich Otto, and more, many of which seem connected in some way to Tesla’s massive layoffs. Around a year ago, the company lost CFO Zach Kirkhorn and senior engineer Colim Campbell as well.
While it’s no surprise for there to be turnover at companies, especially one as large as Tesla, the temporal proximity of departures of longtime and influential employees is worth noting. Tesla’s corporate governance page has become more and more sparse over time, with now only a single C-level executive listed on the site (CFO Vaibhav Taneja – as for CEO Elon Musk, he instead refers to himself as “Technoking”).
Electrek’s Take
We’ve mentioned several times the disturbing direction that Tesla is going with its leadership, with many longtime leaders departing or being fired.
It seems to be a pattern – and we believe that the pattern has to do both with Musk intentionally isolating himself at the top, and making himself seem more necessary to the organization (perhaps related to the shareholder compensation vote), and also related to executive reactions to this leadership behavior.
The company’s direction seems to have changed sharply in recent years, with Musk seeming to lose interest in electric cars and environmental protection and instead doubling down on big, likely unreachable promises for the near future. Not to mention his social media distractions.
For longtime employees who led the charge towards sustainable transport – which is Tesla’s mission, after all – this recent lack of focus on the mission must be discouraging. It’s certainly been discouraging to us here at Electrek, as our mission is also to move to more sustainable transport, and we see the change in Tesla’s strategy, as Fred wrote about yesterday in his excellent article about why he divested from Tesla (TSLA).
Most of these executives haven’t said they’re leaving for this reason, but that’s not the kind of thing that leaders usually say publicly when they leave a job. Everyone wants to put on a nice face and not talk bad on their previous employer, which is understandable. But Rich Otto did say that he left due to low morale in May, and that it was “hard to see the long game” in recent leadership decisions.
While Ma didn’t say anything similar in his departure note, the fact that he thanked only one former executive by name – Drew Baglino, who left earlier this year – and not the chief executive who is still the titular head of the company, may suggest there is some latent dissatisfaction with the direction of the company.
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The Honda Ruckus has earned cult status thanks to its minimalist styling, exposed frame, and seemingly endless customizability. The scooter, also known in international markets as the Honda Zoomer, has spent years being seen as a blank canvas for scooter tuners, urban commuters, and anyone who just wanted something simple, small, and kind of weird to zip around town. A few years ago, Honda finally answered the call for an updated version by announcing and producing the “Zoomer e:”, which was an electric version of the Honda Ruckus. So where is it?
When Honda launched the all-electric version of the Ruckus, the Zoomer e:, back in 2023, many fans hoped it was only a matter of time before we saw it quietly glide onto U.S. streets.
But two years later, there’s still no sign of a stateside release, and no indication that Honda plans to change that anytime soon.
The Zoomer e: was first introduced in China in early 2023 alongside two other retro-inspired electrics: the Cub e: and Dax e:.
The Zoomer e: keeps the stripped-down, industrial look of the classic gas-powered Ruckus, but swaps the 49cc engine for a 400W rear hub motor and a 48V 24Ah battery (around 1.15 kWh).
It was originally given a top speed of a mere 25 km/h (15.5 mph) to keep it street legal as an electric bicycle in its first market of China, where it also came with functional but stubby pedals so riders could pretend it was actually pedalable.
The first version of the electric scooter claimed a range of up to 80–90 km (50–56 miles) from its removable lithium-ion battery, depending on conditions.
We’ve since seen the performance bumped up to 40 km/h (25 mph) top speeds when the scooter was introduced into the Philippines market, where the local L1B classification allowed for higher speeds. It’s fairly obvious that the performance can be software-tweaked by Honda depending on the market, though likely to a limit. To achieve speeds much higher than 25 mph, a motor and controller swap may be required, though neither would be complicated.
In other words, the electric Ruckus’ debut revealed an ultra-lightweight, street-legal runabout designed for countries with expansive low-speed e-bike laws. But in the U.S., these types of quasi-e-bikes that are actually scooters are few and far between. The same performance can be had from a $1,000 electric bicycle, and in fact, Class 3 e-bikes in the US can go nearly twice as fast as the original electric Ruckus.
So Honda obviously hasn’t been in a rush to bring its low-spec version of the bike to the US market, where it would be a slower and heavier competitor to the wide range of cheap imported electric bicycles. However, its iconic design and cultural legacy have kept enthusiasm up for riders who have managed to privately import their own models. One Redditor appears to have imported two Honda Zoomer e: models in parts to assemble in the US, while someone else posted a YouTube video of his completely assembled Honda Dax e: model that was launched along the Zoomer e:.
Despite clear consumer interest and a growing market for low-speed electric vehicles, as well as Honda’s own proven interest in growing its electric scooter market, the company hasn’t made any moves to release the Zoomer e: in the US. That’s not surprising since America still lacks a robust electric scooter culture (or even a gasoline scooter culture, for that matter), and anything motorcycle-shaped that doesn’t hit 30+ mph tends to get passed over by mainstream buyers.
But perhaps that could change one day. Technically, bringing the Zoomer e: to the US wouldn’t be a monumental task for Honda. The U.S. is a self-certify country, meaning Honda could design a version that meets federal vehicle safety standards, beef up the motor and controller for higher speeds, and sell it as either a Class 2/3 e-bike, or perhaps more appropriately, as a low-speed motorcycle with a top speed in the 35-45 mph range (55-70 km/h).
With the rise of micromobility, electrification, and growing frustration with car-centric cities, now might actually be the perfect time for a reborn electric Ruckus to hit US roads. But until Honda decides to take that step, American riders will have to keep dreaming – or start importing.
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BMW Motorrad’s futuristic electric scooter just got its first real refresh since beginning production in 2021. The BMW CE 04, already one of the most capable and stylish electric maxi-scooters on the market, now gets a set of upgraded trim options, new aesthetic touches, and a more robust list of features that aim to make this urban commuter even more appealing to riders looking for serious electric performance on two wheels.
The BMW CE 04 has always stood out for its sci-fi styling and high-performance drivetrain. It’s built on a mid-mounted liquid-cooled motor that puts out 31 kW (42 hp) and 62 Nm of torque. That’s enough to rocket the scooter from 0 to 50 km/h (31 mph) in just 2.6 seconds – quite fast for anything with a step-through frame.
The top speed is electronically limited to 120 km/h (75 mph), making it perfectly capable for city riding and fast enough to hold its own on highway stretches. Range is rated at 130 km (81 miles) on the WMTC cycle, thanks to the 8.9 kWh battery pack tucked low in the frame.
But while the core performance hasn’t changed, BMW’s 2025 update focuses on refining the package and giving riders more options to tailor the scooter to their taste. The new CE 04 is available in three trims: Basic, Avantgarde, and Exclusive.
The Basic trim keeps things clean and classic with a Lightwhite paint scheme and a clear windshield. It’s subtle, sleek, and very much in line with the CE 04’s clean-lined aesthetic. The Avantgarde model adds a splash of color with a Gravity Blue main body and bright São Paulo Yellow accents, along with a dark windshield and a laser-engraved rim. The top-shelf Exclusive trim is where things get fancy, with a premium Spacesilver metallic paint job, upgraded wind protection, heated grips, a luxury embroidered seat, and its own unique engraved rim treatment.
There are also a few new tech upgrades baked into the options list. Riders can now spec a 6.9 kW quick charger that reduces the 0–80% charge time to just 45 minutes (down from nearly 4 hours with the standard 2.3 kW onboard charger). Tire pressure monitoring, a center stand, and BMW’s “Headlight Pro” adaptive lighting system are also available as add-ons, along with an emergency eCall system and Dynamic Traction Control.
BMW has kept the core riding components in place: a steel-tube chassis, 15-inch wheels, Bosch ABS (with optional ABS Pro), and the impressive 10.25” TFT display with integrated navigation and smartphone connectivity. The under-seat storage still swallows a full-face helmet, and the long, low frame design means the scooter looks like something out of Blade Runner but rides like a luxury commuter.
With these updates, BMW seems to be further cementing the CE 04’s role at the high end of the electric scooter market. It’s not cheap, starting around €12,000 in Europe and around US $12,500 in the US, with prices going up from there depending on configuration. However, the maxi-scooter delivers real motorcycle-grade performance in a package that’s easier to live with for daily riders.
Electrek’s Take
I believe that the CE 04’s biggest strength has always been that it’s not trying to be a toy or a gimmick. It’s a real vehicle. Sure, it’s futuristic and funky looking, but it delivers on its promises. And in a market that’s still surprisingly sparse when it comes to premium electric scooters, BMW has had the lane mostly to itself. That may not last forever, though. LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s electric spin-off brand, has teased plans for a maxi-scooter-style urban electric vehicle in the coming years, but as of now, it remains something of an undefined future plan.
Meanwhile, BMW is delivering not just a concept bike but a mature, well-equipped, and ready-to-ride electric scooter that keeps improving. For riders who want something faster and more capable than a Class 3 e-bike but aren’t ready to jump to a full-size electric motorcycle, the CE 04 hits a sweet spot. It delivers the performance and capability of a commuter e-motorcycle, yet with the approachability of a scooter. And with these new trims and upgrades, it’s doing it with even more style.
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