Transportation

The Wall Street Journal reports that Troy Jones, director of Tesla’s North American sales, is leaving after 15 years at the company. This comes after Tesla reported a steep drop in sales for the second quarter. Other execs have similarly been fleeing. Elon Musk fired Omead Afshar, who formerly led operations in North America and Europe. And the company’s director of human resources for North America, Jenna Ferrua, departed in June, according to the Journal. The C-suite is getting thin.

The electric automaker is launching its new map built on top of Google Maps using the service’s Automotive SDK. Rivian, which notably does not allow Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in its vehicles, says the new maps feature real-time traffic updates, tappable points of interest, and satellite imagery.

Don’t expect Elon’s EV company to turn its fortunes around any time soon after launching in India today. It may be the world’s third-biggest auto market, but EVs make up less than 5 percent.

The Swedish automaker said it will take a one-off, non-cash impairment charge of 11.4 billion Swedish kronor ($1.19 billion) in the second quarter related to two plug-in models: the EX90 and ES90. That means Volvo is basically reducing the value of the EVs on its balance sheet. The reason is because Donald Trump’s tariffs are making it impossible for Volvo to make a profit on these models. The EX60 is still on track, apparently.

The automaker announced today that it will upgrade its Spring Hill, TN factory for the production of low-cost lithium-ion phosphate batteries. The factory is run by Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, building on a $2.3 billion investment from 2021. Tesla and Ford are also producing electric vehicles with LFP batteries, which tend to be cheaper and longer lasting but aren’t as energy dense as NCM (nickel cobalt manganese) batteries. Ultium Cells also supplies batteries to Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, and Rivian.

The xAI chatbot will arrive on Tesla vehicles by “next week at the latest,” according to Elon Musk, who previously said in January that it was “coming soon.” This wasn’t mentioned during last night’s live demo of Grok 4.

The EXP 15 “design concept” is supposed to preview the British automaker’s first all-electric model, due in 2026. Bentley said the design was inspired by the “Blue Train,” which was a 1930 three-seater Speed Six. But this crazy concept looks more like a real train with that massive front end and an elongated body. Bentley says none of this is intended for production, which, like, duh.

The airline giant has been promising to accept Bitcoin as a payment method since 2022, but it might finally happen next year thanks to a preliminary deal with Crypto.com to explore integrations with the crypto trading platform’s payment service.

Apparently following through on his threat to challenge Republicans who supported Donald Trump’s budget bill, Musk tweeted, “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” He also said it will be ready next year -- a “consistently proven wrong” theme for Musk.

Elon Musk’s embrace of acronyms like MAGA and DOGE has alienated the left, while his commitment to clean energy and EVs continues to enrage the entrenched oil and gas interests of the Trumpian right. So, can anyone still appreciate Tesla’s massive new off-grid Supercharger, even if it’s only because the company finally nailed a timeline?

Yes, the Lamborghini Revuelto is a plug-in hybrid that also carries a $4500 gas guzzler tax for not meeting minimum fuel efficiency standards.

On Friday, China’s Commerce Ministry said on state media that it will “review and approve eligible export applications for controlled items in accordance with the law” in response to a question about rare earth materials.

Customers that never received their expensive e-bike due to the company’s bankruptcy are being offered a discount on the resurrected company’s new — and seemingly much improved — S6 series, reducing the price to €2,298. Now that the new VanMoof is once again producing spare parts for its expanding network of European service partners, co-CEO Eliott Wertheimer told Bike Europe that he wanted “to help those who were let down by the old company and get them riding.”