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Tag: Electric Vehicle

  • The new Jeep Compass is bigger and I think it looks better than ever | Stuff

    Plenty of car fans have a soft spot for Jeep. Sure, today’s line-up is far removed from the utilitarian Willys original or similarly iconic Wrangler, with posh seats and tons of tech replacing the original minimalistic vibes. You can even get a fully electric one. However, the new Jeep Compass, just showcased at the Melfi factory in Italy where production has now started, boasts the same level of appeal.

    This mid-size SUV, which sits on the STLA Medium platform developed by parent company Stellantis, is like a beefed-up version of the already popular Jeep Avenger. That was a cute and cuddly compact SUV, but for anyone who needs a bit more butch, the Jeep Compass is gonna fit the bill.

    There’ll be three powertrain options: a 145hp e-hybrid, 195hp plug-in, and an EV delivering up to 375hp. Pure electric looks the best bet to me, but the other models definitely broaden its appeal. Also look out for a dual motor, all-wheel drive Compass 4xe next year, which will be able to deliver a mammoth 3100Nm of torque courtesy of a second electric motor at the rear. That should mean it’ll be decent on challenging inclines, with a cheeky 10mm of extra ground clearance for good measure.

    The smaller 73kWh battery version should be able to eke out 310 miles per charge, while a larger 97kWh model aims for 403 miles.

    Jeep Compass production line 2

    The plug-in Compass mates a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a single e-motor and 17.9kWh battery that targets 50 miles of electric range. It could be a good bet for urban explorers who also like to travel further afield.

    This being a Jeep, it’s the all-round capable nature of the new Compass that adds extra appeal. The designers have worked hard to boost the SUV’s rugged potential, with no less than 200mm of ground clearance. A wading depth of 470mm makes it a sensible option for the UK, where our wonderfully unpredictable weather can produce urban flooding out of nowhere.

    A lot of the design cues come from the smaller Avenger, but with everything beefed up to 11. The grille leaves nobody guessing what you’re driving, while the chunky wheel arch trims and methodically chiselled front and rear bumpers create a look that suggests this is an SUV that can actually go off-road without fretting.

    While mud running will probably be down the priority list for most suburban buyers, the Jeep Compass also packs in plenty of everyday essentials. An expansive dashboard area is dominated by a 10in instrument panel and generous 16in touchscreen. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality sit alongside a very decent level of kit. There are some buttons too, in case you’re allergic to touchscreen infotainment setups.

    Jeep Compass production lineJeep Compass production line

    Robust plastic trim panels and chunky rubber floor mats cater to family buyers and anyone with pets, but the Compass isn’t entirely utilitarian. The Melfi factory has a wealth of innovative machines that produce dashboard components with incredibly delicate stitching.

    It’s all quite plush, in a Jeep kinda way. The frontal cabin storage options are many and varied, while the trunk has 550 litres of storage – plus a versatile seating arrangement that can uncork even more with little effort.

    Order books are set to open in summer 2026. Now, when can I drive one?

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  • Federal tax credit for electric vehicles expires, but some state incentives remain

    The expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles, initially passed by Democrats during the Biden administration, leaves consumers looking for other ways to save on their next purchase.Experts say the tax credit previously helped make electric vehicles more affordable, increasing interest in them. Aaron Bragman, the Detroit Bureau Chief at Cars.com, said automakers are now offering electric vehicles that are both profitable for them and affordable for consumers. Bragman noted, “The tax credit has been good for just about everybody. It’s really kind of fostered this whole nascent industry of electric vehicles. It’s gotten people a lot more familiar with them and how they work. It’s helped to build out the infrastructure, the charging infrastructure in the United States, because there’s demand for it. People want the fast charging infrastructure throughout the country, even that has really been starting to accelerate.”There may still be separate incentives available at state and local levels. “The affordable EV isn’t necessarily going away, and there are still some incentives out there,” Bragman said. “It just takes some research and some partnering with your local dealership to find out what those might be where you are.”Car companies such as Ford, Nissan, and Kia are offering deals on electric vehicles, and Tesla has recently changed its referral program to boost incentives for consumers.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The expiration of the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles, initially passed by Democrats during the Biden administration, leaves consumers looking for other ways to save on their next purchase.

    Experts say the tax credit previously helped make electric vehicles more affordable, increasing interest in them.

    Aaron Bragman, the Detroit Bureau Chief at Cars.com, said automakers are now offering electric vehicles that are both profitable for them and affordable for consumers.

    Bragman noted, “The tax credit has been good for just about everybody. It’s really kind of fostered this whole nascent industry of electric vehicles. It’s gotten people a lot more familiar with them and how they work. It’s helped to build out the infrastructure, the charging infrastructure in the United States, because there’s demand for it. People want the fast charging infrastructure throughout the country, even that has really been starting to accelerate.”

    There may still be separate incentives available at state and local levels.

    “The affordable EV isn’t necessarily going away, and there are still some incentives out there,” Bragman said. “It just takes some research and some partnering with your local dealership to find out what those might be where you are.”

    Car companies such as Ford, Nissan, and Kia are offering deals on electric vehicles, and Tesla has recently changed its referral program to boost incentives for consumers.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

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  • 4 Startups Making Money While Helping Mitigate Climate Change

    Four U.S. companies landed a spot on MIT Technology Review‘s annual list of Climate Tech Companies to Watch. Spanning industries from nuclear and geothermal power to battery recycling and gene editing, these businesses demonstrate resilience and potential to thrive in spite of—or in some cases because of—shifting political and economic forces in the U.S.

    These climate tech companies were selected based on a number of criteria including the likelihood that the technologies can mitigate climate change threats or reduce emissions, and whether they are likely to actually succeed as businesses, according to MIT Technology Review senior editor James Temple.

    This year’s list is also shorter than lists of past years and is much more “geographically diverse,” Temple noted, which reflects the challenges facing these technologies and businesses at large. Alongside U.S. companies, the list includes those from Canada, China, Germany, India, and Sweden.

    Here are the four homegrown climate tech companies featured on MIT’s list:

    Fervo Energy

    Fervo Energy is a Houston-based company applying oil and gas practices to make geothermal energy more cost effective and accessible. Whereas geothermal energy extraction is usually location-specific (think: Iceland), Fervo uses hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to access the energy source almost anywhere. In June, Fervo landed $206 million, much of it from Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, to continue building out the world’s first enhanced geothermal power plant in Utah (and in September got a big shoutout in Gates’s famous blog). 

    When the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed into law in July, it curtailed or eliminated a number of tax incentives for various industries like solar, wind, and EVs. But key Biden-era tax incentives were largely preserved for geothermal and nuclear. Plus, U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright listed geothermal as a priority alongside advanced nuclear, hydropower, and fossil fuels when expanding on Trump’s early, energy-related executive orders. 

    That said, possible risks to the technology’s viability include lengthy permitting processes, and the seismic risks that fracking more broadly can pose, according to MIT.

    Kairos Power

    Alameda, California-based Kairos Power is developing advanced nuclear reactors that executives say can produce reliable and abundant nuclear power more safely and affordably than today’s fission reactors. Kairos’s reactor design uses a robust fuel form that can remain intact at high temperatures, as well as a molten fluoride salt as a coolant, rather than water. The company has backing from Google, with which it struck a deal that is poised to help develop its small modular reactor technology and inked a historic deal in August with a major U.S. utility. 

    Like Fervo, Kairos Power operates in an industry with which the Trump administration’s has taken a comparatively friendlier stance. Kairos aims to kick off commercial operations as soon as 2030, but risks remain. MIT Technology Review noted Kairos isn’t the first to experiment with molten salt reactors—other such projects have failed—plus Kairos’s unique fuel requires specialized uranium that previously was mostly sourced from Russia. 

    Pairwise

    Pairwise applies Crispr gene editing technology to crops. In partnership with biotech giants Bayer and Corteva, the Durham, North Carolina-based startup aims to produce crops that can withstand the increasingly hostile conditions of a planet with a changing climate, according to MIT.

    The company already introduced a less bitter mustard green, and now it is turning its focus toward sturdier corn, high-yield yams, and disease-resistant cacao trees with various partners including the Gates Foundation and global candy company Mars. Pairwise has not yet successfully introduced to market any of its climate optimized foods, and risks remain about how consumers might receive them, MIT noted.

    Redwood Materials

    Carson City, Nevada-based Redwood Materials has already made a name for itself as a U.S. leader in battery recycling. Now it’s moving into battery upcycling, turning end-of-life EV batteries into microgrids that experts believe could be crucial for shoring up the grid amid rising energy demand.

    As more consumers adopt electric vehicles, there’s increasing domestic and global demand for minerals like lithium and cobalt. Redwood says that recycling batteries reduces the need for mining and boosts the domestic supply chain, all while cutting carbon emissions by 70 percent compared with processing mined materials, MIT Technology Review reported. Plus, this new microgrid technology could help quickly meet power needs as data centers demand ever more energy. But as MIT points out, Redwood still has technical and scaling hurdles to clear for its microgrids, and the viability of the business could be threatened if consumer demand for EVs tumbles.

    Check out the full list of Climate Tech Companies to watch here.

    Chloe Aiello

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  • IRS Extends EV Tax Credit Window: Can You Still Qualify Before Sept. 30?

    Electric vehicle purchases have long been eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. That is changing on Sept. 30 thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which eliminated the credit.

    However, the IRS is offering some relief, giving taxpayers some leeway on the end of the credit. Consumers who enter a binding contract to purchase an electric vehicle before Sept. 30 may still be eligible for the credit, even if the vehicle isn’t delivered until after that date.

    This poses the question: What does this mean for electric vehicle purchases, and can you still qualify? We’ll dig into this question and what to expect going forward.

    Don’t Miss:

    The electric vehicle tax credit is set to expire on Sept. 30, due to provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill eliminates the $7,500 credit for new electric vehicle purchases and the $4,000 credit for used electric vehicles worth up to $4,000.

    These tax credits have been a boon to electric vehicle customers, as they significantly reduced purchasing costs, especially for new vehicles. Economists project that electric vehicle demand could drop by as much as 27% without the $7,500 credit, Bloomberg reported.

    The IRS has slightly modified the rules surrounding electric vehicle purchases, allowing buyers some additional time to claim the credit. Specifically, it says that the vehicle must be “acquired” as of the date of a written binding contract, and a payment has been made. The payment can be made as a cash down payment or via a vehicle trade-in.

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    Although the One Big Beautiful Act will eliminate the electric vehicle tax credit, the rule change aligns with language in the Inflation Reduction Act. For instance, the IRS has used vehicle delivery dates to determine tax credits in the past, NPR reported.

    The ability to use the contract date instead of the delivery date is helpful for buyers of vehicles that can have delayed deliveries, such as Tesla.

    Time is running out to claim the electric vehicle tax credit, and buyers should be aware of the rules around it to avoid missing the deadline. For instance, purchase price limits exist for the tax credit, Kiplinger reported. Vans, SUVs, and trucks with purchase prices exceeding $80,000 are not eligible.

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  • New York City Is Stuck With a $45 Million EV Fleet That’s Glitchy as Hell

    There’s going green for the sake of the planet, and then there’s going green as part of a policy initiative that winds up buying a bunch of glitch-plagued electric vehicles from a company that went bankrupt and can no longer service them.

    The latter is the exact story of a New York-based company called American Lease, which has spent around $45 million for 2,800 cars from Fisker, a now-dead EV startup that only made 11,000 of that model in its short life anyway, and is now using them as part of NYC’s Green Rides Initiative.

    They have accordingly deployed the Ocean, a sort of Escalade SUV knockoff, across NYC as a ride-sharing or car service vehicle, meaning that the only Ocean you may ever see in your life is popping up multiple times throughout New York.

    And in true tech bro fashion, the decision to buy these almost 3,000 now-defunct SUVs for millions of dollars was made fast—and broke things, possibly literally.

    “We were sitting at lunch and I was reading an article about how Henrik Fisker, who founded Fisker, had listed his home for more than the market cap of the company at that point,” American Lease executive vice president Josh Bleiberg told Bloomberg. “So I was like, ‘Screw it: Let’s buy Fisker.’”

    The Fisker cars are all kinds of messed up

    Here’s the problem, though: the Ocean debuted in 2020 and was immediately slapped by regulators for multiple safety issues, a problem that eventually led to a recall of all 2024 models and Fisker’s bankruptcy filing the same year.

    Fisker produced over 10,000 Ocean SUVs in 2023, but only 4,929 of these vehicles were delivered to customers. Fisker also faced challenges in selling the remaining inventory, an understandable position considering the recall issues.

    Those problems included suddenly losing power, the inability to exit in an emergency, issues with the gauges and icons on the dashboard, software that did not meet safety requirements, brakes not working, and “unintended” vehicle movement.

    “A door that fails to open can prevent occupants from exiting in an emergency, increasing the risk of injury,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in its findings.

    A Bloomberg reporter who recently took a ride in one noted that you should definitely look out for the “ghost light”—which randomly goes on and then blinks for 10 to 15 seconds before resetting—or California Mode, which sometimes causes the windows to get stuck in the down position and then have to be reset at the company’s Bronx site.

    Another fun perk? The vehicles are often old, with their software in limbo, managed by third-party startups like indiGO Technologies, who are trying to keep them up-to-date. No word on how you’d fix a major problem with an Ocean, because the company that made it is dead, and it was the only model Fisker ever made.

    This makes sense because after the 2024 recall, owners of the cars claimed that the Fisker development engineers were racing to meet the regulatory requirements and made so many changes so fast that many of them didn’t work at all. That led to accusations of “bricking,” which is when an EV becomes totally unresponsive.

    How much did American Leasing pay for the Fisker cars?

    To be fair, American Leasing did get a good deal on the Fisker cars. While they once sold for around $70,000 as luxury EVs, the company snapped them up for around $16,000 each. Whether that price factored in the recall issues or repair costs, though, isn’t clear.

    American Leasing did not respond to a request for comment.

    What’s remarkable is that New York’s push for an all-electric fleet—enforced by the city’s Green Rides initiative—has inadvertently created a marketplace for these zombie EV startups.

    The city aims for all Uber and Lyft rides to be emissions-free by 2030, but limited supply and declining federal incentives have left fleet operators scrambling for affordable replacements, often turning to used and propped-up vehicles from bankrupt or failing companies. The irony in this is that the owner of American Leasing doesn’t think the Oceans will make it until that 2030 deadline.

    “We don’t anticipate these cars lasting much past 150,000 to 200,000 miles,” Bleiberg told Bloomberg.

    Riley Gutiérrez McDermid

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  • California woman left stranded by Lyft driver on rural road

    California woman left stranded by Lyft driver on rural road

    A 60-year-old Roseville woman says she was kicked out of her Lyft ride because the driver did not have enough charge in his electric vehicle. See the story in the video player aboveIt happened early Friday morning as Catherine Smith was trying to get home from Sacramento International Airport.Smith said the driver made her leave the car near Base Line Road and Palladay Road in Placer County. “He kept pointing at his screen, saying, ‘I need to charge. I need to charge.’ That’s all he said over and over and over again,” said Smith. The one-lane road was extremely dark when KCRA went to take video of it Wednesday night. It’s in a rural part of the county with no street lights in sight. “He pulls over, gets out of the car, opens the trunk, takes all my luggage out. I get out of the car, he gets in the car, turns around, takes off and looks at me and says, ‘You can call another Lyft,’” said Smith. Smith began panicking as she was just left stranded on the side of a dark road. According to her Lyft ride history, she was picked up from Sacramento International Airport around 1 a.m. Friday.Halfway through the drive — Smith said they had to take a detour because of construction.”He kept saying, ‘I need a charge. I need a charge.’ And my brain just kept saying, ‘He needs to recalibrate because we took the little detour so that he gets paid, right,’” said Smith. Smith said the driver never explicitly told her that he meant he needed to charge his car to complete the drive. So, she was confused by his lack of communication every time he spoke to her. “He never said ‘No, ma’am. The car needs to be charged,’ at all,” said Smith. According to the ride history, the driver left Smith on the side of Base Line Road at 1:40 a.m. “I was in the dark left there. I started crying because I didn’t have any of my weapons from being on the plane, and I felt so vulnerable,” said Smith. After Smith realized she was stranded, she immediately reached out to Lyft. Lyft then alerted authorities, and a Placer County sheriff’s deputy arrived within minutes. The deputy stayed with Smith until another Lyft driver arrived. Lyft’s safety department sent Smith a message regarding the incident. “As a result of this report, we are reviewing this driver’s account to determine whether they should continue on the Lyft platform,” the message read.Smith was also refunded the cost of her ride and was told she would not be paired with that driver ever again. “I hope to get him off the road because he has no business driving. He couldn’t communicate clearly. He should have said, ma’am, I need to charge my car, which is unacceptable anyway, for a 20-minute drive,” said Smith. KCRA reached out to Lyft on Wednesday to confirm if the driver is still contracted on the platform. “Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and we never want anyone in our community to feel unsafe,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. “We are deeply sorry that Ms. Smith had to endure this distressing ordeal, and we have reached out to offer our support. The behavior described has no place in the Lyft community, and we have permanently removed the driver’s account from the Lyft platform.”

    A 60-year-old Roseville woman says she was kicked out of her Lyft ride because the driver did not have enough charge in his electric vehicle.

    See the story in the video player above

    It happened early Friday morning as Catherine Smith was trying to get home from Sacramento International Airport.

    Smith said the driver made her leave the car near Base Line Road and Palladay Road in Placer County.

    “He kept pointing at his screen, saying, ‘I need to charge. I need to charge.’ That’s all he said over and over and over again,” said Smith.

    The one-lane road was extremely dark when KCRA went to take video of it Wednesday night. It’s in a rural part of the county with no street lights in sight.

    “He pulls over, gets out of the car, opens the trunk, takes all my luggage out. I get out of the car, he gets in the car, turns around, takes off and looks at me and says, ‘You can call another Lyft,’” said Smith.

    Smith began panicking as she was just left stranded on the side of a dark road.

    According to her Lyft ride history, she was picked up from Sacramento International Airport around 1 a.m. Friday.

    Halfway through the drive — Smith said they had to take a detour because of construction.

    “He kept saying, ‘I need a charge. I need a charge.’ And my brain just kept saying, ‘He needs to recalibrate because we took the little detour so that he gets paid, right,’” said Smith.

    Smith said the driver never explicitly told her that he meant he needed to charge his car to complete the drive. So, she was confused by his lack of communication every time he spoke to her.

    “He never said ‘No, ma’am. The car needs to be charged,’ at all,” said Smith.

    According to the ride history, the driver left Smith on the side of Base Line Road at 1:40 a.m.

    “I was in the dark left there. I started crying because I didn’t have any of my weapons from being on the plane, and I felt so vulnerable,” said Smith.

    After Smith realized she was stranded, she immediately reached out to Lyft. Lyft then alerted authorities, and a Placer County sheriff’s deputy arrived within minutes. The deputy stayed with Smith until another Lyft driver arrived.

    Lyft’s safety department sent Smith a message regarding the incident.

    “As a result of this report, we are reviewing this driver’s account to determine whether they should continue on the Lyft platform,” the message read.

    Smith was also refunded the cost of her ride and was told she would not be paired with that driver ever again.

    “I hope to get him off the road because he has no business driving. He couldn’t communicate clearly. He should have said, ma’am, I need to charge my car, which is unacceptable anyway, for a 20-minute drive,” said Smith.

    KCRA reached out to Lyft on Wednesday to confirm if the driver is still contracted on the platform.

    “Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and we never want anyone in our community to feel unsafe,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday. “We are deeply sorry that Ms. Smith had to endure this distressing ordeal, and we have reached out to offer our support. The behavior described has no place in the Lyft community, and we have permanently removed the driver’s account from the Lyft platform.”

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  • EV Solar Charger – Wicked Gadgetry

    EV Solar Charger – Wicked Gadgetry








    Ev Solar Charger


    Ev Solar Charger 2







    If you own an electric car and find that your batteries are running at 35% capacity, and you cannot find a spot at the old electric pump, then this EV Solar Charger from GoSun will come in very useful. If you forgot to charge your EV overnight or you find yourself on an isolated stretch of highway watching your batteries gauge, drop mile after mile, this nail biting situation has finally been resolved. The GoSun EV charger is a set of solar panels that can be spread out above your vehicle and will recharge your batteries from the sun and provide you with up to 30 extra miles of driving.

    Kyle

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  • China’s BYD launches third EV model in Japan

    China’s BYD launches third EV model in Japan

    TOKYO (Reuters) -China’s BYD launched its third electric vehicle in Japan, it said on Tuesday, a sedan that will be its most expensive model so far in a market where consumers have long favoured domestic brands.

    The Shenzhen-based automaker said it had started taking orders for its flagship Seal EV in Japan from Tuesday, setting the suggested retail pricing for the rear-wheel-drive version of the vehicle in the country at 5.28 million yen ($33,111.75).

    The model starts from 179,800 yuan ($24,759.70) in China.

    The expansion of BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, in Japan could become a worry for domestic automakers, which are struggling in China against BYD and other Chinese EV brands.

    The automaker has only rolled out battery-powered cars for the Japanese market, but not vehicles with other powertrain technology such as plug-in hybrids, in which it is a big player in China.

    BYD’s sales in Japan have lost some momentum in April-June compared with last year, BYD Auto Japan president Atsuki Tofukuji said at a Seal launch event in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.

    A big reduction in the Japanese government electric-vehicle subsidies the company’s models qualify for in the business year that started in April put a drag on sales, he told reporters.

    The company will offer a rear-wheel-drive and an all-wheel-drive version in Japan that will both come with a 82.56 kilowatt per hour battery pack, the company said in a news release.

    The rear-wheel-drive version has a cruising range of 640 km (398 miles), while the 6.05 million yen all-wheel-drive version can drive 575 km on a single charge.

    BYD launched the Atto 3 and Dolphin EVs in Japan last year, selling about 2,500 since opening its first Japanese dealership in Yokohama in February 2023.

    It said it plans to add at least one new model to its lineup in Japan each year.

    ($1 = 159.4600 yen)

    ($1 = 7.2618 Chinese yuan)

    (Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry Doyle)

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  • At least 5 Tesla Supercharger locations targeted across Houston in less than a week, but motive remains unclear

    At least 5 Tesla Supercharger locations targeted across Houston in less than a week, but motive remains unclear

    HOUSTON – At least five Tesla Supercharger locations have been targeted in a string of cable thefts this week.

    After KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding reported on the theft of 18 high-voltage cables from a Tesla charging station in Montrose Monday, more and more charging stations across the Houston area are being ransacked, leaving electric vehicle drivers scrambling to power up.

    KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry visited the Yale Street Marketplace Supercharger, the latest charging station to be looted.

    The chargers are back up and running now, and they’ve been working all evening. The scene this morning was a different story, as Tesla drivers were notified that the station was closed after its two dozen cables had been clipped.

    A damaged Tesla Supercharger in Houston, Texas after thieves cut the high-voltage charging cable. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)

    Israel Robles is one of the many Tesla drivers who had to find a different outlet.

    “It’s, like, really inconvenient, because you plan your destinations based on being able to charge on the way,” Robles said.

    Here’s all the charging stations we know have been hit so far:

    1. Kipling St – Montrose

    2. Glenbrook Square, 6300 Telephone Rd

    3. 10850 Louetta Rd – Northwest Harris County

    4. Westheimer & Dairy Ashford – West Houston

    5. 195 Yale St – Heights

    With this sudden uptick in cable clipping, the question as to who’s committing these crimes—and why—remains unclear.

    Some speculate that copper wire theft could be a motive, but this scrapyard owner says these thieves should think again.

    Brandi Harleaux owns South Post Oak Recycling Center, a metal scrapyard in southern Houston where thieves might think to sell the insulated copper wire found in a Tesla charging cable.

    “There could be folks who think that they can make a lot of money selling to a recycling facility like ours,” Harleaux said.

    At Harleaux’s yard, the insulated wire goes for just 70 cents per pound. So hypothetically, 50 pounds of Tesla charging cable would only be worth $30.

    Not only is the potential payout underwhelming, but the strenuous documentation process that scrapyards adhere to makes recycling stolen materials especially risky.

    “It’s more steps to recycle material here than it is for many people to go to a bank,” Harleaux said.

    Sellers are required to sign documents, have their picture taken and even submit their fingerprints. That information is then uploaded to state and local databases. With such stringent surveillance, Harleaux says targeting the charger cables just doesn’t make sense.

    “Leave it alone,” she said.

    Tonight, the motive of these crimes remains unknown. However, earlier this week, the owner if an electric vehicle repair company told KPRC 2 that his guess is it’s either a copper thief, or someone who has it out for electric vehicles.

    “I feel like eventually, they’re going to get caught,” Robles said.

    If you have any information that could lead to an arrest, you can submit an anonymous online tip to Crime Stoppers of Houston or you can call 713-222-TIPS (8477).

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

    Bryce Newberry, Michael Horton

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  • Thieves hit four Tesla Supercharger stations in Houston area this week

    Thieves hit four Tesla Supercharger stations in Houston area this week

    HOUSTON – Monday, KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding reported on the theft of 18 cables from a Tesla charging station in Montrose.

    Since his report, more charging stations across the Houston area have been ransacked, leaving electric vehicle owners without a spark.

    On Wednesday, the cables from all charging stations at the Glenbrook Square shopping center were stolen. Every single connector in the lot had been slashed.

    An image of the stations after the theft (Adrian Montes, KPRC 2)

    Then last night, more charging stations were clipped in northwest Harris County. One was located at 10850 Louetta Rd.

    In the burglary on Louetta, a source tells KPRC 2 that a man, wearing a bIack hoodie and bIack pants, was seen cutting the charger cables at the station, before bolting across the street and getting into a bIack sedan.

    It’s unclear whether the crimes are being committed by the same perpetrators.

    Nathaniel French has owned a Tesla for nearly six years. As a long-standing fan of electric vehicles and someone who commutes from Austin for work, he knows his way around a charging station.

    He visited a station that had been hit when he needed a charge, before being shocked by the inconvenient revelation.

    “It’s unfortunate,” French said. “People don’t realize how much it affects you. It’s just kind of like going to get gas, and then you can’t get gas for your cars. It’s a struggle, and it’s frustrating to say the least.”

    If you have any information that could lead to an arrest, you can submit an anonymous online tip to Crime Stoppers of Houston or you can call 713-222-TIPS (8477).

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

    Michael Horton, Gage Goulding

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  • Thieves steal high-voltage Tesla Supercharger cables from Montrose charging station

    Thieves steal high-voltage Tesla Supercharger cables from Montrose charging station

    HOUSTON – Imagine pulling into the gas station only to find out that someone cut all of the hoses attached to the pumps.

    That’s the equivalent of what happened at a Houston-area electric vehicle charging station over the weekend.

    Drivers pulled into the Kipling Street Tesla Supercharger only to find that all but one of the cords to plug into their vehicle was cut clean and stolen.

    The Houston Police Department tells KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding that 18 of the 19 charging stations had their cables stolen, according to a report that was filed by a Tesla service technician on Monday.

    “Yeah, I’d be pretty upset about that,” said Alex Longo, who’s traveling through Houston on his way to San Antonio. “I would have been in trouble.”

    You likely would be too if you really needed to use that charger and the plug and cord were missing.

    “I mean, I love my EV but the anxiety of running out of juice,” Vincent Evangelista said while charging his Tesla.

    Tesla Supercharges recently were opened up to other makes and models of vehicles to also tap into the expansive network of electric vehicle chargers built by Elon Musk.

    A damaged Tesla Supercharger in Houston, Texas after thieves cut the high-voltage charging cable. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)

    The Superchargers get their name from the impressive jolt their able to give electric vehicles in such a short time.

    At this location, they can deliver a max charge rate of 250kW at 500 DC volts.

    In simple terms, that’s enough electricity to power more than three average American homes.

    So, what would happen if you came in contact with that much energy?

    “Oh, it would kill you in an instant,” said Cameron Trial, owner of CPR EV Repair.

    But it didn’t. Why?

    “The cables themselves are not live. The supercharger has to make communication with the car before it powers the cable,” Trial said. “But that’s not to say that you could have a faulty supercharger. That the cable was always live. And if that’s the case, and you try to cut through it, you’re going to kill yourself.”

    A damaged Tesla Supercharger in Houston, Texas after thieves cut the high-voltage charging cable. (Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)

    This leads him to believe that whoever is behind this crime likely knows what they’re getting into.

    Trial was able to come up with two reasons.

    “Personally, I think it’s, it’s an anti-EV movement,” he said.

    Someone who hates electric cars so much that they’d risk a felony and their life.

    Or it could be what’s under the black coating of the cable: copper.

    “For the amount of work it took to do that and, the risks that it takes, it’s not worth your life,” Trial said.

    Copper thefts have been a problem in the Houston area, so much that the Houston Police Department has a Metal Theft Unit.

    However, it’s too early for investigators to call copper theft a motive in this case.

    Tesla didn’t respond to KPRC 2′s request for comment. However, all of the chargers were replaced and functional by Monday evening.

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

    Gage Goulding

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  • Local energy group tapped with helping charge state’s electric vehicles

    Local energy group tapped with helping charge state’s electric vehicles

    ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — New York State agencies have been charged with electrifying their fleet of vehicles. The initiative involves changing to current charging landscape and providing more places to plug in. One of the four companies recently awarded a contract is based out of Schenectady.

    Livingston Energy Group is ramping up production after being awarded a contract with New York State Office of General Services to provide the state with more charging stations. The company manufactures commercial grade charging stations for electric vehicles.

    Daniel Connelly, Director of Manufacturing Operations at Livingston Energy, said, “Our goal here is to be as efficient as possible in 45 minutes with three technicians to produce one unit.”

    From their charging equipment to the software that goes with it, the company plans on providing and installing more chargers as the state flips the switch to go all electric.

    Kate Kruk, of Livingston Energy Group, explained, “Right now, New York State has invested and will be investing over $1 billion in infrastructure alone.”

    Tom Nitido, the Executive Deputy Commissioner at Office of General Services, added, “Governor Hochul has given us the charge of having a completely electrified fleet.”

    The task comes with an ambitious target goal: cleaner transportation by the year 2035.

    “It’s very important not to have too many vehicles and not enough charging or actually the reverse. So we are doing it in a way that’s smart,” Nitido said.

    State employees will see a larger presence of the charging stations at the Empire State Plaza and the state campus with 200 already on the ground and another 500 in the works, according to the Office of General Services.

    Krouk added, “What you’re going to see more is parking lots, where people are all day, work places you’ll see more charging infrastructure.”

    The state’s annual electric show at the Empire State Plaza will be held May 21. Nitido tells NEWS10 it’s a good opportunity for local governments and the public to see electric vehicles on display and explore how they work.

    Trishna Begam

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  • Every Tesla capable of ‘full self driving’ can access the Autopilot feature for free. But is it safe?

    Every Tesla capable of ‘full self driving’ can access the Autopilot feature for free. But is it safe?

    HOUSTON – Every single Tesla in the country can now drive on its own.

    The electric vehicle manufacturer is offering a free one-month trial of the Full Self Driving technology to all capable U.S. vehicles.

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the free trial on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

    The news comes with a new software update and just a few months after the company recalled more than 2 million cars. Most Tesla vehicles come with the technology built in for Full Self Driving. However, owners have to pay an upcharge, of up to $12,000, to unlock the technology for use.

    Tesla recalled 2,031,220 vehicles, including their Model 3 (2017-2023), Model X (2016-2023), Model S (2012-2023) and Model Y (2020-2023).

    The reason?

    “In certain circumstances when Autosteer is engaged, and the driver does not maintain responsibility for vehicle operation and is unprepared to intervene as necessary or fails to recognize when Autosteer is canceled or not engaged, there may be an increased risk of a crash,” the recall read in part.

    In response to the recall, Tesla issued a remedy to the problem via an over-the-air update.

    “At no cost to customers, affected vehicles will receive an over-the-air software remedy, which is expected to begin deploying to certain affected vehicles on or shortly after December 12, 2023,” Tesla said.

    But here’s the thing: The update didn’t actually disable the “Autosteer” function that is part of the Autopilot feature in Tesla vehicles. Instead, it beefed up the warnings drivers get if they’re found to not be paying attention to the vehicle.

    Keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, while being ready to take over at any moment, is part of the agreement while using Autopilot functions.

    “Neither the recall nor its remedy disables Autosteer or features that rely on Autosteer. As mentioned, the remedy will incorporate additional controls and alerts to those already existing on affected vehicles to further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility whenever Autosteer is engaged, which includes keeping their hands on the steering wheel and paying attention to the roadway,” Tesla said.

    Fast forward three months, now Musk is giving everyone that owns a Tesla capable of self-driving the opportunity to unlock the tech for free.

    “We didn’t know that until you said something about it,” said Darius Haywood while charging outside of a Houston Tesla dealership.

    The giveaway came in the wake of the massive recall, but also with open arms.

    Haywood is one of many interested in trying out the feature that costs a third of the sticker price on an entry-level Model 3.

    “The possibilities is endless with these cars,” he said. “I feel like Elon Musk, I feel like he trying to push his brand out to stand out in a certain way than what other people think about it.”

    Regardless, the idea of more self driving cars on Houston highways than ever before has some drivers, including fellow Tesla owners, a little concerned.

    “Some people are responsible, some people can be irresponsible,” Erni Salguero said while charging his Tesla.

    “I don’t know how to feel about a car driving by itself,” added Ashunti Sanders.

    Tesla’s own safety data says their vehicles driving on Autopilot average one crash for every five million miles driven.

    That’s ten times fewer than the U.S. national average.

    While the tech is there, it might just take time for the trust to follow.

    Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

    Gage Goulding

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  • India’s electric two-wheeler startups surge to over 150 players as government revs up EV push | TechCrunch

    India’s electric two-wheeler startups surge to over 150 players as government revs up EV push | TechCrunch

    The number of startups in India’s electric two-wheeler market has surged to over 150 from 54 in 2021, driven by government incentives to promote clean vehicles and cut oil imports, according to a new analysis.

    The influx has intensified competition in a segment expected to grow 15-20 times to annual sales of 15-20 million units over the next decade, Bernstein said in a report late Tuesday.

    “Most are competing in the mainstream, and 85% of the 65 models launched last year were such products: high-speed as against speed and range-constrained products, which used to be a feature of the startups,” Bernstein analysts wrote. “The average battery capacity for new launches increased from 2.3kWhr in 2022 to 3kWhr.”

    India aims to achieve 30% electric vehicle penetration by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2070. The government has offered incentives under its FAME II scheme, which provides subsidies to buyers and was recently extended to 2024.

    Despite a reduction in FAME II subsidies in mid-2023, the number of electric two-wheeler companies rose from 124 in June 2023 to 152 by January 2024, with much of the increase coming from “importers” sourcing components or entire vehicles from abroad, Bernstein noted.

    “Most of these are just assembled kits from China,” said Kunal Khattar, founder of mobility-focused venture firm AdvantEdge. “Getting an EV product out the door is not expensive. It’s the brand building and distribution that folks underestimate.”

    Image credits: Bernstein

    Startups currently hold seven of the top 10 spots, including the market leader (Ola Electric; which is also planning to go public soon) with a 39% share as of January 2024. Some 85% of sales volumes are concentrated among the top five players, however.

    Bernstein’s analysis found low barriers to entry, with electric two-wheelers built using outsourced models and readily available components. Only about half of the 35 founders they analyzed had engineering backgrounds.

    Image credits: Bernstein

    The government is now shifting towards production-linked incentives (PLI) favoring domestic manufacturing. Most established automotive companies have been granted PLI while only a few startups qualified, potentially providing a cost advantage for major incumbents, Bernstein said.

    The report sees room for at least five startups to emerge as relevant players alongside established companies, but cautions that intense competition could keep industry profit margins and returns subdued in the medium term.

    Image credits: Bernstein

    Manish Singh

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  • EV startup Fisker raises going concern doubts, shares plunge

    EV startup Fisker raises going concern doubts, shares plunge

    By Zaheer Kachwala and Abhirup Roy

    (Reuters) -Fisker on Thursday warned it might not be able to continue as a going concern as it struggled to sell its flagship electric vehicle after high interest rates have led to a slowdown in demand, sending its shares down 35% in extended trading.

    The maker of Ocean electric SUVs said its current resources were “insufficient” to cover the next 12 months. Fisker said it would cut its workforce by about 15% and was in talks with a debt holder about a potential investment.

    Fisker also said it was in talks with a large automaker about a deal that could include an investment in the startup, joint development of one or more electric vehicle platforms, and North America manufacturing. It did not disclose the name of the automaker or financials of the deal.

    Fisker said it aims to deliver between 20,000 and 22,000 Ocean vehicles in 2024. If the additional financing plans do not materialize, the company said it might be forced to reduce production of Ocean, decrease investments, scale back operations and cut jobs further.

    Fisker’s commentary followed disappointing production forecasts from larger peers Rivian and Lucid as high borrowing costs have sourced consumer sentiment and sharply slowed demand for EVs that are typically more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles.

    “2023 was a challenging year for Fisker, including delays with suppliers and other issues that prevented us from delivering the Ocean SUV as quickly as we had expected,” CEO Henrik Fisker said.

    The company has been grappling with delivering its vehicles to customers. Though it made more than 10,000 vehicles in 2023 – less than a quarter of its initial forecast – it delivered only about 4,700.

    Last month, Fisker said it would add dealerships alongside its direct-to-consumer distribution model to expand its delivery network. So far, Fisker has signed 13 dealer partners across the U.S. and Europe.

    Fisker said its business plan was “highly dependent” on the successful transfer to the new dealer partner model this year.

    Last year, Fisker unveiled a $45,000 electric pickup, Alaska, and a smaller SUV, PEAR, priced at $29,990. But the projects depend on the partnership.

    “We are not planning to start external expenditure on our next projects until or we have a strategic partnership in place,” Henrik Fisker said on a post-earnings call with analysts.

    On Thursday, Fisker reported preliminary revenue of $200.1 million for the fourth quarter, missing the average analyst estimate of $310.8 million, according to LSEG data. Net loss widened to $463.6 million from $170 million a year ago.

    (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Maju Samuel and David Gregorio)

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  • Biden’s Hidden Economic Success

    Biden’s Hidden Economic Success

    Sign up for The Decision, a newsletter featuring our 2024 election coverage.

    President Joe Biden’s economic agenda is achieving one of his principal goals: channeling more private investment into small communities that have been losing ground for years.

    That’s the conclusion of a new study released today, which found that economically strained counties are receiving an elevated share of the private investment in new manufacturing plants tied to three major bills that Biden passed early in his presidency. “After decades of economic divergence, strategic sector investment patterns are including more places that have historically been left out of economic growth,” concludes the new report from Brookings Metro and the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at MIT.

    The large manufacturing investments in economically stressed counties announced under Biden include steel plants in Mason County, West Virginia, and Mississippi County, Arkansas; an expansion of a semiconductor-manufacturing plant in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania; a plant to process the lithium used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries in Chester County, South Carolina; an electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Haywood County, Tennessee; and plants to manufacture batteries for EVs in Montgomery County, Tennessee; Vigo County, Indiana; and Fayette County, Ohio.

    These are all some of the 1,071 counties—about a third of the U.S. total—that Brookings defines as economically distressed, based on high levels of unemployment and a relatively low median income. As of 2022, the report notes, these counties held 13 percent of the U.S. population but generated only 8 percent of the nation’s economic output.

    Since 2021, though, these distressed counties have received about $82 billion in private-sector investment from the industries targeted by the three major economic-development bills Biden signed. Those included the bipartisan infrastructure law and bills promoting more domestic manufacturing of semiconductors and clean energy, such as electric vehicles and equipment to generate solar and wind power.

    That $82 billion has been spread over 100 projects across 70 of the distressed counties, Brookings and MIT found. In all, since 2021 the distressed counties have received 16 percent of the total investments into the industrial sectors targeted by the Biden agenda. That’s double their share of national GDP. It’s also double the share of all private-sector investment they received from 2010 to 2020. Funneling more investment and jobs to these economically lagging communities “is really just at the core of what [Biden] is trying to accomplish,” Lael Brainard, the director of Biden’s National Economic Council, told me. “The president talks a lot about communities that have been left behind, and now he is talking a lot about communities that are coming back.”

    Brian Callaci: Biden says goodbye to tweezer economics

    This surge of investment into smaller places is a huge change from previous patterns that have concentrated investment and employment in a handful of “superstar” metropolitan areas, Mark Muro, a senior fellow at Brookings Metro and one of the report’s authors, told me.

    “As the rich places have been getting richer, the social-media/tech economy was something that was happening somewhere else for most people,” Muro said. “Clearly, this is a different-looking recovery that is occurring in different places and has a tilt to distressed communities right now.”

    One of those places is Fayette County, in south-central Ohio, about equidistant from Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Fayette’s population of roughly 28,000 is predominantly white and rural with few college graduates. Its median income is about one-fourth lower than the national average, and its poverty rate is about one-fourth higher.

    Early in 2023, Honda and its partner LG Energy Solution broke ground on a massive new plant in Fayette to build batteries for Honda and Acura EVs. The Honda project has already generated large numbers of construction jobs, as has a massive Intel semiconductor-fabrication plant under construction about an hour away, outside Columbus, in Licking County. “The trade associations for electrical workers, plumbers, whatever it might be, they are going to have jobs in the state of Ohio for years,” Jeff Hoagland, the CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, told me. “These are huge facilities. The Honda facility is the size of 78 football fields.”

    Honda is already advertising to fill some engineering jobs, and once the plant is operational in late 2024 or early 2025, it expects to hire some 2,200 people. Most of those jobs will not require college degrees, Hoagland said. Many more jobs, he added, will flow from the plant’s suppliers moving to establish facilities in the area. “There are companies already buying up land,” Hoagland told me.

    Hoagland said he has no doubt that the federal tax incentives in the big Biden bills for domestic production of clean energy and semiconductors were central to these decisions. The federal incentives have been “100 percent critical, and I know that firsthand from Intel and from Honda,” Hoagland said. “Those companies needed those [incentives] to get into the full implementation of their strategy to rebuild that manufacturing, that supply-chain base, in the United States. Now we are seeing all these companies come back to the heartland in Ohio to do manufacturing.” Yet another firm, Joby Aviation, announced in September that, with support from federal clean-energy loan guarantees, it plans to construct a factory near Dayton to build electric air taxis.

    Encouraging manufacturers to locate their facilities in the U.S. rather than abroad has been the central goal of the tax incentives, loan guarantees, and grants in the clean-energy, semiconductor, and infrastructure bills. But the Biden administration has also been using provisions in those bills, as well as other programs, to try to steer more of those domestic investments specifically into distressed communities.

    As the Brookings/MIT report notes, the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean-energy tax credits provide extra bonuses of 10 percent or more to companies that invest in low-income communities. An Energy Department loan-guarantee program favors companies that locate clean-energy investments in communities that lost jobs when fossil-fuel facilities shut down. In a speech last month, Brainard highlighted a $1 billion Transportation Department program that funds infrastructure improvements to “reconnect” neighborhoods that have been isolated from job opportunities by highways or other transportation infrastructure. (Many of those places are heavily minority communities.)

    Similarly, under the semiconductor bill, the administration is awarding substantial funds for “regional innovation engines” through the National Science Foundation, as well as “tech hubs” that require communities to organize businesses, schools, and government to develop coordinated plans for regional growth in high-tech industries. The winners of these grants include projects that are based in places far beyond the existing large metro centers of technological innovation, such as Louisiana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. “Those [programs] are spreading innovation investment to clusters all around the country rather than being concentrated just in a few huge metros,” Brainard told me.

    Joseph Parilla, the director of applied research at Brookings Metro, told me that the large manufacturing facilities being built in response to the new federal incentives naturally would flow toward the periphery of major metropolitan areas where many of these distressed counties are located. But Parilla believes the tax incentives and other programs that the Biden administration is implementing are also “having a pretty significant impact” in driving so many of these investments to smaller, economically strained places.

    Biden has made clear that he considers steering more investments to the places lagging economically both a political and policy priority. Even in forums as prominent as the State of the Union address, he often talks about the importance of creating jobs that will allow young people to stay in the communities where they were born. Biden has also, as I’ve written, rejected the belief of his two Democratic predecessors, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, that the most important step for expanding economic opportunity is to help more people obtain postsecondary education; instead, Biden conspicuously emphasizes how many jobs that do not require four-year college degrees are being created in the projects subsidized by his big-three bills. “What you’ll see in this field of dreams” are “Ph.D. engineers and scientists alongside community-college graduates,” he declared at the 2022 Ohio Intel plant ground-breaking.

    But it’s not clear that the economic benefits flowing into distressed communities will produce political gains for Biden. In 2020, despite his small-town, blue-collar “Scranton Joe” persona, Biden heavily depended on the big, well-educated metro areas thriving in the Information Age: Previous Brookings Metro research found that, although Biden won only about one-sixth of all U.S. counties, his counties generated nearly three-fourths of the nation’s total economic output.

    The outcome was very different in the economically distressed counties. Brookings found that in 2020, Trump won 54 of the 70 distressed counties where the new investments have been announced under Biden. Some Democratic operatives are dubious that these new jobs and opportunities will change that pattern much.

    Read: Biden’s economic formula to win in 2024

    Partly that’s because Democrats face so many headwinds in these places on issues relating to race and culture, such as immigration and LGBTQ rights. But it’s also because of the risk that without unions or many local Democratic officials to drive the message, workers simply won’t be aware that their new jobs are linked to programs that Biden created, as Michael Podhorzer, the former AFL-CIO political director, has argued to me.

    Jim Kessler, the executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist Democratic group that has studied the party’s problems in small-town and rural areas, agrees that even big job gains won’t flip small red places toward Biden. But even slightly reducing the GOP margin in those places could matter, he told me. “Some of these swing states have vast red areas, and he needs to do well enough in those areas,” Kessler said. Pointing to new jobs in previously declining places, Kessler said, could also provide Biden a symbol of economic recovery that resonates with voters far beyond those places.

    The Brookings and MIT authors expect that Biden will have many more such examples to cite as further investments in industries including clean energy and semiconductors roll out. “The map is not yet finished,” the report concludes. “There are hundreds of distressed counties with assets similar to those that have attracted investment and have not yet been targeted.” One of the most tangible legacies of Biden’s presidency may be a steady procession of new plants rising through the coming years in communities previously left for scrap. Whether voters in these places give him credit for that will help determine if he’s still in the White House to see it.

    Ronald Brownstein

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  • Biden gives Americans a financial incentive to not buy a tesla

    Biden gives Americans a financial incentive to not buy a tesla

    Starting in 2024, the U.S. government will enforce updated Federal Tax Credit guidelines for electric vehicles (EVs), a move that has sparked backlash and speculation about the Biden administration’s motives, as the change affects one of the most popular models from the best-selling EV maker in the U.S.

    Under the revised provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, the eligibility criteria for the coveted $7,500 point-of-sale tax credit will tighten, effectively sidelining popular models like Tesla‘s Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive and the Model 3 Long Range. Amid a flurry of tweets, Tesla enthusiasts are questioning whether the changes are part of a broader strategy to curb Tesla’s market dominance in the EV market, which currently stands at 53.79 percent.

    Tesla leads the electric vehicle market in the U.S., commanding over half of total EV sales, as illustrated in this breakdown by brand. The graph highlights the contrast between Tesla’s market share and that of its closest competitors.

    The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, earlier this month, released new guidelines aimed at invigorating domestic manufacturing and fortifying supply chains against foreign entities of concern which include Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran. According to Secretary Janet L. Yellen, the Inflation Reduction Act heralds a new era of American manufacturing prowess, with nearly $100 billion in clean vehicle investments since its enactment.

    Yet, starting on January 1, 2024, clean vehicles with battery components or critical minerals linked to foreign entities of concern like China will no longer be eligible for the full tax credit.

    The bar graph illustrates Tesla’s sales performance per quarter, showing the dominance of the Model 3 and Model Y, which significantly outpace the sales of Models S and X.

    Tesla’s Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive and the Model 3 Long Range will no longer qualify for the tax credit in 2024 due to their reliance on certain Chinese-made batteries. Tesla’s website acknowledged the shift, urging customers to complete purchases by the end of 2023 to benefit from the full tax credit.

    Newsweek has reached out to the White House and Tesla via email for comment.

    The reaction on social media was swift, with prominent Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt highlighting the abrupt end to the Model 3’s tax credit eligibility on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. “Tesla has received updated guidance from the IRS. The Model 3 RWD & Long Range will lose the ENTIRE $7,500 Federal EV credit starting January 1, 2024.” The investor continued, “Tesla previously thought the EV credit for those trims would be cut to $3,750, but now their interpretation is $0. Take delivery by Dec 31 for full tax credit.”

    Subsequent tweets have ignited a debate, with accusations of the Biden administration’s bias against Tesla and Elon Musk. “So what you’re saying is… when the legacy auto manufacturers for whom these credits were meant to benefit all scale back their EV ambitions, the administration changed the rules to make sure Tesla loses the benefit,” one X user said. “Seems like a vendetta against Elon,” another replied.

    Another user highlighted the perceived lack of support for Tesla, saying, “America’s most domestically-based manufacturer receives zero help from the government.”

    The relationship between President Biden and Elon Musk has been nothing short of turbulent, users on X say. Despite a recent moment of accord earlier this year concerning Tesla’s commitment to expanding its charging network, there has been a history of mutual jabs and overt omissions from EV summits which point to a dynamic between the President and the richest man in the world.

    The impending revisions to the EV tax credit system have implications for Tesla’s market share and consumer choices, rendering the affected Tesla models effectively $7,500 more expensive on January 1, 2024, compared to their price on December 31, 2023.

    In an aerial view, the exterior of the Tesla automotive company manufacturing facility is seen. The updated regulations issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury regarding the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit removes multiple Tesla Model 3 builds, creating public backlash.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images