The Auto Xone

Australian mining company Fortescue is making headlines again, after it placed a huge, $400 million order for over 100 new electric equipment assets with Chinese heavy equipment company XCMG (Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group). The deal is the largest single equipment export deal in XCMG’s history. The $400 million contract also marks XCMG’s largest mining equipment order, and will see a wide array of battery electric heavy equipment that includes electric wheel loaders , electric dozers , electric semi trucks (or “prime movers” in Euro-speak), and electric graders delivered to Fortescue’s Pilbara mining operations in stages between 2025 and 2030. Fortescue says the use of this equipment will displace millions of gallons of diesel fuel at the company’s iron ore operations over the life of the assets, helping to push down global diesel demand even further . “We’re moving rapidly to decarbonize our Pilbara iron ore operations and eliminate our Scope 1 and 2 terrestrial emissions ...

By Maria Merano Posted on November 28, 2024 Stellantis recently announced plans to shut down its Vauxhall van factory in southern England. The legacy automaker is consolidating production in Britain as it invests more in electric vehicle (EV) production.  Stellantis’ decision to shut down its Vauxhall van factory puts over 1,000 jobs at risk. However, it argues that jobs from Luton in southern England will be relocated to Ellesmere Port, reported Reuters . The automaker aims to consolidate light commercial vehicles at its Ellesmere Port site in northern England, where it is investing $63 million in an EV hub.  The car maker shared that it has consulted with employees and unions about job relocations. The British government noted that Stellantis’ investment in Ellesmere Port was encouraging. However, the UK government also acknowledged that the impending job cuts would be stressful for the families of workers in Luton.  The British governme...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As you enjoy time with your loved ones enjoying full meals, we have a few select Green Deals for you to browse at your leisure, starting with Blix’s Black Friday sale that is taking up to $700 off a selection of e-bikes starting from $1,399 with 30% accessory discounts, some free gear, and more. Next, there’s Hiboy’s updated Black Friday sale which has lowered some prices across its lineup even more and still features the 2024 P6 Fat-Tire All-Terrain e-bike at its new $940 low. We also have two appliance deals for you today, with the first being Traeger’s Pro 575 Electric Pellet Grill and Smoker at the $599 low, while Anker’s EverFrost Dual-Zone Portable Electric Cooler 50 has fallen to a new $569 low for today only. Plus, all the other live Green Deals from Black Friday sales are in the links at the bottom of the page, collected together in our seasonal shopping hub for your one-stop-shopping needs. Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve fou...

By Joey Klender Posted on November 27, 2024 Tesla did not pay socialite Kim Kardashian for a recent publicity opportunity with the company’s Optimus robot, dispelling any claims that the influencer took payment. Kardashian is paid over two million dollars per post for promoting products from other companies due to her social media reach, which includes over 359 million followers on Instagram. Earlier this month, skepticism and speculation regarding Kardashian’s potential relationship with Tesla started to catalyze as Kim put video and pictures of her with Tesla’s Optimus robot and the company’s recently revealed Cybercab Robotaxi on her social media pages. Tesla Optimus’s busy week includes $10k action figures and Kim Kardashian Last year, Kardashian was one of the first celebrities to obtain a Tesla Cybertruck. She also posted various images with the vehicle to her social media pages and had custom work done to the all-electric pickup. The Cybertru...

Genesis is preparing to launch its new ultra-luxury GV90 electric SUV. After the first prototypes were caught near Hyundai’s facility, we are learning more about what to expect from the flagship SUV. Genesis introduced the Neolun concept in March, a preview of its upcoming full-size SUV. The SUV will serve as a tech beacon as Genesis looks to move upward, challenging ultra-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley. The concept features a “reductive design,” giving it a clean, minimalistic look. One of the standout features is the connected two-tone headlamp in the shape of the iconic Genesis crest grille. Genesis even included coach doors. With the B-pillars removed, the electric SUV has that smooth, premium look. Meanwhile, the interior is fit for royalty. Upon opening the coach doors, you are met with electric side steps that automatically deploy. The interior seats swivel, providing a flexible, spacious interior. The SUV also includes an immersive audio experience, almost ...

By Zachary Visconti Posted on November 25, 2024 Lucid Motors, VinFast, Rivian, and several other electric vehicle (EV) makers are likely to see their sales drop if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on promises to overturn the $7,500 federal tax credit on EV purchases, especially since many companies are getting access to the credit through a special leasing loophole. According to reports from S&P Global Mobility in August, the Lucid Air had a leasing rate of 78.1 percent as of the end of July, while the VinFast VF8 was leased 99.5 percent of the time. Other models such as the Polestar 2, Nissan Ariya, and the Volkswagen ID.4 had leasing rates of 91.4 percent, 90.4 percent, and 79.1 percent, respectively. Across the industry in both the luxury and mainstream segments—and across legacy and EV startups alike—EV leasing levels have increased substantially over the past few years, especially as the option has allowed legacy automakers and EV st...

By Zachary Visconti Posted on November 24, 2024 Executives from both Tesla and Rivian have commented on the decades-long fight to overturn direct vehicle sales bans across many U.S. states, reigniting a long-held conversation in the electric vehicle (EV) community about dealership policy lobbying groups and online sales models. Tesla has managed to side-step direct sales bans in many states through legal loopholes such as leasing-only models, processing purchases as out-of-state transactions, or simply opening stores in exempted tribal territories where the company’s stores will be exempt from dealership mandates. In other states, the company is still completely prohibited from selling vehicles, such as in Louisiana, where a U.S. appeals court just upheld Tesla’s right to sue the state over the direct-sales ban in August . In Connecticut last July, Tesla managed to open a store on sovereign Mohegan tribal land , effectively side-stepping the U.S. state’s...

(Source: Tesla) Tesla and Rivian have been embroiled in a lawsuit in which the former accused the latter of having stolen battery technology by poaching Tesla employees. It sounds like the two automakers are finally about to settle the lawsuit, which has been going on for 4 years. In 2020,  Tesla filed a lawsuit against Rivian over allegedly stealing trade secrets  by hiring former Tesla employees and encouraging them to bring documents. Rivian has denied the allegations. When Tesla filed the lawsuit, it wasn’t clear what trade secrets Tesla was claiming Rivian had stolen. However, we noted that the employees listed in the lawsuits were two recruiters, an EHS manager, and a manager of Tesla’s charging networks. The automaker claimed that these employees brought “documents consisting of highly sensitive trade secret, confidential, and proprietary engineering information” when they went to work for Rivian. A year later, Tesla expanded the lawsuit ,  claiming more s...

By Simon Alvarez Posted on November 22, 2024 Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s net worth reached an all-time high of $347.8 billion, as per estimates in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index . The feat was achieved on Friday, as TSLA shares saw a 3.8% rise amid optimism that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s plans for autonomous cars and EVs could give Tesla an edge over its competitors.  Musk became an avid supporter of Trump following the president-elect’s assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024. During the final weeks of the campaign period, Musk doubled down on his support , personally campaigning for Trump and reportedly contributing over $170 million to a PAC supporting the Republican nominee. Check out the TESLARATI Marketplace! Head on over for more TESLARATI on TikTok! Musk’s net worth is tied to his companies. Following Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, several of Musk’s companies receiv...