The Auto Xone

By Zachary Visconti Posted on September 28, 2024 A former Tesla executive went in-depth about his time at the company over the weekend, including discussions on electric vehicles (EVs), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Elon Musk’s politics, China’s EV market, and more. Former Tesla Vice President of Public Policy Rohan Patel was hosted on the Farzad Mesbahi podcast in an episode on Saturday, featuring discussions about the company with both Farzad and co-host Hans Nelson. The discussion runs nearly an hour and a half long, and the former Tesla VP provides several insights in it, including what it was like working at the hyper-fast-paced company, debates on the federal $7,500 EV tax credit established by the IRA, and working with Musk from his insights on the global automotive industry to his political ideas. At around 53 minutes into the video, Farzad asks Patel about Musk’s transition away from the Democratic party, which introduced the IRA and has tr

The new HS18 E MAX (called “HS5390” E MAX in the US, because we don’t know what meters are ) rough terrain electric scissor lift from Haulotte can drive around your job site at full height, and with a full load. Last week, Haulotte added the new HS5390 E MAX to its line of electric rough-terrain scissor lifts, completing the company’s existing HSE (HS electric) range of scissor lifts. The HS18, though, is unique – and not just because of its 18 meter fully extended height. The HS18 E MAX can be driven both fully extended, and fully loaded. Two configurations of its material handling racks are available for the HSE scissors. The racks are built to suit the materials being transported, generally expected to be “panels” (think drywall, windows, etc.) or pipes. Haulotte material handling rack [embedded content] With a load capacity of 400 kg (over 880 lbs.), Haulotte says its new HS5390 E MAX is ideal for jobs that require the transport of heavy loads across unfinished surfaces, u

By Simon Alvarez Posted on September 27, 2024 Similar to other Tesla events, the 10/10 Robotaxi unveiling is limited to only a select number of guests. This was highlighted by the company when it started distributing invites for the Robotaxi unveiling. Fortunately, it appears Tesla fans can get a chance to receive an invite for the occasion, thanks to a newly announced referral contest.  As per the official Tesla North America social media account on X, those who can refer anyone to buy a Tesla could get a chance to attend the 10/10 Robotaxi unveiling. This should open the doors for more Tesla enthusiasts to gain a ticket for the occasion, which Elon Musk has noted would be one of the most important for the company. The rules of the referral contest are simple. Two complete referrals would be equal to one entry. Every person is also limited to five entries, and winners will be notified on October 3, 2024. Only referrals made after August 24 will also be

The UAW union’s Stellantis Council met yesterday to discuss the beleaguered carmaker’s “ongoing failure” to honor the agreement that ended the 2023 labor strike , and their latest union memo doesn’t pull many punches. It’s not a great time to be Stellantis. Its dealers are suing leadership and threatening to oust the company’s controversial CEO, Carlos Tavares, as sales continue to crater in North America , it can’t move its new, high-profile electric Fiat, and it’s first luxury electric Jeep isn’t ready . And now, things are about to get bad. In an email sent out by the UAW earlier today (received at 4:55PM CST), UAW President Shawn Fain wrote, “For years, the company picked us off plant-by-plant and we lacked the will and the means to fight back. Today is different. Because we stood together and demanded the right to strike over job security—product commitment—we have the tools to fight back and win … We unanimously recommend to the membership that every UAW worker at Stellantis

By Joey Klender Posted on September 25, 2024 Tesla is sending out the invitations to its Robotaxi Event at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Los Angeles, scheduled for October 10. Tesla started sending out invitations on Wednesday just after 5 p.m. EDT, with the title “We, Robot,” as it will show off its fully autonomous vehicle platform in about two weeks. We got ours 🤖 Are you going to Tesla’s Robotaxi Event on 10/10? pic.twitter.com/An7PJaJj9L — TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 25, 2024 The event was scheduled originally for August 8, but Tesla delayed the event as CEO Elon Musk requested a design change to the vehicle. He said he wanted to show off a few other things as well. Requested what I think is an important design change to the front, and extra time allows us to show off a few other things — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2024 Tesla says you have to be 21 years old to enter the event, and space is limited. Robotaxi Event from Analyst

Photo: Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition Drive Electric Week kicks off this Saturday with  nearly 200 online and in-person events  celebrating electric vehicles. Events will be held for the next two weekends, from September 27 through October 6, in the US, Canada, and one in Guadalajara, Mexico. Drive Electric Week is an annual event organized by  Plug In America , the  Electric Auto Association ,  EVHybridNoire , Drive Electric USA , and the Sierra Club . This is the event’s 14th year. It started in the US as National Drive Electric Week, but for the last few years, some events have been hosted in other countries as well. These events are an opportunity for prospective EV buyers to talk directly with EV owners about the experience of owning an electric car, and EV owners to network with each other and share tips. The dealership experience is  not ideal  for many EV shoppers, so unfiltered conversations with EV owners can be a great way to learn. 2023 NDEW Ventura, CA. Photo: Seth

By Zachary Visconti Posted on September 24, 2024 Multinational automaker Stellantis is now facing additional strikes from unions in Italy, after the largest automotive union in the U.S. last week threatened multiple strikes against the company. On Tuesday, Italian metalworkers’ unions FIM-CISL, UILM, and FIOM announced plans to hold a strike against Stellantis on October 18, according to a report from Automotive News Europe . Data from FIM-CISL for the first half of the year show a 25-percent decline in output from Stellantis factories in Italy, painting a grim picture that was highlighted during a press conference on Tuesday. “The situation is bad, very bad,” said Rocco Palombella of the UILM during the conference, which included officials from all three unions. Currently, the FIM-CISL projects that the Fiat parent company will produce just more than 500,000 units in Italy for the full year, down from 751,000 last year. The automaker also produces the F