Assault And Battery

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Stellantis is confused.

Or at very least confusing.

The company’s long-awaited electric truck, initially named the RAM REV, then subsequently rebranded as the RAM Revolution, has been cancelled.

RAM’s EV truck line was supposed to include a long-range model, a shorter-range option, and an EREV, aka “The Ramcharger”.

Only the Ramcharger variant will make it into production, after it is also (again) rebranded as the “1500 REV”.

The Revolution’s cancellation is endemic of a global dissonance around electric vehicles.

Here in North America, electric options are disappearing, and sales are kinda sucky.

While the rest of the world continues to see new, more affordable EV models and increased EV sales.

Auto execs and politicians were not shy this week when it came to their predictions for where the auto industry is heading.

“I’m convinced we’re on a journey towards zero emission, hence why we’re investing massively into state-of-the-art electric technology in cars,” Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius told reporters at the Munich auto show.

“The industry will be electric — there’s no turning back. It may take a bit longer in some regions, but the direction is clear. In (about) 10 years, cars will all be electric and they will be lower cost,” Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson shared with Bloomberg this week.

GM’s Mary Barra has stayed focused with “no regret” on her company’s transition toward electric vehicles, which remain the company’s “North Star,” she said on September 11th at the Automotive News Congress. autonews.com

“No matter what, we all know the future will be electric, and Europe will be a part of it,” Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, commented this week in Munich as well.

Based on the RAM news, I would have suggested that Stellantis’ CEO, Antonio Filosa, didn’t get the memo.

Except he kinda did.

Filosa claimed that Stellantis’ joint venture friends at Leap Motor outsold BYD in Germany last month. Except, they didn’t.

Close but no cigar, Tony. BYD is still outselling Leapmotor in Germany.

On top of all that, there was a whole whack of battery news this week.

Rimac Technology showed off its updated portfolio of advanced battery and powertrain technologies in Munich, including its next-generation solid-state solutions and evolutions of its current batteries and e-Axles.

Rimac claims that this battery will charge faster than filling up with a tank of gas and getting a coffee.

CATL launched its new Shenxing Pro battery, the world’s first LFP battery with over 470 miles of range and ultra-fast charging in 10 minutes.

Tesla unveiled two new energy storage products: the Megapack 3, the latest generation of its utility-scale energy storage system, and the Megablock, which integrates the Megapack 3 with transformers and switchgear.

This hodge-podge of news came on the heels of new University of Michigan research that determined that any vehicle with an internal combustion engine, regardless of size or shape, is definitively more detrimental to the environment than any electric vehicle.

And driving an EV reduces overall lifetime emissions, even when you account for manufacturing and electricity production.

The researchers left us with this takeaway: “We estimate that powertrain electrification has greater potential for lifecycle emissions reduction relative to the benefits of downsizing alone.”

EVs for the win!

Which world do you want to live in?

The one where we’re on the cusp of having more, cheaper electric vehicle options?

Or the one where every internal combustion vehicle pollutes more than even the most carbon-intensive monster EVs? (J’accuse, GMC EV Hummer.)

Vacuum maker, Dreame Technology, unveiled concept images of its first vehicle, an ultra-luxury EV with Bugatti in its sights. carnewschina.com

BYD and Tesla are set to be the biggest losers from Mexico’s proposed 50% tariff on vehicles imported from China. reuters.com

ICYMI: Fabian Schmölz, formerly the Chief Exterior Designer at Lamborghini, has joined Xiaomi Auto. carnewschina.com

Chinese EV players take the fight to legacy European automakers on their home turf. cnbc.com

Elon and Kanye had a weird conversation in 2022. rollingout.com, hollywoodreporter.com

Tesla’s board chair defends Elon’s enormous trillion-dollar pay package proposal. nytimes.com

For a hot minute, Elon wasn’t the wealthiest man in the world. And then he was again. bloomberg.com, forbes.com/real-time-billionaires

Elon was accused in a lawsuit of favouring visa holders over Americans when making employment decisions so that he can pay them less. reuters.com

The Boring Company suspended work on its Vegas airport tunnel after a worker sustained a crushing injury. fortune.com

xAI laid off about a third of its data annotation team, reducing staff by about 500 workers. The layoffs follow a strategic shift to prioritize specialist AI tutors over generalist roles. businessinsider.com

Tesla is testing xAI’s Grok in their Optimus robots. The internet is not impressed. mashable.com

Tesla wants to bring its ‘robotaxis’ to Silicon Valley’s airports. theverge.com

Alibaba leads $100 million investment in Chinese humanoid robot startup, X Square Robot. cnbc.com

China’s Unitree Robotics is looking at a company valuation of as much as $7 billion for its planned IPO. reuters.com

This Korean disaster-response humanoid robot can saw through thick wooden beams in seconds. interestingengineering.com

A University of Calgary project is researching the feasibility of using robot-assisted walking devices to assist children who are unable to walk. cbc.ca

Ørsted and Iberdrola have efforts underway to save their offshore wind projects. Both companies are reportedly trying to win over The Donald’s administration (we all know he hates windmills) by emphasizing their investments across the US. maritime-executive.com

China’s clean energy surge is starting to transform the world’s energy systems, according to Ember’s “China Energy Transition Review 2025.” The report shows that China’s massive investments in solar, wind, storage, and electrification are reducing fossil fuel use at home while promoting clean technology around the globe. electrek.co, ember-energy.org

The Donald presses NATO nations to stop buying Russian oil. reuters.com

The Polestar 5 will come with up to 460 miles of range, an 800-volt architecture for ultra-fast charging, and 884 horsepower. The performance trim will crack 0–60 mph in 3.1 seconds. motortrend.com, theverge.com, polestar.com

The Ferrari Testarossa returns as a plug-in hybrid with 1035hp. And some folk aren’t happy about that. thedrive.com

VW’s new ID Cross Concept gives us a glimpse into what future Volkswagens might look like. motortrend.com

Stellantis said the midnight shift will return to its Windsor Assembly Plant in the first quarter of 2026. autonews.com

GM said the third shift at its Oshawa Assembly Plant will continue working through January 30th, 2026. autonews.com

GM plans to restart production of Brightdrop vans at the CAMI EV van plant in November. autonews.com

Ford rolled out a new ad campaign, “Ready, Set, Ford”, marking the first global unification of its brand in decades. cnbc.com

Hyundai’s electric air taxi startup, Supernal, has paused work on its aircraft after a rocky few months that saw staff cuts and the departure of its CEO and CTO. techcrunch.com

Amazon has been testing GM’s BrightDrop electric vans as part of its plan to bring 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by the end of the decade. reuters.com

Zoox’s robotaxis are open for business in Las Vegas. theverge.com

Lyft’s first ‘robotaxis’ are live in Atlanta. theverge.com

Momenta and Uber will test fully driverless cars in Germany. theverge.com

Uber was sued again for discriminating against people with disabilities. theverge.com

Three years after its spectacular market debut, the German carmaker Porsche will no longer be listed on Frankfurt’s leading stock index. nytimes.com

Used EV sales take off in the US as prices plummet. nytimes.com

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I was on the Car Dealership Guy Daily Live podcast. Enjoy.