China's Automotive Expansion
BYD Denza Z9 GT e3 Premium
BYD launches lower-priced Denza Z9 GT e3 Premium, starting at about $50,000 USD. electrek.co
BYD expects overseas vehicle shipments to exceed 2.5 million in 2027. reuters.com
Li Auto plans to use its own battery technology, replacing CATL cells in many models. carnewschina.com
Geely’s updated Panda Mini Karting Edition is a 3.1-metre three-door hatchback with a 210 km range, priced at about $6,540 USD. carnewschina.com
The Donald said he would not oppose Chinese automakers building vehicles in the US if they hire US workers despite widespread opposition from US lawmakers and car companies. reuters.com, nbcnews.com
A lotta BEVs
Battery electric vehicles occupied nine of the ten positions in China’s car sales in August. Prices range from about $10,000 USD to $50,000 USD, and the only non-BEV in the top 10 is a PHEV. carnewschina.com
Must-Know Musk News
Look, ma no hands
Less than a week after the Cybercab was officially launched in Austin, Texas, some riders have discovered the Cybercab’s secret manual controls that appear to be intended only for Tesla employees. theverge.com
A version of the Cybercab hit the streets of New York City for testing purposes. gothamist.com
Tesla data recorded driver-assistance as active when a 2021 Model Y left an Alabama highway in a fatal crash. The vehicle carried an infant passenger, who was removed from the burning car by a passerby. electrek.co
A Democratic lawmaker called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to take action to address misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems, citing dozens of videos that show drivers asleep while driving. reuters.com
Slovenia has approved Tesla’s supervised Full Self-Driving system for use on its roads, becoming the sixth European country to do so. Tesla says it will begin a rollout soon. reuters.com
Tesla plans to bring its Semi electric truck to Europe and will provide European specifications and launch details at the IAA Transportation fair next week. reuters.com
The Boring Company raised US$3 billion at a US$23 billion valuation in a funding round led by the United Arab Emirates. The company is pursuing more than 150 kilometres of tunnels in the UAE, while its only public operating Loop remains in Las Vegas. cnbc.com
“You can't break the fundamental laws of physics”: T-Mobile CFO says he's not worried about Elon’s and SpaceX’s mobile phone network ambitions. businessinsider.com
Naomi Klein on Elon’s “V.I.P.” vision of the future. nytimes.com
Elon is reportedly taking legal action against a documentary about him after its buzz-filled debut this week, slamming director Alex Gibney as a "horrible human" on social media. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday and received a five-minute-long standing ovation. cbc.ca
Watch the official teaser trailer for “Musk” on YouTube. youtube.com
Rise Of The Machines
Walk like an autonomous robot
XPeng has switched on what it calls the world’s first automated production line for advanced humanoid robots, and its IRON robot walked off that line under its own power. The Chinese automaker says the line runs with more than 80% of its core processes automated. electrek.co
Behind the killer robots of Ukraine's new warfare “revolution”. reuters.com
Canada and Ukraine plan to scale up drone production, develop Canada’s drone and defence capabilities, and share air defence technology. pm.gc.ca
Mecka AI, a start-up that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots (via reinforcement learning) and other robotic systems, is close to closing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital at a valuation of about $500 million. techcrunch.com
Maven Robotics emerged from stealth with a US$100 million Series A to support warehouse-robot deployments. The company said a consumer-goods pilot used eight robots for 16 hours a day and achieved 99% uptime. techcrunch.com
Caterpillar and FieldAI are developing AI-powered robot dogs for inspections at construction sites, factories, and mines. The companies say the systems will monitor equipment, infrastructure, and operations for safety-related issues. caterpillar.com
Energy
Workers walk at a solar farm in Tongchuan, Shaanxi province, China
Southeast Asian countries are buying record volumes of Chinese energy-storage batteries, grid equipment, EVs, and clean-power components. Reuters reports that the region has become a major driver of China’s clean-tech export growth this year. reuters.com
US battery companies are receiving federal support, but China remains far ahead in technology, materials, and manufacturing scale. The Department of Energy awarded US$500 million in August to seven companies working in minerals, battery materials, manufacturing, and recycling. cnbc.com
US solar capacity can now generate enough electricity to meet the annual consumption of more than 50 million homes. The industry added 11.4 GWdc in the second quarter, up 45% from the same period last year. electrek.co
We Recycle Solar plans to open a facility in Texas to process retired solar panels at a rate of one per minute. The company says the plant will recover up to 96% of the materials from each panel, including silver, copper, silicon, aluminum, and glass. electrek.co
A federal appeals court struck down the federal order requiring the J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan to remain open after its scheduled retirement. The court found that the Department of Energy exceeded its emergency authority. nytimes.com
Enhance Energy’s Origins Carbon Capture Storage Hub near Clive, Alberta, is expected to begin operating in January. Natural Resources Canada says the project will be able to store up to 1.5 million metric tonnes of CO2 a year. bloomberg.com
Yara has opened Europe’s largest carbon-capture facility at its fertilizer plant in Sluiskil, Netherlands. The project is expected to capture and liquefy up to 800,000 metric tonnes of CO2 a year for transport and storage beneath the Norwegian continental shelf. reuters.com
Bluecore Energy raised an oversubscribed US$50 million seed round for floating small modular reactors intended to supply ports and nearby infrastructure. techcrunch.com
Enbridge is in advanced talks to buy the Pony Express crude-oil pipeline from Blackstone’s Tallgrass Energy for about US$2 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The discussions are ongoing and could still fall through. bloomberg.com
A study of used EVs found that most retained about 90% of their original usable battery capacity after 150,000 kilometres. The median state of health across 20 popular models ranged from 87% to 94% at that distance. arstechnica.com
A new analysis found that plug-in hybrids emit about six times as much carbon dioxide in real-world driving as official estimates suggest. The gap reflects how often the vehicles are driven using their combustion engines. electrek.co
But Wait, There's More
Turning over a new (cheaper) Leaf
Nissan Canada introduced a cheaper version of the Leaf, as starting prices of electric vehicles in Canada slide to new lows. The 2027 Leaf S starts at $37,966, including delivery, making it the lowest-cost EV available in Canada, below the recently introduced Kia EV3. autonews.com
The Donald’s Administration has urged Ford to cut ties with CATL, Geely, and BYD, citing national security concerns. Ford called the letter wrongheaded and said it is investing in battery production in the US. reuters.com
Ford will invest US$1 billion in a new paint shop at its Kentucky Truck Plant and plans to break ground later this year. The facility produces F-Series Super Duty trucks, as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. cnbc.com
Stellantis says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel on a potential sale of its idled Brampton assembly plant. Meanwhile, Unifor said it has paused contract talks with Stellantis, citing an impasse over the future of said Brampton plant. cbc.ca
Hyundai, Ford, and Stellantis are planning larger extended-range EVs (EREVs) for the US, combining battery-electric driving with a gasoline generator. Stellantis expects the Jeep Grand Wagoneer EREV first, while Ford plans an extended-range replacement for the F-150 Lightning. wsj.com
Volkswagen says Israel’s Aurelius and the state of Lower Saxony plan to take over its Osnabrück factory for defence projects. The proposed deal repurposes one of the German automaker’s plants as part of its broader restructuring. reuters.com
Volkswagen has earmarked about €16 billion for restructuring costs, including job cuts and potential plant closures, Reuters reported. The plan reportedly allocates about €10 billion to cutting as many as 60,000 jobs worldwide. reuters.com
Audi unveiled the A2 e-tron, a compact EV with a stated range of 646 kilometres. The model will be built in Ingolstadt, Germany, with deliveries due to start in December. reuters.com
Volvo will bring back the XC40 plug-in hybrid early next year with a revised exterior, a larger 11.2-inch screen, and a new sensor suite. It will also use Google’s Gemini voice assistant, while powertrain details have not yet been released. theverge.com
Porsche has sold its remaining stake in Bugatti Rimac, earning €1 billion from the deal. caranddriver.com
Jaguar Land Rover plans to cut about 4,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years. The reductions are part of a cost plan targeting £1.7 billion in savings. reuters.com
VinFast is in early discussions with suppliers on two India-specific electric vehicles, sources told Reuters, after suspending local manufacturing plans for three global models. reuters.com
Amazon-owned Zoox is giving free rides in San Francisco as it builds recognition against Waymo, the city’s established robotaxi operator. Its purpose-built vehicle has no driver’s seat or steering wheel, and riders board from a dedicated Zoox lounge. nytimes.com
Electric air taxis get the green light for test flights in Texas. theverge.com
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