News
BMW CEO denies competition from rivals like Tesla: ‘There is no real newcomer’
New BMW CEO Oliver Zipse might be willing to save the company’s only all-electric vehicle, but he appears to be strangely dismissive about the efforts of rival automakers, particularly American electric vehicle maker Tesla and other emerging carmakers from regions such as China.
BMW has a new CEO, and with his appointment, the German carmaker has a chance to recapture lost ground in the emerging electric car market that was taken over by rivals during the days of its previous CEO, Harald Krüger. Unlike his predecessor, new BMW CEO Oliver Zipse appears to be far more progressive with regards to electric cars in general.
In a recent interview with German news outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Zipse stated that contrary to speculations and even the statements of BMW AG Board of Management member Pieter Nota, the all-electric BMW i3 will not be killed off. The curiously-designed electric vehicle will live on, and it will continue to be improved in years to come.
“The i3 will continue to be produced, no question about it. The car is already an icon today. Which car can claim this after only six years? Icons tick according to a different logic, they don’t have a classic successor, they always remain true to themselves in essence. Today, the i3 is more in demand than ever and will make another leap in battery and operating concepts,” he said.
Yet, despite these rather encouraging statements, the new CEO appeared notably confident about the company’s chances in the auto segment in the coming years, even stating during an interview with news media outlet Emobly that he sees BMW being “well-positioned” for the future. When asked by the news outlet about competition from upstart companies, Zipse proved quite dismissive. “There is no real newcomer,” he stated.
In an article outlining its interview, the Emobly team noted that the new BMW CEO’s statements were quite surprising, especially considering that companies like Tesla have emerged as leaders in their own right. The American electric car maker, for one, holds an undeniable lead in the premium electric vehicle market, so much so that the gap between the BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3 is very notable. And it’s not just Tesla either, as other companies from China such as BYD and SAIC’s MG brand are capturing the interest of the electric car market with affordable EVs like the electric MG ZS.
Overall, BMW enthusiasts could at least rest assured that the i3 will remain in production. For his part, the CEO believes that the i3 is still among the leaders in its segment, calling it one of the “most innovative” vehicles in the world. “The i3 remains the most innovative mass-production vehicle in the world due to its design. Investments are written off, we earn money with every i3. Why in God’s name should we give up this car that is now at the height of its time? We are sure: The i3 still has great potential!” he said.
Yet, for all of Zipse’s stance on the i3 and his dismissive nature against competitors, it would be wise for BMW to accelerate its electric vehicle initiatives. The BMW i3, after all, is a seven-year-old city car that is, in more ways than one, a product of its time. The EV segment is now in the era of the Tesla Model 3 and the Volkswagen ID.3, and vehicles in this era simply offer so much more tech and range at a far more reasonable cost.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
