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BMW i4 earns surprising safety rating from the Euro NCAP

Credit: Euro NCAP/YouTube

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The all-electric BMW i4 sedan scored 4 stars out of 5 during its safety tests with the Euro NCAP, a surprising score for an all-electric vehicle.

The European NCAP agency crash tests vehicles in four categories; Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User (Pedestrian/Cyclist), and Safety Assist. The BMW scored 87%, 87%, 71%, and 64% accordingly. In comparison, the most recent Tesla sedan tested by the agency was a Model 3 from 2019, which scored 96%, 86%, 74%, and 94%, respectively. The Model 3 was awarded a 5-Star Safety Rating by the Euro NCAP.

It is important to note that while it may be easy to pile on BMW, a 4/5 rating is still a good score. It is a score that still indicates that the i4 is a very safe car. And looking at the comments from the Euro NCAP, BMW earned praise for many of its innovative safety systems in the i4.

Electric cars already hold an advantage over many other vehicles on the road in terms of safety. They tend to have a low center of gravity due to their batteries being placed low to the ground (preventing easy rollovers). The batteries also often serve as an added structural system that provides extra reinforcement in case of a crash. EVs, much like the BMW i4, often have access to the newest forms of safety features as well.

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The BMW i4 lost points in a few key areas. For adult occupants, minor injuries were sustained to the torso of both front and back passengers. In the case of the front divers side collision, the driver sustained an injury to the torso while the front passenger was injured in the left leg. Finally, in the side collision crash test, the driver sustained a possible injury to the torso. The injuries remained minor.

In terms of child occupants, the i4 lost points because many areas of the vehicle were not designed for child occupants. Outside of the two back seat areas, there were no mounting points for car seats and the seatbelts were placed too high for small children to be safely secured. However, for children placed in the back, either in car seats or out, they were unharmed in the testing done.

The BMW lost more points in vulnerable road users and safety assists. For vulnerable road users, BMW equipped the i4 with its “active bonnet” system, which lifts the car when a pedestrian collision is detected. The car even uses an auto brake assist system that will engage if the vehicle senses it is about to hit a pedestrian or cyclist. However, for those who are hit by the vehicle, the Euro NCAP noted that “protection of the pelvis was largely poor.”

Furthermore, the i4 lost points for receiving a marginal grade in the emergency lane keeping test, as well as in the auto emergency brake assist test against other vehicles.

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The BMW i4’s test and others can be found on the Euro NCAP website.

Overall, the fact that the BMW i4 scored relatively lower than other EVs is still quite an achievement, as it is still far safer than many combustion-powered rivals. Yet another reason for people to be excited about electric vehicles in the future.

Watch the BMW i4’s safety tests with the Euro NCAP in the video below.

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What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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SpaceX weighs Nasdaq listing as company explores early index entry: report

The company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly leaning toward listing its shares on the Nasdaq for a potential initial public offering (IPO) that could become the largest in history. 

As per a recent report, the company is reportedly seeking early inclusion in the Nasdaq-100 index. The update was reported by Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the publication, SpaceX is considering Nasdaq as the venue for its eventual IPO, though the New York Stock Exchange is also competing for the listing. Neither exchange has reportedly been informed of a final decision.

Reuters has previously reported that SpaceX could pursue an IPO as early as June, though the company’s plans could still change.

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One of the publication’s sources also suggested that SpaceX is targeting a valuation of about $1.75 trillion for its IPO. At that level, the company would rank among the largest publicly traded firms in the United States by market capitalization.

Nasdaq has proposed a rule change that could accelerate the inclusion of newly listed megacap companies into the Nasdaq-100 index.

Under the proposed “Fast Entry” rule, a newly listed company could qualify for the index in less than a month if its market capitalization ranks among the top 40 companies already included in the Nasdaq-100.

If SpaceX is successful in achieving its target valuation of $1.75 trillion, it would become the sixth-largest company by market value in the United States, at least based on recent share prices. 

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Newly listed companies typically have to wait up to a year before becoming eligible for major indexes such as the Nasdaq-100 or S&P 500.

Inclusion in a major index can significantly broaden a company’s shareholder base because many institutional investors purchase shares through index-tracking funds.

According to Reuters, Nasdaq’s proposed fast-track rule is partly intended to attract highly valued private companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic to list on the exchange.

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The Boring Company’s Prufrock-2 emerges after completing new Vegas Loop tunnel

The new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.

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Credit: The Boring Company/X

The Boring Company announced that its Prufrock-2 tunnel boring machine (TBM) has completed another Vegas Loop tunnel in Las Vegas. The company shared the update in a post on social media platform X.

According to The Boring Company’s post, the new tunnel measures 2.28 miles, making it the company’s longest single Vegas Loop tunnel to date.

The new tunnel marks the fourth tunnel constructed near Westgate Las Vegas as the Vegas Loop network continues expanding across the city.

The Boring Company also noted that the new tunnel surpassed its previous internal record of 2.26 miles for a single Vegas Loop segment.

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Construction of the tunnel involved moving roughly 68,000 cubic yards of dirt. The excavation process also used about 4.8 miles of continuous conveyor belt, powered by six motors totaling 825 horsepower.

The Boring Company’s Prufrock-series all-electric tunnel boring machines are designed to support the rapid expansion of company’s underground transportation projects, including the growing Vegas Loop network. Prufrock machines are designed for reusability, thanks in no small part to their capability to be deployed and retrieved easily through their “porposing” feature.

The Vegas Loop, specifically the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop segment, has already been used during major events. Most recently, the LVCC Loop supported the 2026 CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show, which was held from March 3-7, 2026. 

As per The Boring Company, the LVCC Loop transported roughly 82,000 passengers across the convention center campus during the event’s duration. 

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America, drawing more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries this year.

The LVCC Loop forms the initial segment of the broader Vegas Loop network, which remains under active development as The Boring Company continues building new tunnels throughout the city.

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Tesla gathers Cybercab fleet in Gigafactory Texas

Images and video of the Cybercab fleet were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.

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Credit: Credit: @JoeTegtmeyer/X

Tesla appears to be assembling a growing number of Cybercabs at Gigafactory Texas as preparations continue for the vehicle’s mass production. Recent footage shared online has shown over 30 Cybercabs being transported by trucks or staged near testing areas at the facility.

The images and video were shared by longtime Giga Texas observer and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer in posts on social media platform X.

Interestingly enough, Tegtmeyer noted that many of the Cybercabs being loaded onto transport trucks were still equipped with steering wheels. This suggests that the vehicles are likely testing units rather than the final driverless configuration expected for the company’s Robotaxi service.

The vehicles could potentially be headed to testing sites across the United States as Tesla prepares to expand its Robotaxi fleet.

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Additional footage captured at Gigafactory Texas also showed the Cybercab’s side and rear camera washer system operating as vehicles were being loaded onto transport trucks.

The growing number of Cybercabs at Giga Texas comes amidst the company’s announcement that the first production Cybercab has been produced at the facility. Full Cybercab production is expected to begin in April.

The vehicle is expected to play a central role in Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions as the company looks to expand autonomous ride-hailing operations beyond its early deployments using Model Y vehicles.

Tesla has also linked Cybercab production to its proposed Unboxed manufacturing process, which assembles large vehicle modules separately before integrating them. The approach is intended to reduce production costs and accelerate output.

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Musk has also noted that the Cybercab’s ramp will likely begin slowly due to the number of new components and manufacturing steps involved. However, he stated that once the process matures, Cybercab production could scale quickly.

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