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BMW, Nissan and Tesla to Develop Universal Charging Network?

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Now that Tesla has tentatively opened some of its intellectual properties (IP) to the competition and that we have some insight as to its motives, who else wants to benefit from this strategy?

Tesla welcomes the competition

Welcoming the competition might seem like a bold and dramatic move, but it is one Elon Musk has carefully planned. In the past articles, we visited what it means to open some of the company’s IP to the competition, and asked what does Tesla Motors mean by “good faith” use. We also saw this is a strategic move to once and for all cement Tesla’s role at the core of the electric vehicle (EV) industry. It also gives it a chance for its charging protocol to become a de facto standard.

BMW and Nissan

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BMW has demonstrated a willingness to step into the 22nd Century, leaping over its local German competition. It has dabbled with the idea of selling directly, but is careful not to rock the boat. The matter of the fact is that BMW needs other carmakers more than Tesla does in terms of manufacturing. Case in point, its partnership with Toyota, which gives it more production capacity. BMW also gains much of a strategic alliance with Tesla.

Tesla-Roadster-Nissan-LeafNissan is the next logical choice. Already at the forefront of EVs with its best selling Nissan LEAF, which stands for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car, it built and sold more electric cars than any other company in history.

Tesla already announced last week that it had a meeting with BMW, who showed great interest. BMW is working hard to make its “ultimate driving” electric machines not only fun to drive, but feasible. And serious, BMW is. BMW bought its own carbon fiber manufacturing company and developed a sophisticated resign carbon fiber tub for its electric i3 and the stunning plug-in hybrid (PHEV) i8. I was fortunate to interview Benoit Jacobs, the head designer of the iDrive team, who revealed the gist was to have static air flow control with no electronics. Every curve and line are functional on both the i8 and i3, from the static upper windshield spoiler to the dramatic rear air diffusers. Benoit told me he wanted static aerodynamics, not electronic automation. One glance at the i8 and we can say they achieved something the Germans are not always known for, dramatic beauty. Now the real work rests on batteries and electronics, something Tesla does brilliantly.

The only problem BMW has, as well as an other recent EV I tested on CarNewsCafe is the (in)famous Combined Charging Standard (CCS) plug. CCS stations are far and few between compared to more readily available CHAdeMO, with more than 1,000 globally and the Superchargers, 100 globally. Nissan uses CHAdeMO and enjoys many more locations than CCS, but it, too, has never developed a charging network.

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How come electric carmakers don’t build charging networks?

One of the many question we, journalists, ask EV makers is why they haven’t actively built a charging infrastructure like Tesla? There are many reasons, most about keeping their core competencies and ROI balanced for survival. Both BMW and Nissan would benefit tapping into Tesla’s technology and hopefully shift the power away from the idiotic charging standard war dividing manufacturers, leaving consumers to pay the price once more. If BMW and Nissan adopt Tesla’s charging protocol, the industry inexorably tilts toward a unified charging standard, leaving the CHAdeMO versus CCS battle a vestige of yesterday’s knuckle-dragging battle techniques behind. Did I make that last point strongly enough? Now imagine how the rest of carmakers and the charging industry feels.

Image source: Autoguide
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Tesla gets new information request from NHTSA on Robotaxi rollout

Tesla has been contacted by the NHTSA regarding plans for the Robotaxi rollout and how it will handle poor weather.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has been contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding its planned rollout of a Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas.

The agency sent a letter to Tesla Field Quality Director Eddit Gates, seeking more information on exactly how the company plans to operate the fleet in poor weather conditions. The NHTSA wants to know how Tesla’s technology and operational use cases will “assess the ability of Tesla’s system to react appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions.”

Additionally, the NHTSA said it would like additional information on Tesla’s development of technologies for use in ‘robotaxi’ vehicles to understand how Tesla plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for public roads.

Tesla has already started operating a supervised version of the Robotaxi platform for employees in both Austin and San Francisco. This limited rollout has completed thousands of rides already, but differs from the version it plans to roll out in the coming weeks in Austin, as it currently has a driver sitting in the driver’s seat.

Tesla says it has launched ride-hailing Robotaxi teaser to employees only

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They are there to supervise the vehicle and ensure safety early on in the program.

The letter that was sent to Tesla on May 8 is part of a greater investigation that was opened by the NHTSA on October 17, titled “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions.”

The agency said the purpose of the “Preliminary Evaluation of FSD” was to assess:

  • The ability of FSD’s engineering controls to detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions;
  • Whether any other similar FSD crashes have occurred in reduced roadway visibility conditions and, if so, the contributing circumstances for those crashes; and
  • Any updates or modifications from Tesla to the FSD system that may affect the performance of FSD in reduced roadway visibility conditions. In particular, this review will assess the timing, purpose, and capabilities of any such updates, as well as Tesla’s assessment of their safety impact.

Tesla is required to respond to the NHTSA’s request by June 19.

INIM-PE24031-62887 by Joey Klender on Scribd

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Potential affordable Tesla “Model 2/Model Q” test car spotted anew in Giga Texas

The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month.

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Credit: @JoeTegtmeyer/X

Tesla has been very secretive about the “more affordable models” that it intends to start producing in the first half of 2025, but the company does seem to be quite busy testing something interesting in the Giga Texas complex. This was, at least, as per recent aerial footage from a longtime Giga Texas watcher.

The recent footage featured an apparent test car that looks very similar to a vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory last month. 

New Giga Texas Sighting

In a post on X, longtime Giga Texas watcher and drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer noted that he recently spotted a rather unique test car in the factory complex. The vehicle was under a car cover, but it was evidently missing its body panels and roof. Interestingly enough, it seemed to be shaped like a Model Y (it even had Model Y wheels), though it looked a bit more compact than another Model Y that was parked next to it.

Interestingly enough, a rather similar test car was spotted at another Tesla plant, the Fremont Factory in California, last month. Tesla watcher Met God in Wilderness, who has been posting aerial videos of the Fremont Factory for years, shared some footage from a drone flyover in mid-April. One of the vehicles captured in the flyover was an apparent test car that was parked next to fully-built Model Y and Model S vehicles. The test car in this sighting also looked like a compact crossover, and it was also missing its roof and body panels. 

Tesla’s Affordable Cars

In the Q1 2025 Update Letter, Tesla noted that “plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025.” In the Q1 earnings call, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy stated that Tesla’s affordable cars would resemble the company’s existing vehicles, though they will be more affordable.

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These comments suggested that Tesla’s affordable cars, which have been informally dubbed by the EV community as the “Model 2 or Model Q,” will look a lot like its two mass market vehicles, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. “Models that come out in the next months will be built on our lines and will resemble, in form and shape, the cars we currently make. And the key is that they’ll be affordable, and you’ll be able to buy one,” Moray stated.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk invited to attend investment summit in Saudi Arabia: report

Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

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Joel Kowsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A planning note reported viewed by Reuters has indicated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been invited to a Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The event is expected to be held on Tuesday.

Musk’s reported invitation comes on the sidelines of United States President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.

Musk’s Invitation

As per Reuters, the upcoming investment forum is expected to be attended by some of the most distinguished people in the investment world. These include the CEOs of high-profile companies such as Blackrock, Citigroup, IBM, Boeing, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines, among others, the publication noted. 

Considering the other attendees of the event, Elon Musk would likely fit right thanks to his leadership of companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, as well as his close ties with the Trump administration through his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk and Saudi Arabia

Elon Musk’s relationship with Riyadh have notably improved since the start of Trump’s second term as United States president. Highlighting this improvement was Tesla’s launch in Saudi, which was held in April. Tesla’s launch was a notable event based on videos posted of the occasion, with the company showcasing some of its most exciting products, including Optimus, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab, its self-driving robotaxi.

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Tesla’s launch in Saudi Arabia, as well as his reported invitation to the upcoming investment forum, suggests that the CEO’s feud with Yasir Al Rumayyan, head of the $925 billion Public Investment Fund, has ended. The PIF Head was among the people involved in Elon Musk’s infamous “funding secured” tweet in 2018, which resulted in hefty fines and his removal as Tesla’s Board Chair. The PIF also sold its Tesla holdings and invested in another EV company, Lucid Group Inc.

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