Ford Motor Company’s 2020 Sustainability report outlines the legacy automaker’s plans to become carbon neutral by 2050. In an attempt to solidify itself as an environmentally-friendly car maker with a goal that would decrease its contribution to global climate issues, Ford chose a conservative route instead of a challenging one that would assist the transportation sector’s strong push toward sustainability.
Tesla’s road to environmentally-friendly transportation started well before Elon Musk’s 2006 draft that is known as the “Master Plan.” Musk knew that CO2 emissions were threatening lift on Earth and that a change needed to be made. Fourteen years later, Tesla sets on top of the automotive world as the leader in electromobility, and arguably could be recognized as the company that made legacy automakers rethink a business model centered around gas-powered machines that are harming the Earth and its atmosphere.
A company with a short, but rich history like Tesla realized the issue was here before the first Roadster even rolled off of the production lines. However, Ford, a company that recently celebrated its 117th birthday, does not seem to recognize the issues at hand, pushing a date for its sustainability goals that sits 30 years down the road.
https://twitter.com/Ford/status/1275820983299870722
In 2018, Ford sold the most vehicles on Earth with 2.38 million units, according to EVadoption.com. However, the company can only attribute .39% of its total sales to its electric cars, which at the time only accounted for the Ford Focus EV. Although the company is planning to introduce its Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric version of the F-150 pickup, and three other models within the next few years, it seems to be too little, but it’s not too late.
Ford’s first step in moving toward sustainability is to introduce a fully-electric fleet well before 2050. Thirty years is far too long as other automakers, like Volkswagen, are pumping in billions of dollars into plans that involve making a lineup of vehicles battery-powered and not combustion-driven. Ultimately, the effort relies on recognizing the problem that gas-powered transportation gives to the environment, and Ford has to realize that its goal is far too distant. Change is needed now.
It is not all bad, though. Ford does plan to use locally-sourced renewable energy for all manufacturing plants globally by 2035. This effort bodes well for the company’s mission, and will undoubtedly help Ford move toward carbon neutrality.
The question is: Where is the urgency? Several countries around the world have already announced their intentions to phase-out fossil fuels. Of the fourteen that have announced bans of gas-powered vehicles, only one has a goal of 2050: Costa Rica.
Many of the locations are considering 2025, 2030, or 2040 as the year when gasoline and diesel-powered machines will no longer be permitted. If Ford doesn’t adopt a quicker timeframe, it could spell trouble for the automaker in these locations, which include large, dense car markets like China, Germany, India, and Spain.
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular, and Tesla is leading the charge. The company has inspired many automakers to adopt its style with minimalism, and its goal with sustainability. Many companies have gotten on-board with the idea, setting lofty goals that will accelerate the shift from gas to batteries. However, Ford is treating its sustainability plan as a way to gain support from a growing community, and not as a way to decrease its carbon footprint promptly.
It’s an emergency, Ford, and it is time to start acting like it.
Ford Sustainability Report 2020 by Joey Klender on Scribd
News
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.
This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.
Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
