News
CEO Mary Barra pledges to not give up GM’s “leadership position” in the EV space
It appears that the idea of General Motors CEO Mary Barra being a leading force in the automotive sector’s transition into electric vehicles is well embraced by the executive herself. During a conversation with CNBC’s Andrew Sorkin at the New York Times DealBook Online Summit, Barra declared that GM is the leader in the United States’ electric vehicle sector, even as she practically acknowledged that Tesla holds over 60% of the country’s EV market today.
The CNBC anchor’s questions to the GM CEO were surprisingly tough. Over the course of their conversation, Sorkin asked Barra about GM’s market cap as compared to Tesla, self-driving cars, US President Biden’s Tesla snub during the White House EV summit, the upcoming revisions to the country’s EV incentives, and the idea of Tesla workers potentially earning more in a non-union workplace. More importantly, the CNBC host asked the CEO if GM could catch up to Tesla since the veteran automaker currently holds just about 9-10% of the EV market, while the Silicon Valley-based carmaker holds 63%.
“Right now, GM, in terms of the electric vehicle market, you have about 9-10% of the market. Tesla has about 63% of the market. Five years from now, if you succeed — but everybody else has their own success in this space — what does that pie chart look like?” Sorkin asked.
Quite surprisingly, Barra responded by stating that GM is the leader in the United States’ electric vehicle sector today. The CEO also noted that GM is currently number two in China’s EV market. Overall, Barra stated that she remains optimistic about GM’s future in the electric vehicle sector, and she has no intention of conceding General Motors’ leadership position to anyone.
“Well, we have said, just like we’re the leader today, if you set aside you know with the distortion that’s happening with the semi shortage, we have been the leader in the United States. We’ve been number two in China for many years. I think, when you get to wanting to get 50% all EVs, you have to win customers that only drive one vehicle. They only own one vehicle. They depend on that vehicle every day.
“General Motors has brands that they trust. We have the highest loyalty rating. We have manufacturing plants that are ready to go, and so, when I look at our ability to scale, to serve customers, I think we’re incredibly well-positioned. And we’re not going to cede our leadership position to anyone,” Barra said.
While the GM CEO’s statements may raise some eyebrows considering its apparent disregard for the fact that 63% is larger than 9-10%, the narrative of GM being a leader in the electrification of the auto sector has been echoed by the Biden administration itself. During his visit to General Motors’ Factory Zero in Detroit, US President Joe Biden patted the executive on the back, stating that the CEO “changed the story” and that she “electrified the entire automotive industry.”
“In the auto industry, Detroit is leading the world in electric vehicles. You know how critical it is? Mary, I remember talking to you way back in January about the need for America to lead in electric vehicles. I can remember your dramatic announcement that by 2035, GM would be 100% electric. You changed the whole story, Mary. You did, Mary. You electrified the entire automotive industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters,” Biden said.
Watch GM CEO Mary Barra’s interview with CNBC’s Andrew Sorkin in the video below.
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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
