News
Honda to step up its game with new electric motorcycles and EVs
Honda appears ready to go full electric and dive into the increasing competition in the EV industry. The Japanese automaker aims to produce 2 million EVs annually by 2030. At the same time, Honda plans to increase its annual sales of electric motorcycles to 3.5 million units by 2025.
With the popularity of electric vehicles continuously rising, legacy automakers like Honda are reevaluating their place in the general auto industry. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are particularly making strides in the global automobile business. Some believe the rise of BEVs will eventually phase out traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. Low-emission vehicles are also starting to influence other transportation models that use fossil fuels, like motorcycles. Now, Honda is setting ambitious goals for its electrification business.
Honda’s Electric Motorcycles
The Japanese automaker plans to launch 10 or more all-electrified motorcycles worldwide by 2025. Its 2030 goal is to sell 3.5 million electric motorcycles annually, approximately 15% of Honda’s total unit sales.
The legacy OEM also expects to launch the EM1 e: electric scooter, powered by Honda’s Mobile Power pack e: swappable battery in Japan, Europe, and Indonesia by 2023. Honda is exploring other electric models that could be equipped with swappable batteries.
Honda’s Electric Vehicle Lineup
The Japanese automaker seems certain about the future of the global auto industry and appears ready to act on its beliefs. Honda set a goal to increase the ratio of EVs and FCEV sales to 100% worldwide by 2040.
The legacy automaker plans to produce over 2 million electric vehicles by 2030. Honda already has plans for three specific auto markets, including North America, China, and Japan. The company’s plans for each region are laid out below.
North America:
- In 2024, the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, currently being codeveloped with General Motors (GM), will go on sale.
- In 2025, a mid- to large-size EV model which adopts the new E&E architecture based on Honda’s original dedicated EV platform will go on sale.
China:
- In early 2024, e:NS2 and e:NP2 will go on sale.
- Before the end of 2024, mass production models based on the e:N SUV xù concept model will go on sale. The e:N SUV xù concept model was unveiled at Auto Shanghai this month.
- By 2027, Honda will introduce a total of 10 new EV models, including three models mentioned above.
- By 2035, Honda will strive to make EVs 100% of its automobile sales in China, ahead of other regions.
Japan:
- In the first half of 2024, a N-VAN-based commercial-use mini-EV model will go on sales.
- In 2025, an EV model based on the N-ONE will go on sale.
- In 2026, two small-size EV models, including a SUV type, will go on sale.
Honda is prepared to do the work and get down to the nitty-gritty of electrification. It plans to enter into strategic partnerships to build a strong value chain, including procuring battery resources ethically and producing EV cells responsibly. Honda expects to work with big names in the burgeoning automobile battery industry, including CATL and LG Energy Solutions.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.

