VIA Motors, a commercial electric truck manufacturer, has been acquired by global EV company Ideanomics.
Ideanomics has been on a tear over the past two years, acquiring electric vehicle startups producing motorcycles, tractors, and electric delivery vans, all part of its mission to electrify mobility globally. Now, Ideanomics has acquired VIA Motors, an American commercial electric truck manufacturer that will be working to introduce its first vehicle and potentially license its hardware in the near future.
Ideanomics has brought some relatively interesting ideas to the table in terms of EV development. It even has ideas for completely wireless charging for EVs, a strategy that could be adopted for the all-electric Tesla Semi, among others.
“Our acquisition of VIA Motors brings significant revenue generation potential to Ideanomics and its shareholders,” says Ideanomics Executive Chairman Shane McMahon. ”We cannot be more thrilled to welcome VIA to Ideanomics.” The new acquisition joins five other businesses as part of Ideanomics’ electric mobility push, including its EV charger subsidiary, which “will become the preferred charging solutions provider for VIA.”
$IDEX + @VIAMotorsInc = fast, easy and affordable fleet electrification.
Combining VIA’s #electric work trucks w/ our wireless and containerized charging tech is a game-changer! pic.twitter.com/VQuWhexOGc
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— Ideanomics (@ideanomicshq) January 27, 2023
According to the VIA Motors website, the company currently sells one vehicle, its cab-chassis electric truck, which can be outfitted with any standard bed or box, much like any other commercial van. The electric truck comes in three distinct lengths and is well-fitted for delivery use, in which case a box is fitted to the back.
VIA’s truck retains the power necessary for a commercial truck with a payload of 6,900 pounds, but its AWD electric drivetrain allows owners and operators to save on fuel and repair. The system uses an 82kWh battery, capable of a range of 114 miles, and can be charged in roughly 45 minutes from 0 to 100 percent using DC fast charging.
While these specifications may not be anything to brag about yet, VIA now has a couple of tricks up its sleeves after its acquisition today. Through Ideanomics’ other partnership with Energica Motors, VIA now has access to in-house designed motors, which have already made their way into Ideanomics’ tractor business, Solectrac. Furthermore, with fresh investment from the fund, VIA may be able to do something other van startups have trouble doing; producing.
-->This isn’t to say VIA faces no challenge in the electric van market, far from it. Ford currently controls most of the electric van segment with its E-Transit offering. At the same time, Rivian, through investment from Amazon, continues to ramp up production of its own electric van. Even Canoo, a company on the brink of bankruptcy only a year ago, is now entering production with thousands of new orders from Walmart and the U.S. Army.
Walmart commits to purchase 4,500 Canoo all-electric delivery vans
As Ideanomics continues to grow, it is continuing to become a far more formidable force in electric mobility, leaving many to wonder which other industries the company may look to invest in next. However, with each of its investments, it faces a significant challenge from the legacy brands within each industry. The coming year will certainly be a test as each of its brands looks to grow in the electrifying market.
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!
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News
Waymo driverless taxi drives directly into active LAPD standoff
No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative.
A video posted on social media has shown an occupied Waymo driverless taxi driving directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles.
As could be seen in the short video, which was initially posted on Instagram by user Alex Choi, a Waymo driverless taxi drove directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles.
The driverless taxi made an unprotected left turn despite what appeared to be a red light, briefly entering a police perimeter. At the time, officers seemed to be giving commands to a prone suspect on the ground, who looked quite surprised at the sudden presence of the driverless vehicle.
People on the sidewalk, including the person who was filming the video, could be heard chuckling at the Waymo’s strange behavior.
The Waymo reportedly cleared the area within seconds. No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative. Still, the video spread across social media, with numerous netizens poking fun at the gaffe.
-->Others also pointed out that such a gaffe would have resulted in widespread controversy had the vehicle involved been a Tesla on FSD. Tesla is constantly under scrutiny, with TSLA shorts and similar groups actively trying to put down the company’s FSD program.
A Tesla on FSD or Robotaxi accidentally driving into an active police standoff would likely cause lawsuits, nonstop media coverage, and calls for a worldwide ban, at the least.
This was one of the reasons why even minor traffic infractions committed by the company’s Robotaxis during their initial rollout in Austin received nationwide media attention. This particular Waymo incident, however, will likely not receive as much coverage.
Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, and new delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025.
The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV 4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.
However, Tesla has been kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China; it ranks in the top 5 of all EVs in the country, trailing the BYD Seagull, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, and the Geely Galaxy Xingyuan.
The other three models ahead of the Model Y are priced substantially lower.
Tesla is still dealing with strong demand for the Model Y, and the company is now pushing delivery dates to early 2026, meaning the vehicle is sold out for the year:
NEWS: New orders for all four Tesla Model Y trims in China are now officially sold out for 2025, as the factory’s remaining production capacity for the year has been fully allocated.
Estimated delivery dates for new orders now show January-February 2026. pic.twitter.com/Dfnu7yY58N
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 1, 2025
Tesla experienced a 9.9 percent year-over-year rise in its China-made EV sales for November, meaning there is some serious potential for the automaker moving into next year despite increased competition.
There have been a lot of questions surrounding how Tesla would perform globally with more competition, but it seems to have a good grasp of various markets because of its vehicles, its charging infrastructure, and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, which has been expanding to more countries as of late.
Tesla Model Y is still China’s best-selling premium EV through October
Tesla holds a dominating lead in the United States with EV registrations, and performs incredibly well in several European countries.
With demand in China looking strong, it will be interesting to see how the company ends the year in terms of global deliveries.
News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
Waymo driverless taxi drives directly into active LAPD standoff
Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, new delivery dates show
