Connect with us

News

Nikola World event postponed as company woes continue

(Photo: Dacia Ferris/Teslarati)

Published

on

Nikola Motor is postponing and rescheduling its Nikola World event, where the company’s first pickup was expected to be unveiled. The Badger was set to be the automaker’s first passenger vehicle. The company has released a series of semi-trucks in the past, but EV enthusiasts will have to wait to see Nikola’s answer to the Tesla Cybertruck.

The delay in the Nikola World event comes after a tumultuous month for the automaker. After Hindenburg Research, a known short of Nikola’s stock, released a report indicating that the company had been misleading in several of its ventures, NKLA’s price per share tumbled by 45%.

Since then, Chairman and Founder Trevor Milton has also stepped down from his positions and has deleted all social media accounts.

Earlier today, Nikola stated that its first prototypes of the Nikola Tre are to be “substantially completed” within the next few weeks at its factory in Ulm, Germany. It also stated that it plans to start sales late in 2021.

Nikola recently came to a deal with General Motors where the latter company would develop and manufacture powertrains and fuel-cell technology for the former. After the sharp drop off in share price throughout September, GM has put the partnership on hold for the time being. GM has said that it still intends to come to an agreement with Nikola, but the terms of the partnership need to be reconfigured.

Advertisement
-->

At the time of writing, NKLA shares were trading at $20.00 and were up 11.63% during the session. The stock has traded as low as $17.93 in 2020, and as high as $93.99.

Shares of NKLA dropped significantly from September 8th to September 11th after the Hindenburg report. The report claimed that Nikola’s capabilities and technological claims were not true. The biggest bombshell was that Nikola used a sloped hill to demonstrate that its semi-truck was functional. The automaker ultimately admitted that the vehicle was not self-propelled, and it had, in fact, used a hill to make the truck appear operational.

Mark Russell, CEO of Nikola, stated that Nikola World would be a groundbreaking event for the company and its investors. “There is going to be a lot of cool stuff that happens at Nikola World. Itโ€™s going to be a place to be,โ€ Russell said. However, it is unknown what the event will bring, or if the company will attempt to clear up any claims that were brought to light in the Hindenburg report.

Those who planned to attend the event are encouraged to either hold on to their tickets until a new date is announced, or they may opt for a refund, Nikola said in an email toย Bloomberg.

The event was planned to be three-days in length and would show “a few planned surprises” alongside the revealing of the Badger.

Advertisement
-->

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla dominates in the UK with Model Y and Model 3 leading the way

Published

on

Credit: Tesla China

Tesla is dominating in the United Kingdom so far through 2025, and with about two weeks left in the year, the Model Y and Model 3 are leading the way.

The Model Y and Model 3 are the two best-selling electric vehicles in the United Kingdom, which is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and it’s not particularly close.

According to data gathered byย EU-EVs, the Model Y is sitting at 18,890 units for the year, while the Model 3 is slightly behind with 16,361 sales for the year so far.

The next best-selling EV is the Audi Q4 e-tron at 10,287 units, lagging significantly behind but ahead of other models like the BMW i4 and the Audi Q6 e-tron.

The Model Y has tasted significant success in the global market, but it has dominated in large markets like Europe and the United States.

For years, it’s been a car that has fit the bill of exactly what consumers need: a perfect combination of luxury, space, and sustainability.

Both vehicles are going to see decreases in sales compared to 2024; the Model Y was the best-selling car last year, but it sold 32,610 units in the UK. Meanwhile, the Model 3 had reached 17,272 units, which will keep it right on par with last year.

Advertisement
-->

Tesla announces major milestone in the United Kingdom

Tesla sold 50,090 units in the market last year, and it’s about 8,000 units shy of last year’s pace. It also had a stronger market share last year with 13.2 percent of the sales in the market. With two weeks left in 2025, Tesla has a 9.6 percent market share, leading Volkswagen with 8 percent.

The company likely felt some impact from CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration and, more specifically, his role with DOGE. However, it is worth mentioning that some months saw stronger consumer demand than others. For example, sales were up over 20 percent in February. A 14 percent increase followed this in June.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Insurance officially expands to new U.S. state

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

Published

on

Credit: Tesla Insurance

Tesla Insurance has officially expanded to a new U.S. state, its thirteenth since its launch in 2019.

Tesla has confirmed that its in-house Insurance program has officially made its way to Florida, just two months after the company filed to update its Private Passenger Auto program in the state. It had tried to offer its insurance program to drivers in the state back in 2022, but its launch did not happen.

Instead, Tesla refiled the paperwork back in mid-October, which essentially was the move toward initiating the offering this month.

Tesla’s in-house Insurance program first launched back in late 2019, offering a new way to insure the vehicles that was potentially less expensive and could alleviate a lot of the issues people had with claims, as the company could assess and repair the damage itself.

It has expanded to new states since 2019, but Florida presents a particularly interesting challenge for Tesla, as the company’s entry into the state is particularly noteworthy given its unique insurance landscape, characterized by high premiums due to frequent natural disasters, dense traffic, and a no-fault system.

Tesla partners with Lemonade for new insurance program

Advertisement
-->

Annual average premiums for Florida drivers hover around $4,000 per year, well above the national average. Tesla’s insurance program could disrupt this, especially for EV enthusiasts. The state’s growing EV adoption, fueled by incentives and infrastructure development, aligns perfectly with Tesla’s ecosystem.

Moreover, there are more ways to have cars repaired, and features like comprehensive coverage for battery damage and roadside assistance tailored to EVs address those common painpoints that owners have.

However, there are some challenges that still remain. Florida’s susceptibility to hurricanes raises questions about how Tesla will handle claims during disasters.

Looking ahead, Tesla’s expansion of its insurance program signals the company’s ambition to continue vertically integrating its services, including coverage of its vehicles. Reducing dependency on third-party insurers only makes things simpler for the company’s automotive division, as well as for its customers.

Advertisement
-->
Continue Reading

News

Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician

“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”

Published

on

Credit: Soyoung Lee | X

Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.

Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.

Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”

Her translated post says:

Advertisement
-->

“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, Iโ€™m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasnโ€™t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, donโ€™t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”

Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.

It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.

Advertisement
-->
Continue Reading