News
Nissan to launch 23 new electric models, 15 new EVs by 2030
In the world of global automotive development, companies that have long relied on gas-powered motors are announcing new plans to transition to electrification on a nearly daily basis. Today, Nissan became the most recent company to announce electrification plans, pledging to launch 23 new electrified models and 15 new battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by 2030 as a part of its long-term strategy to place electrification at the core of the company’s product line, joining the Nissan Leaf and ARIYA in the lineup of EV models.
“The role of companies to address societal needs is increasingly heightened. With Nissan Ambition 2030, we will drive the new age of electrification, advance technologies to reduce carbon footprint, and pursue new business opportunities,” Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said today. We want to transform Nissan to become a sustainable company that is truly needed by customers and society.”
Nissan’s EV push accelerates as ARIYA crossover opens reservations
Nissan has set itself up for a more successful transition to electric vehicles by slotting out specific sales goals in each region of the world. After all, not every market is as committed to EVs as others. Still, the areas of focus for Nissan are Europe and Japan, which hold its two highest goal EV sales concentrations compared to any other region globally. Nissan will aim for at least 75% of its sales in Europe to be electric by 2026. Japan at 55% and China at 40%. The United States is also at 40%, but Nissan said its goal will be 2030 to reach that sales goal in the U.S.
“We are proud of our long track record of innovation and of our role in delivering the EV revolution,” Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta said. “With our new ambition, we continue to take the lead in accelerating the natural shift to EVs by creating customer pull through an attractive proposition by driving excitement, enabling adoption, and creating a cleaner world.”
Building an effective electric fleet goes well beyond putting battery packs in newly-designed vehicles. Infrastructure and accessibility are essential and often overlooked by automakers. Consumers sit at the forefront of the plans to electrify fleets and are often let down by companies that have focused on products but not on how they will thrive in an ever-changing world. Nissan said it aims to launch its EVs with a proprietary all-solid-state battery by 2028 and would launch a pilot plant in Yokohama, Japan, as early as 2024. The use of solid-state batteries could reduce charging time by one-third, and in-house development is expected to bring battery costs down to $75 per kWh by 2028. $100 per kWh is a commonly agreed-upon price at which EVs would reach parity with gas cars, so this would make Nissan’s EVs quite cost-effective if it can come through on its affordable battery development efforts.
Nissan is also planning to expand its ProPILOT technology to over 2.5 million vehicles in its and INFINITI’s lineup by 2026. The company’s semi-autonomous driving systems will rely on LIDAR systems on “virtually every new model by fiscal year 2030.” Interestingly, Nissan has said in the past that LIDAR is not needed for self-driving.
The effort moving forward will require partnerships and collaborations with industry leaders. Nissan said that its need to launch in various regions will require partnerships with suitable partners for more efficient mobility in cities and sustainable mobility in rural areas.
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Elon Musk
Starlink restrictions are hitting Russian battlefield comms: report
The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.
SpaceX’s decision to disable unauthorized Starlink terminals in Ukraine is now being felt on the battlefield, with Ukrainian commanders reporting that Russian troops have struggled to maintain assault operations without access to the satellite network.
The restrictions have reportedly disrupted Moscow’s drone coordination and frontline communications.
Lt. Denis Yaroslavsky, who commands a special reconnaissance unit, stated that Russian assault activity noticeably declined for several days after the shutdown. “For three to four days after the shutdown, they really reduced the assault operations,” Yaroslavsky said.
Russian units had allegedly obtained Starlink terminals through black market channels and mounted them on drones and weapons systems, despite service terms prohibiting offensive military use. Once those terminals were blocked, commanders on the Ukrainian side reported improved battlefield ratios, as noted in a New York Post report.
A Ukrainian unit commander stated that casualty imbalances widened after the cutoff. “On any given day, depending on your scale of analysis, my sector was already achieving 20:1 (casuality rate) before the shutdown, and we are an elite unit. Regular units have no problem going 5:1 or 8:1. With Starlink down, 13:1 (casualty rate) for a regular unit is easy,” the unit commander said.
The restrictions come as Russia faces heavy challenges across multiple fronts. A late January report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that more than 1.2 million Russian troops have been killed, wounded, or gone missing since February 2022.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also noted that activity from Russia’s Rubikon drone unit declined after Feb. 1, suggesting communications constraints from Starlink’s restrictions may be limiting operations. “I’m sure the Russians have (alternative options), but it takes time to maximize their implementation and this (would take) at least four to six months,” Yaroslavsky noted.
Elon Musk
Tesla Korea hiring AI Chip Engineers amid push for high-volume AI chips
Tesla Korea stated that it is seeking “talented individuals to join in developing the world’s highest-level mass-produced AI chips.”
In a recent post on X, Tesla Korea announced that it is hiring AI Chip Design Engineers as part of a project aimed at developing what the company describes as the world’s highest-volume AI chips. CEO Elon Musk later amplified the initiative.
Tesla Korea stated that it is seeking “talented individuals to join in developing the world’s highest-level mass-produced AI chips.”
“This project aims to develop AI chip architecture that will achieve the highest production volume in the world in the future,” Tesla Korea wrote in its post on X.
As per Tesla Korea, those who wish to apply for the AI Chip Design Engineer post should email Ai_Chips@Tesla.com and include “the three most challenging technical problems you have solved.”
Elon Musk echoed the hiring push in a separate post. “If you’re in Korea and want to work on chip design, fabrication or AI software, join Tesla!” he wrote.
The recruitment effort in South Korea comes as Tesla accelerates development of its in-house AI chips, which power its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, Optimus humanoid robot, and data center training infrastructure.
Tesla has been steadily expanding its silicon development teams globally. In recent months, the company has posted roles in Austin and Palo Alto for silicon module process engineers across lithography, etching, and other chip fabrication disciplines, as noted in a Benzinga report.
Tesla Korea’s hiring efforts align with the company’s long-term goal of designing and producing AI chips at massive scale. Musk has previously stated that Tesla’s future AI chips could become the highest-volume AI processors in the world.
The move also comes amid Tesla’s broader expansion into AI initiatives. The company recently committed about $2 billion into xAI as part of a Series E funding round, reinforcing its focus on artificial intelligence across vehicles, robotics, and compute infrastructure.
Elon Musk
SpaceX and xAI tapped by Pentagon for autonomous drone contest
The six-month competition was launched in January and is said to carry a $100 million award.
SpaceX and its AI subsidiary xAI are reportedly competing in a new Pentagon prize challenge focused on autonomous drone swarming technology, as per a report from Bloomberg News.
The six-month competition was launched in January and is said to carry a $100 million award.
Bloomberg reported that SpaceX and xAI are among a select group invited to participate in the Defense Department’s effort to develop advanced drone swarming capabilities. The goal is reportedly to create systems that can translate voice commands into digital instructions and manage fleets of autonomous drones.
Neither SpaceX, xAI, nor the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit has commented on the report, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the details.
The development follows SpaceX’s recent acquisition of xAI, which pushed the valuation of the combined companies to an impressive $1.25 trillion. The reported competition comes as SpaceX prepares for a potential initial public offering later this year.
The Pentagon has been moving to speed up drone deployment and expand domestic manufacturing capacity, while also seeking tools to counter unauthorized drone activity around airports and major public events. Large-scale gatherings scheduled this year, including the FIFA World Cup and America250 celebrations, have heightened focus on aerial security.
The reported challenge aligns with broader Defense Department investments in artificial intelligence. Last year, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI secured Pentagon contracts worth up to $200 million each to advance AI capabilities across defense applications.
Elon Musk previously joined AI and robotics researchers in signing a 2015 open letter calling for a ban on offensive autonomous weapons. In recent years, however, Musk has spoken on X about the strengths of drone technologies in combat situations.
Starlink restrictions are hitting Russian battlefield comms: report
Tesla Korea hiring AI Chip Engineers amid push for high-volume AI chips
