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Polestar follows Tesla in departure from Australian lobby group

Credit: Polestar

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Just days after Tesla exited from the largest Australian automotive lobby group — the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) — over campaigns against tightening emissions standards, another electric vehicle (EV) maker has followed in leaving the group.

Tesla announced plans to depart from the lobby group just last week, saying it was “concerned” that the group was doing things that could “mislead or deceive Australian consumers” in lobbying against stricter emissions standards. Now, Geely-owned EV maker Polestar has also announced plans to exit the FCAI, following Tesla’s lead, according to Reuters.

“The brand cannot in good faith continue to allow its membership fees to fund a campaign designed to deliberately slow the car industry’s contribution to Australia’s emissions reduction potential,” wrote Samantha Johnson, Polestar Australia Head, in a letter to the FCAI.

Volvo prepares to call it quits on Polestar

The FCAI has said that the government’s move to create the New Vehicle Efficiency Scheme (NVES) to tighten up emissions standards could increase prices and limit competitiveness in Australia, especially in the popular pickup segment. The group, which says it represents over 50 automakers, said it wouldn’t be willing to support a standard that limited consumer choice.

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Tesla announced plans to depart from the lobby group by the end of Fiscal Year 2023-2024 on Thursday, stepping down from the organization’s board, after the group said NVES could lead to price increases. Meanwhile, automakers such as Toyota and Volkswagen remain a part of the group.

“Over the past three weeks, Tesla considers that the FCAI has repeatedly made claims that are demonstrably false,” Tesla wrote in its own letter to the FCAI. “Tesla is concerned that the FCAI has engaged in behaviors that are likely to mislead or deceive Australian consumers. Tesla is also concerned that it is inappropriate for the FCAI to foreshadow or coordinate whether and how competitor brands implement price changes in response to environmental regulations such as the NVES.”

The Australian government is expected to enact the new standard next year, set to penalize automakers importing emissions-heavy vehicles and reward those importing vehicles with cleaner tailpipe emissions.

Volkswagen said this week that it backs the Australian government’s plans, adding that it wants incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) to be stronger. The automaker still remains a member of the FCAI at the time of writing, though it expressed concern over Tesla and Polestar’s departures.

“Our company’s position is its own – not that of any lobby group or membership organisation,” a Volkswagen spokesperson wrote in an email on Friday.

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Later on Friday, Toyota Australia said it backed the FCAI’s position, requesting that the government revisit the emissions standards and the phase-in of penalties.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Energy

Tesla launches first Virtual Power Plant in UK – get paid to use solar

Tesla has launched its first-ever Virtual Power Plant program in the United Kingdom.

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Credit: Tesla Energy | X

Tesla has launched its first-ever Virtual Power Plant program in the United Kingdom. This feature enables users of solar panels and energy storage systems to sell their excess energy back to the grid.

Tesla is utilizing Octopus Energy, a British renewable energy company that operates in multiple markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States, as the provider for the VPP launch in the region.

The company states that those who enroll in the program can earn up to £300 per month.

Tesla has operated several VPP programs worldwide, most notably in California, Texas, Connecticut, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. This is not the first time Tesla has operated a VPP outside the United States, as there are programs in Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.

This is its first in the UK:

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Tesla is not the only company that is working with Octopus Energy in the UK for the VPP, as it joins SolarEdge, GivEnergy, and Enphase as other companies that utilize the Octopus platform for their project operations.

It has been six years since Tesla launched its first VPP, as it started its first in Australia back in 2019. In 2024, Tesla paid out over $10 million to those participating in the program.

Tesla VPP program in California hits new capacity milestone

Participating in the VPP program that Tesla offers not only provides enrolled individuals with the opportunity to earn money, but it also contributes to grid stabilization by supporting local energy grids.

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Waymo responds to Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion in Austin with bold statement

Waymo and Tesla are surely in a battle of “mine’s bigger” right now.

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Credit: Waymo

Waymo has responded to Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion in Austin with a bold statement by extending its own geofence by a considerable margin.

Earlier this week, Tesla chose to expand its geofence for its driverless Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, substantially. The geofence more than doubled, bringing Tesla’s total serviceable area within Austin to approximately 42 square miles.

Tesla’s Robotaxi geofence in Austin grows, and its shape is hard to ignore

This put Tesla ahead of Waymo in terms of its service area in Austin, as the company’s geofence was just 37 square miles.

We reported on how significant this statement was for Tesla, as it has only been operating its driverless Robotaxi platform in Austin for less than a month, compared to Waymo, which has been there since March.

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Tesla Robotaxi has already surpassed Waymo in this key metric

Waymo took it as a challenge, it seems, and expanded its geofence, and it did it impressively and massively. Now, Waymo’s geofence spans 90 square miles within Austin, including new neighborhoods such as Crestview, Windsor Park, Sunset Valley, Franklin Park, as well as popular tourist destinations like The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park.

The move “unlocks another key milestone in Austin as our operating territory with Waymo expands from 37 to 90 square miles, which means that even more riders can experience Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles through the Uber app,” Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber, said.

Additionally, Shweta Shrivastava, Senior Director of Product Management at Waymo, said:

“Just months after serving our first Austin riders with Uber, we’re excited to offer our 24/7 service to more of the city. The service with our partners at Uber is healthy, and we are ready for more Austinites to experience the magic of fully autonomous driving. Austin remains one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and we are doing our part to grow with it.”

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Across the U.S., this expansion brings Waymo’s service area to more than 700 square miles, as it also operates in California and Arizona.

Here’s what the two geofenced regions look like:

The competition between Waymo and Tesla only benefits consumers, as the two companies are evidently sparring for a larger service area in Austin. Tesla launched its interestingly-shaped geofence expansion on Monday, and it seemed that the shape was more of a joke that could also be construed as a warning to competitors.

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Tesla could more than likely have pushed its geofence to a larger size, but it purposely chose to do so in a comical fashion.

Now that Waymo has responded in this way, we’ll see if Tesla puts the jokes aside.

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Tesla exec hints at useful and potentially killer Model Y L feature

The Model Y L could become the company’s vehicle that offers the best balance between utility and comfort.

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Credit: Tesla China

A Tesla executive from China has hinted at what could very well be a killer feature for the upcoming Model Y L. If speculations prove accurate, the Model Y L could become the company’s vehicle that offers the best balance between utility and comfort, possibly even exceeding what is offered by Tesla’s flagship vehicles.

Model Y L teaser

The Tesla Model Y L is expected to be a six-seat version of the best-selling all-electric crossover. With its six seats, the new Model Y L would be able to provide ample leg room to third-row passengers—something that the seven-seat Model Ys produced in the United States were unable to do.

With six seats, the Model Y L would be closer in size and more similar to the larger and much more expensive Model X, which remains Tesla’s de facto family hauler. The six-seat Model X, however, has one flaw that makes it a bit less useful than its seven-seat variant–its second row seats don’t fold fully flat.

Second row magic

In a post on Weibo, Tesla Vice President for China Grace Tao described the upcoming Model Y L as a “full-scene 6-seat luxury SUV.” This description, particularly the executive’s “full-scene” description, is notable, with Tesla China watchers such as @zhongwen2005 stating that “full-scene” typically means that all seats can be folded flat.

If Tesla is able to design the Model Y L’s second row seats to fold flat, it would provide the extended wheelbase vehicle with a lot more utility than typical six-seaters, including the six-seat Model X. And considering that the Model Y L will likely be priced just above the standard Model Y, its price would likely be extremely competitive, even in challenging markets such as China. 

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