News
Porsche discontinues entire diesel lineup in favor of clean-energy cars like the Taycan
Porsche has announced that it would be fully discontinuing its lineup of diesel-powered vehicles. The veteran automaker noted that its decision is fueled by its commitment to the upcoming electrification of its fleet, which the company expects to achieve by 2025.
The company’s announcement comes roughly five months after a senior manager at Porsche in Germany was arrested due to involvement in parent company Volkswagen’s high-profile Dieselgate scandal. Dieselgate, which emerged in 2015, involved Volkswagen’s practice of modifying the diesel engines of some of its cars to cheat laboratory emissions tests. Amidst the fallout from the scandal, Volkswagen had to pay billions of dollars worth of buybacks and repairs. The company was also required to initiate clean-energy campaigns to make up for the environmental damage its modified diesel-powered vehicles caused.
Porsche, for its part, has taken the clean-energy initiative seriously. In 2015, Porsche unveiled its Mission E sedan concept, a vehicle that is now dubbed as the Taycan. Just like the Tesla Model S, the Taycan is built and designed to be an all-electric car through and through, and it is expected to be competitive in the premium EV industry when it enters the market next year. Other variants of the Mission E line, such as the off-road-optimized Mission E Cross Turismo, have been unveiled earlier this year as well.
Ultimately, the company’s abandonment of its diesel line is not out of character for Porsche. The company, after all, has steadily been moving away from diesel propulsion since 2015. The last Porsche model that is powered by diesel, for example, was offered in the United States back in November 2015. Last year, only 12% of Porsche’s global sales came from its diesel fleet. That said, Oliver Blume, chief executive of Porsche did note in a statement to CNN Money that the company is not in any way “demonizing diesel.”
“It is, and will remain, an important propulsion technology. We as a sports car manufacturer, however, for whom diesel has always played a secondary role, have come to the conclusion that we would like our future to be diesel-free,” he said.
By 2025, Porsche plans to transition half of its offerings to either hybrid or all-electric systems. Porsche has selected the Taycan to be its flag-bearer as it takes its first steps towards electrification, and over the past months, sightings of the Taycan’s test mules conducting real-world testing in several countries suggest that Porsche is heavily refining the vehicle before its release. The Taycan’s platform is also expected to be used in the Audi Sport E-tron GT, a concept vehicle set for debut this coming November at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Porsche notes that the Taycan will feature its trademark performance, with the vehicle being listed with a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, a range of 310 miles per charge, and a top speed of 155 mph. Pre-orders for the Taycan have been opened to interested buyers in selected regions, and so far, Porsche has noted that the reception to the car has been very positive.
Elon Musk
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX.
SpaceX scored a legal victory after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided to dismiss a case which accused the company of terminating engineers who were involved in an open letter against founder Elon Musk.
The NLRB confirmed that it no longer has jurisdiction over SpaceX. The update was initially shared by Bloomberg News, which cited a letter about the matter it reportedly reviewed.
In a letter to the former employees’ lawyers, the labor board stated that the affected employees were under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board (NMB), not the NLRB. As a result, the labor board stated that it was dismissing the case.
As per Danielle Pierce, a regional director of the agency, “the National Labor Relations Board lacks jurisdiction over the Employer and, therefore, I am dismissing your charge.”
The NMB typically oversees airlines and railroads. The NLRB, on the other hand, covers most private-sector employers, as well as manufacturers such as Boeing.
The former SpaceX engineers have argued that the private space company did not belong under the NMB’s jurisdiction because SpaceX only offers services to “hand-picked customers.”
In an opinion, however, the NMB stated that SpaceX was under its jurisdiction because “space transport includes air travel” to get to outer space. The mediation board also noted that anyone can contact SpaceX to secure its services.
SpaceX had previously challenged the NLRB’s authority in court, arguing that the agency’s structure was unconstitutional. Jennifer Abruzzo, the NLRB general counsel under former United States President Joe Biden, rejected SpaceX’s claims. Following Abruzzo’s termination under the Trump administration, however, SpaceX asked the labor board to reconsider its arguments.
SpaceX is not the only company that has challenged the constitutionality of the NLRB. Since SpaceX filed its legal challenge against the agency in 2024, other high-profile companies have followed suit. These include Amazon, which has filed similar cases that are now pending.
News
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
Police seized the computer of an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday amid allegations that a works council meeting was secretly recorded.
The union has denied the electric vehicle maker’s allegations.
In a post on X, Gigafactory Berlin plant manager André Thierig stated that an external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting and allegedly recorded the session. Thierig described the event as “truly beyond words.”
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
Police later confirmed to local news outlet rbb24 that officers did seize a computer belonging to an IG Metall member at the Giga Berlin site on Tuesday afternoon. Tesla stated that employees had contacted authorities after discovering the alleged recording.
IG Metall denied Tesla’s accusations, arguing that its representative did not record the meeting. The union alleged that Tesla’s claim was simply a tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.
The next works council election at Giga Berlin is scheduled for March 2 to 4, 2026. The facility’s management had confirmed the dates to local news outlets. The official announcement marks the start of the election process and campaign period.
Approximately 11,000 employees are eligible to participate in the vote.
The previous works council election at the plant took place in 2024, and it was triggered by a notable increase in workforce size. Under German labor law, regular works council elections must be held every four years between March 1 and May 31.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI plants flag in Bellevue AI hotspot
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has leased a full floor at Lincoln Square South in downtown Bellevue, WA, as per city permit filings.
The lease places xAI’s new office in one of the region’s fastest-growing tech hubs.
Public records indicate that xAI leased roughly 24,800 square feet in Lincoln Square South. The location was previously occupied by video game company Epic Games. Lincoln Square South is part of the Bellevue Collection, which is owned by Kemper Development Co.
The lease was first referenced in January by commercial real estate firm Broderick Group, which noted that an unnamed tenant had secured the space, as stated in a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. Later filings identified xAI as the occupant for the space.
xAI has not publicly commented on the lease.
xAI hinted at plans to open an office in the Seattle area back in September, when the startup posted job openings with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $440,000. At the time, the company had narrowed its location search to cities on the Eastside but had not finalized a lease.
xAI’s Bellevue expansion comes as Musk continues consolidating his businesses. Last week, SpaceX acquired xAI in a deal that valued the artificial intelligence startup at $250 billion. SpaceX itself is now valued at roughly $1.25 trillion and is expected to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) later this year.
Musk already has a significant presence in the region through SpaceX, which employs about 2,000 workers locally. That initiative, however, is focused largely on Starlink satellite development.
Bellevue has increasingly become a center for artificial intelligence companies. OpenAI has expanded its local office footprint to nearly 300,000 square feet. Data infrastructure firms such as Crusoe and CoreWeave have also established offices downtown.
SpaceX secures win as US labor board drops oversight case
Tesla accuses IG Metall member of secretly recording Giga Berlin meeting
