A look at recent announcements from legacy automakers would give the idea that the electric car revolution is at hand. GM recently announced a massive $20 billion push for electrification. Volkswagen’s CEO is quite literally putting his career on the line to make a mass-market electric car, and Porsche has given one of its most historic sites an “open-heart surgery” just to make an all-electric sports car. Across the board, the “Tesla Effect” seems alive and well, with automaker after automaker announcing their support for electric vehicles.
Yet for all these statements and promises, the EV revolution, at least in the US, does not seem to be going as fast as it could be. In fact, it appears that for many US auto dealerships, it would be better if the transition to electric vehicles happens far into the future, or better yet, never. This was according to a brief trip by Chevy Bolt owner and CNET founding member Brooke Crothers, who recently got a sobering look at the sheer apathy among US auto dealerships when it comes to EVs.
Amidst legacy auto’s accelerating electric car programs, Crothers opted to visit one of the largest auto malls in the United States, located at Cerritos, CA. The Golden State is considered the center of America’s electric car movement, being the home of Tesla and one of the country’s strictest emissions programs. Thus, it would only make sense if the electric car revolution is evident in the state’s car dealers. Unfortunately for the tech veteran, he soon learned that this was not the case.
Crothers visited numerous automakers, starting with GM, which currently sells the Bolt EV, an electric car that is pretty comparable to the Model 3 Standard Range Plus in terms of range. The GM dealership did not have a single Bolt available on the lot. Instead, the only thing that potential car buyers could find are gas guzzlers like Silverado trucks, cars like the Corvette and Camaro, and large SUVs like the Suburban. This is quite disappointing considering that GM actually has a history of being a first mover in sustainable transport, with cars like the EV1 and the Volt under its belt.
Volkswagen’s dealer was no better. The German automaker is in the middle of a massive electric car program, one that CEO Herbert Diess considers as his personal project. Crothers stated that the VW dealer he visited only had the e-Golf available, which is an electric car from the bygone era of compliance vehicles. It remains to be seen if the company’s EV initiative in Germany will spill over to the US, but for now, Volkswagen’s electric car program in the United States seems substandard at best.
Acura seems to be among the worst, with a salesperson telling Crothers that there is no future in electric vehicles. Gas will rule, the automaker’s representative said, and the only viable way for sustainable transport are fuel cell hybrids. The dealership also stated that they only sold “a couple” of hybrid MDX vehicles in the past 12 months. “There’s no demand,” an Acura salesperson said.
Some legacy automakers did show some degree of the “Tesla Effect,” with Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, and Audi having some electric vehicles in their lot. Nissan actually had a Leaf available, and Honda had several Clarity models in its showroom window. Hyundai was even better with staff being ready to answer questions about the Kona EV and the Ioniq (though both vehicles were in the dealer’s back lot). The same was true for Audi, whose staff seemed knowledgable and enthusiastic about the e-tron.
The “Tesla Effect” is a series of initiatives from numerous industries that follow one theme: The end of the oil age and the beginning of the electric era. This effect has taken hold in the auto sector, as young carmaker Tesla ended up disrupting several industries with vehicles like the Model 3. The “Tesla Effect” is only bound to get more prominent too, amidst the company’s focus on residential solar and battery storage, as well as the release of potentially high-margin vehicles like the Model Y and the Cybertruck.
Across the auto industry, the “Tesla Effect” could be seen, with practically every automaker in the industry seemingly going all-in on their respective electric car programs. All-electric newcomers with a lot of potential are poised to enter the market as well, led by independent companies like Rivian and Bollinger, and sub-brands such as Polestar. Overall, legacy automakers seem ready to embrace electrification. They just need to persuade their dealers to put effort into selling their EVs.
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
