News
Once-promising Tesla rival Faraday Future hits roadblock amid CEO’s $800M controversy
Once-promising and outspoken Tesla rival Faraday Future has hit another roadblock, as CEO Jia Yueting is being accused by an investor of spending $800 million worth of funds and then attempting to back out of the deal. The investor in question, the healthcare division of Chinese real estate group Evergrande, has noted that it will take “all necessary actions” to protect itself and its shareholders.
Faraday Future has been beset by multiple delays and problems over the past years. Once the company that is branding itself as a startup that would dethrone Tesla from its place in the premium electric car market, the electric car startup has met a slew of problems, from dire financial straits to an exodus of key executives. In addition, Faraday Future’s first vehicle, the ultra-luxury FF 91 SUV, has yet to start production.
Faraday Future received a much-needed lifeline at the end of 2017 by securing a $2 billion investment from Evergrande Health–a subsidiary of property developer China Evergrande Group. Evergrande noted that it had agreed to buy Season Smart Ltd, a firm which owns 45% of Faraday Future, for $860.2 million. The Chinese property developer also agreed to pay Faraday Future $1.2 billion in two installments which are due in 2019 and 2020.
This Sunday, Evergrande revealed that it had signed a supplemental agreement to pay the electric car maker $700 million ahead of schedule. And now, Evergrande noted that Faraday Future CEO Jia Yueting had initiated an arbitration at the Hong Kong Arbitration Center against the Chinese firm, claiming that the promised payment was not fulfilled. Reuters noted that the CEO’s arbitration aims to deprive Evergrande rights as a shareholder for electric car startup as well.
Its trouble with Evergrande is just one of the company’s concerns. Speaking with former employees of the electric car startup, The Verge has noted that Faraday Future is allegedly struggling once more despite the company having spent around $800 million. Due to the company’s alleged financial troubles, the former FF employees claimed that vendors and suppliers had not been paid, and layoffs are being considered. In what seems to be a stroke of misfortune, the company’s first pre-production version of the FF91 reportedly caught fire in late September after the vehicle was showcased at a “Futurist Day” event for employees and their families.
Much of Faraday Future’s troubles are connected to the activities of its CEO. Last year, Jia found himself in China’s official “Blacklist” for credit defaulters. Due to his assets being frozen in China, the Faraday Future CEO currently resides in the United States. His handling of the electric car startup has been polarizing at best. Last year, for example, a disagreement between Jia and Faraday Future’s then-CFO turned public, compromising an attempt to restructure the company through bankruptcy.
It remains to be seen if Faraday Future could eventually get the vehicle to market. When the FF 91 was unveiled, the electric car startup compared it favorably against the Tesla Model S P100D. The FF 91 is a large SUV has a 0-60 mph time of 2.4 seconds, a 130 kWh battery pack, and a range of 289 miles per charge. The vehicle also features a number of nifty tricks, such as LiDAR for self-driving capabilities and four-wheel steering, which gives the vehicle impressive maneuverability.
Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
