News
Volkswagen initiates ID.4 recall to address stalling issue
Volkswagen initiated an ID.4 recall to address a stalling issue caused by software problems. The recall affects 2021 ID.4 vehicles in the United States. Approximately 20,904 ID.4 units are affected by the recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a post about VW’s ID.4 recall on February 1. According to the German automaker, 2021 ID.4 cars have software issues that may cause the vehicle to stall while on the road.
VW further explained that the software problem might cause the ID.4’s high voltage (HV) battery management control modules to restart. The ID.4 electric motor doesn’t receive power while the control module resets, even while driving. The software issue may also cause the pulse inverters to deactivate, although it is a rare scenario.
“If the HV battery management control module resets while driving, the vehicle’s electric motor will not be supplied with power for the duration of the reset. In rare cases, the pulse inverter may be deactivated while driving. Each of these conditions may lead to a loss of propulsion without pre-warning and may increase the risk of a crash,” stated the NHTSA’s post about VW’s ID.4 recall.
The NHTSA post also noted that reports of the VW ID.4’s potential software issue with its HV battery management system started in July 2021. In September 2021, tests concluded that “risk assessment indicated no unreasonable reason for motor vehicle safety.” Between September 2021 and August 2022, VW’s software issue was continuously monitored.
In January 2022, Volkswagen’s ID.4 supplier reported an issue with its pulse inverter software that could lead to the deactivation of the pulse inverter. Between August and September 2022, vehicle owner questionnaires were analyzed for any reports of ID.4 stalling events.
A few reports in the United States market indicated battery management software issues in the vehicle that led to stalling allegations. The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) discussed the reports of battery management software issues during its quarterly meeting in 2022 and initiated further investigations and analyses of the issue.
By October 2022, the software issue was presented to the Volkswagen Product Safety Committee, which decided that there was “no unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety” since the car’s steering and braking functions were not affected. The committee decided to address the issue as a service campaign.
However, on January 2023, the committee was presented with potential field data from the US market that led to the current recall.
“The recall decision is based on identified fault entries in US vehicles which indicate that the recall condition could have been present: HV battery CU 384/pulse inverter 32 D,” explained the Committee.
RCLRPT-23V040-5903 by Maria Merano on Scribd
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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
