Tesla's 'Robotaxi' problem, Toyota's big EV bet, and more — 4 EV stories you need to know this week
Toyota is going big on electric models, Tesla could lose yet another battle, and Americans are still surprisingly bullish on EVs — here's all that, and the other big news you need to know about electric, hybrid, and clean gas vehicles this week.
After lagging other car manufacturers in bringing EVs to market, Toyota recently announced a completely overhauled version of its original crossover EV, the bZ4X, called the bZ.
Plus, the Japanese juggernaut also announced production of a smaller, sportier crossover, the CH-R, due to go on sale next year. The company says the vehicle will feature 338 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and a solid 290-mile range.
The legal battle to trademark terms is heating up fast in the world of self-driving taxis — and Tesla is on the losing end.
The company's attempt to trademark the term "Robotaxi" was recently rejected for being too generic, while its applications for the term "Cybercab" were stalled after other companies applied for similar trademarks. The company's "Robobus" trademark application is still being considered, though.
That $7,500 credit you get when you buy a new EV is about to be history, if the newly proposed federal budget gets approved.
According to Car and Driver, "The budget would completely kill the tax credit after 2026. However, models from automakers such as GM and Tesla, which have sold more than 200,000 EVs, won't be eligible for the credit after December 31, 2025."
The proposed bill would also do away with tax credits for used EVs, which are currently as much as $4,000. If the cuts are approved, it will likely cause a rush by consumers to buy or rent before the tax benefits go away — the boom before the bust.
According to the J.D. Power Electric Vehicle Consideration Study recently released, 24% of U.S. buyers are "very likely" to buy an EV, while 35% are "somewhat likely" — both figures remaining basically the same as last year, despite the fluctuating news about electric alternatives.
According to Autoweek and Kelley Blue Book, Americans purchased 1.3 million EVs last year, and that number may well hold for 2025.
If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you?
Cost
Battery range
Power and speed
The way it looks
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
38 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
How Much Should the World's Richest Man Get Paid?
Elon Musk was the lowest-paid chief executive of an S&P 500 company last year. Tesla TSLA -3.34%decrease; red down pointing triangle paid him $0. It has been that way for several years amid a legal battle over a monster stock award in 2018. A court has twice thrown out Musk's pay package—calling the process of creating it flawed despite two votes of support from shareholders.
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Fed Chair Powell has closed door meeting at the White House on interest rate cuts
Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell stayed the course after being summoned to an economic woodshed at the White House by President Trump, who has been vocal about demands that the Fed ax interest rates. The May 29 faceoff was Powell's first visit to the White House during Trump's second tour. In a statement, Powell's office said the meeting's agenda was to "to discuss economic developments, including for growth, employment, and inflation." Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Both sides said the meeting was at the invitation of the president, who told Powell in person what he's been saying and tweeting for months: the Fed's refusal to cut interest rates was a "mistake" damaging the economy. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System voted unanimously in early May to approve the establishment of the primary credit rate at the existing level of 4.5% – which means interest rates for lenders, consumers and the rest of Americans won't be budging in the near term, much to the dismay of the Trump administration. This stance "will be updated as appropriate to reflect decisions of the Federal Open Market Committee or the Board of Governors regarding details of the Federal Reserve's operational tools and approach to implement monetary policy," the central bank said in a statement. XinhuaTrump's repeated demands underscore the volatility of U.S. trade policy and provide another flash point for global worries about fiscal policy, which have sent bond yields sharply higher. The whiplashed tariffs, primarily those against China and the E.U., add to economic jitters, Related: Fed official sends strong message about interest-rate cuts Since April 2, or "Liberation Day," tariff threats and trade jitters have spooked buyers and sellers into a seemingly endless roller-coaster ride. Many market, economic, and financial experts have begun publicly warning of a recession within a few months, while others predict a nation stuck in a nasty stagflation. The Federal Reserve has a dual mandate to target low inflation and unemployment. The central bank can raise interest rates to slow inflation, which can cause unemployment. Or it can cut rates to boost job growth, but that can cause inflation. Monetary and stock market experts expect the Fed will lower interest rates by one quarter point in September. Trump told Powell in their meeting he wanted the cuts sooner. Related: Jamie Dimon sends terse message on stocks, economy The Fed's statement following the White House meeting said Powell "did not discuss his expectations for monetary policy, except to stress that the path of policy will depend entirely on incoming economic information and what that means for the outlook." A White House spokeswoman agreed with the statement, but added that the president pressed for immediate action to lower the rates. Powell also said in the Fed statement that he and his colleagues will set monetary policy "as required by law, to support maximum employment and stable prices and will make those decisions based solely on careful, objective, and non-political analysis." Powell will give the opening remarks June 2 at the Federal Reserve Board's International Finance (IF) Division 75th Anniversary Conference, Washington, D.C. The conference will feature a series of panel discussions focused on the division's history and people, as well as an academic panel and presentations by former IF economists. Related: Veteran fund manager who predicted April rally updates S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
'He Just Greenlit Elon's AI Takeover': Wall Street Icon Says Trump's New Order Quietly Empowers Musk's Rise in the Machine Economy
BALTIMORE, June 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Former hedge fund manager Enrique Abeyta believes the most important AI story in America isn't happening inside a government lab or Silicon Valley headquarters… It's happening inside Tesla. Abeyta explains in his recent briefing, that thanks to a recent executive order from President Trump, Elon Musk now has a green light to deploy it — at national scale. 'Trump just cut the red tape,' says Abeyta. 'And Musk is the one most ready to move.' Trump Signs. Musk Accelerates. Dojo — Tesla's in-house AI training system — is now one of the fastest-developing AI platforms in the world. Built from scratch after Nvidia chip shortages, it's already outperforming commercial processors by a factor of six. Fueled by Tesla's real-time video data — 160 billion frames a day — Dojo doesn't just train AI. It teaches machines how to operate independently in the real world. By June 1st, Tesla will roll out its first robotaxi — with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no driver. The Executive Order That Changed the Game Last month, President Trump signed 'Removing Barriers to American AI Innovation,' a sweeping order to clear federal restrictions on domestic AI development. Within days, companies aligned with Dojo's architecture were reportedly 'expecting to receive billions of dollars from the Trump administration.' Abeyta sees this as the true start of the machine economy — where AI no longer waits for approval, and real-world deployment becomes the new battleground. 'Musk is deploying physical AI faster than anyone,' he says. 'And Trump just gave him the air cover to do it without interference.' Musk Has the Tech. Trump Cleared the Map. What we're witnessing, Abeyta says, isn't a partnership — it's a convergence. Musk built the system. Trump removed the guardrails. And now, for the first time, a private company is building the command layer for how machines see, move, and act in physical space — at scale. About Enrique Abeyta Enrique Abeyta is a former hedge fund manager who spent over two decades tracking capital flows and strategic realignments across markets and government. After managing nearly $4 billion in institutional capital, he now leads Breaking Profits, a research outfit focused on the systems, people, and policies quietly reshaping the future of America's economic landscape. Media Contact:Derek WarrenPublic Relations ManagerParadigm Press Group Email: [email protected]
