Latest news with #TeslaModelS
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Edmunds' Long-Term Dodge Charger EV Accelerated By Itself, Which Isn't Good
Earlier this year, Edmunds spent almost $86,000 to add an all-electric "Redeye" red Dodge Charger Daytona to its long-term test fleet. Just as a reminder, many consumer evaluation sites like Edmunds maintain long-term fleets. The idea is to understand the actual ownership experience, rather than simply driving the vehicle around for a week and creating a review. The Charger Daytona is a big deal for Dodge, as it proposes to translate the uniquely internal-combustion legacy of this storied muscle car to the new age of electrification. Unfortunately, Edmunds' testers have reported a major issue: their car accelerated when it wasn't supposed to. They don't know why, and this isn't good. Evidently, the Charger started to throw some warning lights, lost regenerative braking, and then began to increase speed while the driver wasn't stomping on the accelerator. Luckily, the Charger didn't tap into its full 670 horsepower (Edmunds went for the Scat Pack performance package), sending the driver and his son in the passenger seat back to the future. Read more: The 2025 Land District Might Kick Off A New-Era Of American Moto I emailed Dodge for comment and will update when I hear back, but I have a pretty good idea of what's going on here. For the record – and Edmunds also noted this – owners in Dodge forums have claimed to experience this glitch, so Dodge knows about it. My following analysis is speculative, but based on my time at an electric vehicle startup. Cars have been heavily computerized for decades, but EVs are a completely different ball game. The key distinction is that internal-combustion technologies were developed and largely perfected during the analog era, with various computer systems bolted on later, as the electronic architecture of vehicles evolved. Modern EVs, by contrast, have always been digital, with computer modules controlling just about everything. It's probably a software issue, because the whole thing is run by software. As our president so eloquently put it while checking out a Tesla Model S back in March, "everything's computer." Back in the day, if something glitched on your old gas-burning car, you went to the dealership and they plugged in some proprietary diagnostics to fix it. But in 2025, EVs are connected 24/7, so chances are pretty good that Dodge has accessed the vehicle logs for Edmunds' Charger and is remotely evaluating what went wrong. Edmunds performed a basic reset to regain full control of their Charger (not a full reboot, however). The problem hasn't recurred. But if you visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's site and review the page on the Dodge Charger EV, you'll find that although there have been no complaints, nor any investigations or recalls announced, there have been 25 manufacturer communications, mainly regarding the electrical system. The root cause here is likely some sort of software conflict, or an electrical system miscommunication with a critical drivetrain component and triggering an error or series of errors. The startup I worked for wrestled with these problems, and we were hardly alone: despite copious presale testing, required by regulators for certification, it seems that almost every EV endures software bugs. Even Tesla, pioneers of over-the-air updates to solve problems, had a gaggle of glitches and recalls with the Cybertruck. The good news is that the fix is often quite straightforward, a matter of reprogramming one supplier's software to get along better with another's. If the fix isn't at the level of a simple software update, then the automaker will typically advise NHTSA and initiate a recall. Not that I'm making excuses for Dodge; unintended acceleration is scary! But we are only just entering the era of the "software defined vehicle" and are at the early stages of learning what goes wrong with EVs. And because they are so mechanically simple, it's often the digital code that is causing trouble. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Edmunds' Long-Term Dodge Charger EV Accelerated By Itself, Which Isn't Good
Earlier this year, Edmunds spent almost $86,000 to add an all-electric "Redeye" red Dodge Charger Daytona to its long-term test fleet. Just as a reminder, many consumer evaluation sites like Edmunds maintain long-term fleets. The idea is to understand the actual ownership experience, rather than simply driving the vehicle around for a week and creating a review. The Charger Daytona is a big deal for Dodge, as it proposes to translate the uniquely internal-combustion legacy of this storied muscle car to the new age of electrification. Unfortunately, Edmunds' testers have reported a major issue: their car accelerated when it wasn't supposed to. They don't know why, and this isn't good. Evidently, the Charger started to throw some warning lights, lost regenerative braking, and then began to increase speed while the driver wasn't stomping on the accelerator. Luckily, the Charger didn't tap into its full 670 horsepower (Edmunds went for the Scat Pack performance package), sending the driver and his son in the passenger seat back to the future. Read more: The 2025 Land District Might Kick Off A New-Era Of American Moto I emailed Dodge for comment and will update when I hear back, but I have a pretty good idea of what's going on here. For the record – and Edmunds also noted this – owners in Dodge forums have claimed to experience this glitch, so Dodge knows about it. My following analysis is speculative, but based on my time at an electric vehicle startup. Cars have been heavily computerized for decades, but EVs are a completely different ball game. The key distinction is that internal-combustion technologies were developed and largely perfected during the analog era, with various computer systems bolted on later, as the electronic architecture of vehicles evolved. Modern EVs, by contrast, have always been digital, with computer modules controlling just about everything. It's probably a software issue, because the whole thing is run by software. As our president so eloquently put it while checking out a Tesla Model S back in March, "everything's computer." Back in the day, if something glitched on your old gas-burning car, you went to the dealership and they plugged in some proprietary diagnostics to fix it. But in 2025, EVs are connected 24/7, so chances are pretty good that Dodge has accessed the vehicle logs for Edmunds' Charger and is remotely evaluating what went wrong. Edmunds performed a basic reset to regain full control of their Charger (not a full reboot, however). The problem hasn't recurred. But if you visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's site and review the page on the Dodge Charger EV, you'll find that although there have been no complaints, nor any investigations or recalls announced, there have been 25 manufacturer communications, mainly regarding the electrical system. The root cause here is likely some sort of software conflict, or an electrical system miscommunication with a critical drivetrain component and triggering an error or series of errors. The startup I worked for wrestled with these problems, and we were hardly alone: despite copious presale testing, required by regulators for certification, it seems that almost every EV endures software bugs. Even Tesla, pioneers of over-the-air updates to solve problems, had a gaggle of glitches and recalls with the Cybertruck. The good news is that the fix is often quite straightforward, a matter of reprogramming one supplier's software to get along better with another's. If the fix isn't at the level of a simple software update, then the automaker will typically advise NHTSA and initiate a recall. Not that I'm making excuses for Dodge; unintended acceleration is scary! But we are only just entering the era of the "software defined vehicle" and are at the early stages of learning what goes wrong with EVs. And because they are so mechanically simple, it's often the digital code that is causing trouble. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
UPI
6 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Elon Musk leaving Trump administration as chief government cost cutter
President Donald Trump speaks in front of a Tesla Model S with Elon Musk on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11 President Trump has said he will buy a Tesla. File photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- Elon Musk, who personally spent $277 million to bring Donald Trump back to the White House, said Wednesday night he is leaving the Trump administration after working to slash the size of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk, the world's richest man with a net worth of $421.2 billion, according to Forbes, can work for 130 days in a calendar year as a special employee. His full-time tenure would end on Friday after joining Trump in the White House for the Jan. 20 inauguration. Musk posted to X, the social media platform he owns: "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Musk told reporters earlier this week that he plans to focus more on his businesses: Tesla, SpaceX and artificial intelligence startup xAI, which now includes X. Musk said he will keep a small office in the White House as an unofficial adviser. During a Tesla earnings call in April, Musk said he would spend a "day or two per week" on government work until the end of Trump's term in January 2029. There are around 100 DOGE employees, including many embedded in agencies. Their status wasn't announced. Musk told reporters last week that he had worked in Washington, D.C., on his DOGE initiative "seven days a week, or close to seven days a week" during Trump's first 100 days in office. He frequently traveled on Air Force One with Trump to the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and recently to the Middle East. This has meant less attention to his companies, including publicly held Tesla, the company that makes electric vehicles, solar panels/shingles and energy storage devices. "It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I've reduced that significantly in recent weeks," he said in an interview with Ars Technica. Tesla released its first-quarter financial data on April 22. Tesla's revenue was its lowest in three years: $19.3 billion total, down 9% compared with the same time last year. The company's profit was $3.15 billion, which is a 15% decline. And its earnings of 27 cents a share was a drop of 70% from 45 cents a year ago. In the first quarter, Tesla produced more than 362,000 vehicles. On Wednesday, pension fund leaders sent a letter to Tesla's board demanding that Musk must put in 40 hours per week, at a minimum, to attain any future CEO pay package. Protests were mounted at dealerships nationwide as people opposed Musk's program and worker cuts. He said his efforts have been far more challenging than expected and DOGE had become "the whipping boy for everything." During an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday, Musk said "something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it. People were burning Teslas. Why would you do that? That's really uncool." Musk originally said he would slash $2 trillion in spending but now he says $175 billion in taxpayer money has been saved but experts say that number is greatly inflated. He also became at odds with Trump on Trump's sweeping tax and spending cuts package going through Congress. "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing," Musk told CBS Sunday Morning. "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both." He spoke to reporters from SpaceX headquarters in Texas before Tuesday night's Starship test flight. "People want to have the chill vibes, and SpaceX is sort of ultra hardcore. But if we're not ultra hardcore, how are we going to get to Mars? You're not going to get to Mars in 40 hours a week," Musk told The Post. Besides sending astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station, SpaceX has launched 8,774 Starlink satellites from Florida and California since May 2019. Starlink is used by several federal agencies, including the State Department, Coast Guard, Interior Department and the Space Force. The Federal Aviation Administration is exploring whether to use Starlink to replace its aging telecommunications system.
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
This popular car loses 65% of value in just five years - see the top 10
The vehicle topped the list of cars that depreciate in value the most It's well known that when you buy a new car its price starts to depreciate pretty much as you pull away from the showroom. Research has shown that a new car can lose anywhere between 15 per cent and 35 per cent within its first 12 months on the road. And by the time it is five years old, some cars can have depreciated by around 60 per cent in value. And while not all vehicles lose value at the same rate, it is, unfortunately, the silent cost of car ownership. But there is one car that was found to have lost more than 65 per cent of its value in five years and it's a popular choice for those looking for a bit of luxury. eCarsTrade looked at which 2020 models have held their value and which have not. They compared original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) with today's average resale price to list the top ten most depreciated cars. The study ranks the vehicles with the sharpest drops in value – and eCarsTrade said it offers a clearer picture of which brands are still riding high. And the popular BMW Series 7 tops the list of the cars that depreciate in value the most, with the biggest five-year value collapse reaching 65.43 per cent. It shed €73,201 or £61,702 which is more than the cost of a new BMW 3 Series. eCarsTrade found the Series 7 fell from its sale price of £94,379 to to £32,628. While luxury buyers may be drawn to high-end features, this model shows how quickly prestige can wear off in the resale market. The Tesla Model S was in second place with a 64.22 per cent price decline. In five years it has lost £50,691 of its value. Once a leading car of electric innovation, it is now in a used market saturated with newer EVs having longer ranges and more modern tech. It seems early adopters paid a premium – resale buyers aren't. And taking third place was the Audi A6 which slid by 64.20 per cent, losing £31,433 in value. Once popular among upscale professionals, it's now worth just £17,531 , down from £48,974. The A6's drop shows the declining popularity of traditional sedans as buyers shift toward SUVs and electric options. The Nissan Leaf, another EV, was the fourth and is the lowest priced car on the list but it still lost a significant share of its value with a 60.39 per cent depreciation. Tesla Model Y came fifth, seeing a drop of over half its value. Buyers who paid £51,014 now see it worth just £21,190. That is a yearly value drop of about 11.69 per cent and it's a reminder that rapid tech turnover in EVs can outpace resale stability even in hot segments. The Chevrolet Bolt EV follows a similar path showing a 57.80 per cent drop. Built as a practical, affordable EV, the Bolt couldn't escape price erosion. It was noted that battery-related recalls may have also affected its standing with used car buyers. In seventh place, Tesla Model 3 performs slightly better than its brand siblings but still loses 50.41 per cent of its value. While its broad popularity may help, resale value has still halved in five years. Ranking eighth, Jeep Grand Cherokee is the only large SUV in this group depreciated by 48.88 per cent. That breaks down to an average annual depreciation of 9.78 per cent. With its utility and off-road capability, the Cherokee's resale resilience may come from continued interest in midsize SUVs. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes in ninth, losing 47.77 per cent of its value over five years showing that even with its strong engineering and brand recognition, the E-Class has steadily lost appeal as more buyers shift toward SUVs. And the Ford Escape rounds out the top ten having the mildest depreciation among the top 10 at 47.49 per cent. As a smaller SUV with a more accessible price point, it reflects how everyday models can offer more predictable returns in the used market—even if the resale value is still less than half of its original price. A spokesperson from eCarsTrade said: 'We're seeing that high sticker prices and futuristic branding don't guarantee long-term value. In fact, the models that were once status symbols or breakthrough EVs are now the ones depreciating the fastest. " Used buyers are looking for reliability, low costs, and updated features – not brand legacy or original hype.'
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Interview: What propelled Ultraviolette to take a top-down product strategy, reveals CEO
Interestingly, while most of the auto companies, including both startups and legacy players, start their journey with affordable products first and bring premium ones at a later stage, Ultraviolette took a different approach. It went for a top-down product strategy as compared to the conventional growth plan. Besides that, Ultraviolette has been investing considerably longer time in research and development, which is resulting in a longer time to bring a final product to the market, but better validated two-wheelers, as compared to many other key players in this domain. Also Read : Upcoming bikes in India HT Auto had an interaction with Narayan Subramaniam, CEO and co-founder of Ultaviolette Automotive, to learn about the company's product strategy and more. Here are the excerpts. HT Auto: What motivated Ultraviolette to adopt a top-down strategy rather than a more conventional growth model that others have been taking for so long? Narayan Subramaniam: Our journey began with a bold vision: to create a long-lasting, sustainable brand that redefines mobility. With this vision, we set out to develop a performance-oriented motorcycle first, but it also brought significant challenges across key components. Instead of bypassing these obstacles, we embraced them, dedicating the initial seven years just to perfecting the very essence of our product—its drivetrain, battery, technology, motor, and overall system efficiency. By tackling these foundational challenges head-on, we unlocked the potential for vertical integration and modular adaptability, paving the way for future downstream innovations. This approach mirrors Tesla's strategy—starting with groundbreaking models like the Tesla Model S before expanding into mainstream products such as the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. Through this method, we built not just a motorcycle but a platform for sustainable innovation. While others took years, we leveraged this foundation in months, launching the F77 SuperStreet in 2025, followed by Tesseract and Shockwave. We have also been able to streamline our supply chain, reduce material costs, and make our technology more accessible without compromising on quality. We believe that our top-down approach is about leading with advancements, creating impact, and building a legacy that transforms the industry rather than merely participating in it. Today we are proudly making in India, for the World. Ultraviolette launched the Tesseract, a maxi-scooter-styled offering for the masses, earlier this year. The new Tesseract marked the F77 maker's foray into the electric scooter segment HT Auto: Seven years is a long commitment to R&D—how did the leadership maintain conviction in this approach when it brought the F77? Narayan Subramaniam: At Ultraviolette, our commitment to R&D has always been driven by a singular vision—to redefine mobility through design, technology, innovation, and performance. Seven years is indeed a long time, but we knew that building a truly revolutionary product required patience, precision, and an unwavering belief in our approach to doing things. From the very beginning, we were focused on engineering excellence. We weren't just developing an electric motorcycle as our flagship product; we were creating a new benchmark for the industry. This meant investing heavily in R&D, battery technology, drivetrain efficiency, exclusive design, and aerodynamics to ensure that every aspect of our product was optimised for superior performance. The conviction came from our deep understanding that cutting corners or rushing to market would compromise the very integrity of what we were trying to achieve. Additionally, we surrounded ourselves with a team that shared this vision—engineers, designers, and innovators who believed in pushing boundaries. Every breakthrough, every prototype, and every test reinforced our belief that we were on the right path. The overwhelmingly positive response on our flagship product from early customers and investors further validated our approach, giving us the confidence to stay the course. Our perseverance finally paid off. The F77 is a testament to what can be achieved when innovation is prioritised over convention. We believe that this long-term commitment to R&D has positioned Ultraviolette as a leader in advanced and performance-oriented mobility, and we are excited to continue pushing the limits of what's possible. The Ultraviolette Shockwave is an electric enduro bike with a top speed of 120 kmph and weighs just 120 kg. HT Auto: What safeguards ensure that innovation doesn't outpace market readiness for Ultraviolette? Narayan Subramaniam: Innovation has and will always be at the core of everything we do, but we also recognise the importance of ensuring that technological advancements align with market readiness. Striking this balance requires a multi-faceted approach. Firstly, we maintain a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and industry trends. Our team continuously engages with riders who are customers through community-led programs, enthusiasts, and experts to gauge expectations and collect feedback. This allows us to refine our technology in a way that resonates with real-world needs rather than just pushing boundaries for the sake of innovation. From launching the F77 MACH 2 last year, within a short span of eight months, we introduced the F77 SuperStreet. The F77 SuperStreet was conceived from the invaluable feedback received from customers and is a true testament to further strengthening our commitment towards them. Secondly, we take an iterative approach to product development. Every breakthrough undergoes rigorous testing—both in controlled environments and real-world conditions—to ensure reliability, safety, and practicality. Our commitment to R&D over the years has allowed us to perfect critical components like battery technology and drivetrain efficiency before scaling them across different product segments. We work closely with the ecosystem to ensure that our innovations integrate seamlessly into market adoption. Our goal is to lead the tech space in mobility in a way that is both visionary and pragmatic. By combining cutting-edge technology with a strategic rollout plan, we ensure that our innovation enhances the riding experience without outpacing the market's ability to embrace it. With over 60,000 pre-bookings in just one month, our debut scooter, Tesseract—the world's first radar-integrated scooter—stands as undeniable proof of innovation meets market readiness. Check out Upcoming EV Bikes in India. First Published Date: 18 May 2025, 09:58 AM IST
