Electric Vehicles & Cars

Tesla is preparing to launch a new Model Q hatchback EV that will cost under $30,000 and launch in the first half of 2025.

In a new report from The Wall Street Journal, which has a copy of Deutsche Bank's report, we can expect the new Tesla Model Q in 1H 2025 at under $30,000. WSJ reporter Becky Peterson writes: "I got a copy of the Deutsche Bank report. Here's what it does say: 1. Travis Axelrod met with DB for its Autonomous Driving Day on December 5 in NYC. 2".

"DB describes"the new Tesla model"which it calls"Model Q". 3. DB says it will launch in the first half of 2025, and will cost less than $30k with subsidies, or $37,499 if Trump cancels the IRA tax credit. 4. DB says it will be built on Tesla's existing lines".

Anker has taken to its website to announce the recall of thousands of its Soundcore and PowerConf Bluetooth speakers, with the company citing a fault in the manufacturing process that has led to incidents related to affected devices batteries.

Anker wrote in a new announcement that a "small number" number of the affected speakers were manufactured between March and April 2023 and that Anker will be reaching out to customers who purchased one of the affected products between March 1, 2023, and June 6, 2024. According to reports, the affected products could be as many as 69,000 across the US, with an additional 9,764 sold in Canada. As for what products are affected, Anker highlights the following models as potentially being faulty: A3102016, A3302011, and A3302031.

So far 33 reports of problems with the aforementioned models have surfaced, with some of the reports claiming the device began smoking, started a small fire, and even one report cited a minor burn. It's advised to try to find the serial number on your speaker and then navigate to Anker's website to check if it is included in the recall. If you own an affected device, you are advised to immediately turn it off and contact Anker customer support, who will instruct you on how to dispose of it correctly.

NVIDIA is moving into the automotive market in 2025, with the AI and GPU giant reportedly working with high-end Chinese EV companies to use its new Drive Thor chip.

In a new report from the Commercial Times and picked up by TrendForce, we're learning that NVIDIA's new Drive Thor chip will be used by high-end smart EV brands including BYD, SAIC Motors, Li Auto, and more. These companies plan to fully transition to NVIDIA's new Thor platform by the end of 2025, or by early 2026.

NVIDIA's new Thor platform is reportedly available in 5 versions depending on how much computing power the EV companies need, with the GPU side handled by the Blackwell architecture, boosting TOPS performance over the current Orin platform.

Hyundai has a "secret weapon" that it will be unleashing onto the Chinese EV market next year, where in collaboration with Chinese partner Haomo, Hyundai will release its first Chinese-market-dedicated electric vehicle (EV) that will feature generative AI technology built-in.

In a new report from the Korea Herald who spoke with a Hyundai Motor official who said: "We are working to load the software of Haomo, a local autonomous driving software firm, onto the EV, which will be released in the Chinese market next year. The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5".

The scale of autonomous driving ranges between 0-5, with Level 2 referring to partial driving automation as the vehicle is capable of controlling both the steering, accelerating and decelerating. Tesla's in-house Autopilot falls under the Level 2 autonomous driving, with Level 3 self-driving cars required to detect circumstances and make AI-powered informed decisions for themselves, including accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle, and more. Level 2 and Level 3 both require human override functionality.

Tesla has just announced its new V4 Cabinet, an even faster version of its Supercharger, capable of d elivering up to 500kW for cars, and up to 1.2MW for the Tesla Semi truck.

In a new article posted by X, the Elon Musk electric vehicle leader announced its new V4 Cabinet, with faster charging through support for 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, with 30% faster charging for the Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles will enjoy 250kW charge rates that they already experienced on the V3 Cabinet, charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.

Tesla explains that there will be faster deployments, with the V4 Cabinet powering 8 posts, 2x the stalls per cabinet. There's a lower footprint and less complexity, which means more Supercharger sites will come online faster. Inside, the new V4 Cabinet features next-generation hardware with cutting-edge power electronics that Tesla has designed to be the "most reliable on the planet" with 3x power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.

Elon Musk made a big bet on the battery technology known as 4680 cylindrical cell technology, making as many as 100 million of them. Unfortunately, these Tesla 4680 cells are supposed to have "five times" more energy capacity than what was announced back in September this year.

A report by The Information revealed Musk set a deadline for Tesla employees to complete the stack of batteries before the end of the year. Notably, these batteries are the bread and butter for Tesla as they are used in some of the company's electric vehicles, such as the Cybertruck. However, Robin Zeng, the founder of the world's biggest EV battery company, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), told Reuters that Musk's big bet on 4680 cylindrical cell technology "is going to fail and never be successful."

CATL batteries are used in some Tesla vehicles and are also used in other branded EVs such as Ford and Mustang. However, the company specializes in a different type of battery technology called lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP), which can't provide as much as the cylindrical cell units. Zeng also spoke about meeting with Musk and discussing batteries, to which he said he wasn't impressed with the CEO's knowledge on the subject. Zeng did acknowledge that he was impressed with Musk's knowledge on chips, software, hardware, and "mechanical things".

Ausom is one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to electric scooters and the company is proud to showcase three offerings, the Gallop SR1, and the Leopard DT1 Pro and DT1. If you are interested in these, Ausom is offering $50 off to TweakTown readers when using code Tweak918 at check out.

Starting off with the Gallop SR1, Ausom has equipped this electric scooter with a security system that has set it apart from the competition, with an integrated NFC locking feature that enables riders to unlock their scooter with a tap of their smartphone. Additionally, the Gallop SR1 comes with a lighting system, joystick-controller turn signals for optimized visibility, and hydraulic disc breaks to make stopping a smooth and as safe as possible.

The SR1 features two massive motors capable of delivering 2000W of power, pushing the rider to a top speed of 41 miles per hour. The SR1 will also be able to climb at an angle of 46%, and with its 20.8Ah battery, it has a top range of 54 miles. As for the build of the e-sccooter, Ausom has constructed the SR1 out of an aluminum alloy, making it highly resistant to breakage. Furthermore, the SR1 has 10"x3" knobby tires that are designed for off-road, rugged terrain.

Tesla has just launched its new ASS system for its cars, or Actually Smart Summon, which allows your vehicle to come to you, or to a specific spot you choose, all on its own. Tesla says "it's like magic, but with more tech and less hand-waving".

Tesla's new ASS feature will let you tap the Tesla app and have the car come to you, which is a fantastic feature when you're out at the shops and it's raining (or it's hot) and the car can pre-heat (or pre-cool) and roll right up to the doors (or as close as it can) for you. Out at a friends place and parked down the street? No worries... your Tesla will ride itself into the driveway to pick you up.

In the full details for ASS (Actually Smart Summon), Tesla explains: "Buckle up for the ride of your life, except, surprise! You're not in the car. ASS (Actually Smarrt Summon) allows your vehicle to come to you, or head to a spot that you choose, all on its own. It's like magic, but with more tech and less hand-waving".

Ford has announced it scaling back its EV operations in the US, after it claimed that customers are becoming more price-conscious and range-anxious, so Ford has made some huge adjustments to its future EV roadmap.

The company announced this week that it has adjusted its roadmap for its US vehicles, which will include a wider range of electrification options, and longer ranges. Ford is throwing away its next line of all-electric SUVs, they're gone now, replaced with hybrid models (that have shorter range, but longer overall range when combined with the gas engine).

This move will save the company at least $400 million reports CNN, because Ford will need to write down the manufacturing equipment that it had to install to build the EV SUVs... that it is no longer building. Ford said that the change in plans could cost the company upwards of $1.5 billion.

This is the most insane Tesla Cybertruck upgrade you could even imagine, with the introduction of STING: a groundbreaking series of up-armored, genset-equipped Tesla Cybertruck packages designed for those who want the best performance, best protection, and energy independence. Check it out:

Archimedes Defense and Unplugged Performance collaborated on STING, the upgraded Tesla Cybertruck that is engineered for both government and civilian use, with STING built to thrive in the harshest environments, offering unmatched capabilities for anyone, who needs to be ready for anything.

A recognized leader in high-power solutions for government and defense applications, Archimedes Defense, partnered with Unplugged Performance and its specialized division, UP.FIT, to develop STING. This collaboration leverages Archimedes Defense's expertise in power technology with Unplugged Performance's renowned Tesla upgrades, resulting in a product that pushes the boundaries of what a Tesla Cybertruck can achieve.