Fred Lambert

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla getting hit hard by the Epstein files, Roadster is still alive, new Chinese EVs, and more.

Tesla has filed two new trademark applications for the Roadster, including one that reveals what appears to be the first official updated silhouette of the long-delayed electric sports car.

The filings, submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 3, offer a glimpse at the branding Tesla plans to use for the vehicle that has been “coming next year” for nearly a decade.

Tesla has launched an artificial intelligence training center in China, a critical development for the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) ambitions in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.

Xiaomi has officially filed for the YU7 GT, a nearly 1,000-horsepower performance version of its popular YU7 electric SUV that will hit a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), making it one of the fastest electric SUVs ever built.

Xpeng has unveiled the first official images of the GX, its new flagship six-seat SUV that takes clear design inspiration from the Range Rover while packing the company’s most advanced technology yet.

The Chinese EV maker shared three images of the GX on Weibo today, revealing a sleek full-size SUV that will compete directly with premium rivals like the Li Auto L9, Huawei’s Aito M9, Zeekr 9X, and the upcoming Nio ES9.

A Xiaomi SU7 owner in China has achieved what might be the most impressive real-world battery longevity test we’ve seen yet: 265,000 kilometers (165,000 miles) in just 18 months of ownership, with battery health still at 94.5%.

Audi is rolling out significant updates to its A6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron electric vehicles for the 2027 model year, bringing back physical controls, adding a new “dynamic plus” drift mode, and improving regenerative braking for better efficiency.

The changes come as part of a broader update across Audi’s PPE (Premium Platform Electric) lineup, addressing some of the early criticisms of these vehicles while adding genuinely useful new features.

Tesla is sending emails urging owners to purchase Full Self-Driving (FSD) before February 14, when the automaker switches to a subscription-only model.

But in the email, Tesla appears to sneak in a policy change: FSD now only “stays with your Tesla as long as you own it.” It also has contradicting information on its support page.

How far are you willing to go to make a buck? For Tesla shareholders, looking the other way when two board members had close relationships with the head of a sex trafficking organization, and lied about it, is evidently on the table.

The newly released Epstein files contain extensive correspondence involving not one, but two current Tesla board members, CEO Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal Musk. The documents directly contradict Elon’s public claims about his relationship with the convicted sex offender, reveal that Epstein was arranging women for Kimbal, and show the kind of conduct that would end careers at any company with functioning corporate governance.

But Tesla isn’t any company. And Tesla shareholders have made it abundantly clear that stock price is all that matters.

Tesla’s struggles in Europe have reached the UK, with January 2026 registrations plunging more than 57% year-over-year to just 647 vehicles, according to new data.

The decline was the steepest among major automakers and far exceeded the 6.4% drop in overall UK battery-electric vehicle sales for the month.

Tesla has added a fifth Model Y variant to its US lineup: a new Standard All-Wheel Drive model priced at $41,990. For just $2,000 over the base rear-wheel drive version, buyers get dual motors and significantly better acceleration without having to pay for all the “premium” features.

Waymo just closed a $16 billion funding round at a $126 billion valuation, the largest investment ever in an autonomous vehicle company. The Alphabet-backed robotaxi leader plans to use the capital to expand to over 20 new cities this year, including its first international markets.

SpaceX announced today that it has acquired xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, in a deal that creates a combined entity reportedly valued at $1.25 trillion ahead of a planned IPO. The acquisition notably does not include Tesla, which just invested $2 billion in xAI last month.

The first batch of January 2026 registration data is in from Europe, and Tesla’s freefall on the continent shows no sign of slowing down. Across five major markets that have reported so far, Tesla registrations are down a staggering 44% year-over-year, extending what is now more than two years of continuous decline.

Elon Musk claimed he “refused” invitations to visit Jeffrey Epstein’s private island after the financier was already convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, but newly released Department of Justice documents prove that was a lie.

The emails show Musk actively trying to plan a visit and asking Epstein about “the wildest party” on his island.

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s automotive suicide, Model S/X getting axed in the process, the Cybercab fiasco, and more

Tesla is officially expanding into Morocco, marking another step in the automaker’s push into African markets. The company will host a launch event on February 6 in Casablanca, introducing the Model 3 and Model Y to the North African nation.

SpaceX is reportedly considering a merger with either Tesla or xAI, according to Bloomberg. If you’re a Tesla shareholder, you should be very concerned about what this means.

Tesla’s nascent robotaxi program is off to a rough start. New NHTSA crash data, combined with Tesla’s new disclosure of robotaxi mileage, reveals Tesla’s autonomous vehicles are crashing at a rate much higher tha human drivers, and that’s with a safety monitor in every car.

Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings call made one thing painfully clear: the company is no longer interested in being an automaker.

In a single call, Tesla announced it’s killing the Model S and Model X, has no plans for new mass-market models, and is pivoting entirely to “transportation as a service.” The company that revolutionized the auto industry is walking away from it, not because it failed, but because Elon Musk got bored and found new toys.

Tesla filed two new trademark applications within 37 seconds of each other last night, moments after Elon Musk used the terms on the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call. It follows Tesla having issues securing the ‘Cybercab’ trademark because of its own tardiness again.

Welcome to Tesla’s new trademark strategy: panic-filing in real time.

Elon Musk admitted on Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings call today that the company doesn’t have any Optimus robots doing useful work in its factories right now.

This is a striking admission, given that Musk has spent the past two years claiming the opposite.

Tesla will discontinue the Model S and Model X by the end of Q2 2026, CEO Elon Musk announced during the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call today.

The decision marks the end of an era for Tesla’s flagship vehicles, the Model S launched in 2012 and the Model X in 2015.

Musk’s reason: “Autonomy.”

Tesla has started building Model Y battery packs with its in-house 4680 cells again, more than two years after pulling the plug on the original 4680-equipped Model Y to prioritize Cybertruck production.

But this time, the motivation isn’t revolutionary battery tech. It’s tariffs. And also, Cybertruck’s poor sales mean the program doesn’t consume many batteries.