Tesla's longtime design chief Franz von Holzhausen said the company is looking to redesign its door handles to combine the electronic and manual release mechanisms, a change he said would make exiting more intuitive for occupants in “a panic situation.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW FROM ME: I wrote about the many, many Tesla drivers who complain that their FSD software fails them at rail crossings. There are dozens of complaints online from drivers, including many videos. Here's our investigation: www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...

This morning, US auto safety regulators opened an investigation into some Tesla vehicle doors, following incidents where exterior handles stopped working, leaving trapped children inside www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Do you know how to get out if your Tesla loses power? Depending on the model, locating a manual door release can include removing speaker covers, pocket liners or carpet First responders and occupants have been flummoxed by the designs in crucial moments www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

NEW: “It’s the most horrible thing, to see a human burning,” Max Walsh said in a recent interview recounting the December 2023 crash. “If I was able to open the doors, I could have gotten them both out before the fire department even got there.” www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Are you in the market for an electric vehicle? I'm an EV reporter at Bloomberg and I'm interested in hearing what you're thinking as you shop Are tax credits a factor? Switching between brands? Holding off for a future model? Reach me here, ✉️[email protected] or let me know how to reach you

Tesla is aiming to bring its driverless taxis to California and now also Arizona as the carmaker plots an expansion on the heels of last month’s limited rollout in Austin www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

I've been driving all over the greater Austin-area all week so naturally it was a ten-minute drive that seems to have led to this

An early birthday present for Elon Musk: Tesla made its first autonomous delivery from the factory to a customer’s home. @karacarlson.bsky.social has the details > www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New Elon Inc, coving the big(?) robotaxi launch(?) and “oh yeah X has an advertising business” with @karacarlson.bsky.social and @kurtwagner.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Tesla kicked off its first robotaxis rides on a few square miles of south and southeast streets after almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Tesla’s robotaxis are expected to launch at a moment when the billionaire and his cars have never been more polarizing. The service is now expected to start June 22 in a few square miles of Austin www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

SCOOP: Jeff Bezos funded a secretive EV startup called Slate Auto based in Michigan, and I've got all the details. It's working on a low-cost EV pickup truck and has attracted investment from the owner of the LA Dodgers. The result of a year-long investigation. techcrunch.com/2025/04/08/i...

Elon Musk has long mentioned wanting to build an "ecological paradise" on Tesla's Austin property A report to Travis County this week has given a clearer picture of the plans including a Tesla-themed playground, sports courts, a boardwalk and expo area www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW: No fewer than 10 principle scientists at NIH investigating emerging infectious diseases and neural disorders were among those fired by RFK Jr. today. One is an esteemed scientist awarded for breakthrough research into the causes of Parkinson's disease. By me and @emilymullin.bsky.social:

Scenes from Austin's Tesla Takedown today as backlash continues against Elon Musk Organizers estimated about 225-250 people attended The decentralized movement aims for today, March 29, to be the biggest day of action yet, with a goal to have same-day protests at 500 locations worldwide

Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk encouraged employees to hang onto their stock and spoke about his view for a bright future for the company, despite rising backlash and against Musk and as Tesla sales are off to a slow start of the year www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Brand reputation experts say Tesla outcry and reputation issues are unlikely to slow down anytime soon as Tesla vehicles, charging stations and showrooms become political symbols Still Elon Musk continues to paint a bright future for the company www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

At least two vans are among many Rivian vehicles at SXSW this year; an Olive & June manicure van and a Ben & Jerry's ice cream van (ice cream truck?) It comes about a month after the EV maker broadened sales of the vans to customers beyond Amazon. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Are any AV/EV folks on here in town for SXSW? 🚗🤠 Let me know! I'm an Austin-based EV reporter for Bloomberg

first day of sxsw and even the robots are sporting cowboy hats

Elon Musk’s recent polarizing actions and comments are leading some consumers to vote with their wallets, deciding against buying Teslas or even selling their current vehicles at a loss www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Lucid is searching for a new chief executive officer after it said its current leader, Peter Rawlinson, has stepped down. COO Marc Winterhoff was named as interim CEO. The change comes as Lucid works to scale production of its new Gravity SUV www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

If you're at a #TeslaTakeover event this weekend, I'd be interested in hearing more about what you're experiencing and what brought you out Reach me: Email: [email protected] Signal: kcarl.07 Or DM the best way to reach you

Scene's from Austin's #TeslaTakeover. Similar gatherings are expected at nearly 50 Tesla showrooms around the US this weekend In Austin,attendees told me they are concerned about Elon Musk/DOGE and want to discourage potential customers from supporting Tesla products and adding to Musk’s wealth.

Are you in the market for an electric vehicle? I'm an EV reporter at Bloomberg and I'm interested in hearing what you're thinking as you shop Are tax credits a factor? Switching between brands? Holding off for a future model? Reach me here, ✉️[email protected] or let me know how to reach you

The White House said Elon Musk will determine if there are conflicts of interest between his work reviewing federal spending and his overlapping empire of six companies

Tesla reported its fourth quarter earnings tonight with a very upbeat Elon Musk who was focused on a future with driverless cars, humanoid robots and AI www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

New and BIG: Gov't officials in China are discussing contingency plans in case TikTok is banned in the US. One idea being floated: Selling TikTok to Elon Musk www.bloomberg.com/news/article... (gift link)

Outside Corpus Christi, an area so dry the local water company distributes shower timers at high school football games, Tesla is nearly done building a lithium refinery that could require as much as 8 million gallons of water per day and still lacks a water contract www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

As Tesla hopes to roll out its autonomous vehicle tech on Texas roads as early as next year, emails with the city of Austin show the EV maker is weighing whether Austin could be the first Texas city it would deploy "driverless fleets." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

today's forecast apparently calls for being cooked

Are any potential EV buyers considering speeding up their purchase timeline to make sure they can get EV tax credits? I'd be interested in hearing from you. You can reach me here, or my email [email protected]

Shares of US automakers fell after Reuters reported President-elect Donald Trump plans to eliminate the $7,500 consumer tax credit for electric-vehicle purchases

The Bloomberg crew is here

came across this peanuts comic a few days ago and it's been haunting me since

forever thankful daylight savings seems to always fall in the middle of sxsw when I haven't known what day or time it is in days anyway

Waymo begins testing its driverless ride-hailing service without a safety operator in Austin starting March 6, initially offering the service to Waymo employees (Kara Carlson/Austin American-Statesman) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

Travis County Polls are open 7am-7pm! Wait Times: elections.traviscountytx.gov/current-elec...

oh ok

for no explainable reason for like a month now, a solid 10% of my brain has been solely dedicated to the zoboomafoo theme song

If any reporters were affected by the layoffs and need some help finding jobs or getting in front of recruiters, here are some resources from LinkedIn (offering Premium) and LinkTree (offering Pro). business.linkedin.com/cx/linkedin-... linktr.ee/blog/linktre...

Every American's eligible for another round of free COVID tests from the government, even if you got them a couple months ago. Go get 'em.

Lidiane Jones, current CEO of Slack, will succeed Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd as head of Austin-based Bumble starting in January, when Wolfe Herd, will transition to executive chair of Bumble's board. The announcement comes a day before Bumble's Q3 report www.statesman.com/story/busine...

peak eclipse fashion (taken mostly blind because you really can't see anything but the sun out of these $2 glasses)

A Tesla employee + industry researcher jointly filed a whistleblower complaint to the SEC in Q4 2021. The agency took a cursory look but never accepted the offer of 18,000 files for review. Some of the files, the whistleblowers told me, were reported on in GER press. www.cnbc.com/2023/10/12/t...

Austin tech staffing firm Accenture to layoff 350 in Domain office, marking the third time this year the company has cut hundreds of Central Texas employees www.statesman.com/story/busine...

recently remembered i grew up right near a 2-story, 34,000 sq foot blockbuster and no amount of streaming will ever live up to how amazing that place was