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Tesla's Supercharger woes, Elon Musk's California nightmare, Ford's troubles: Autos news roundup

Tesla's Supercharger woes, Elon Musk's California nightmare, Ford's troubles: Autos news roundup

Plus, Hyundai and Kia EV sales are booming while California grows its charging infrastructure

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Image for article titled Tesla's Supercharger woes, Elon Musk's California nightmare, Ford's troubles: Autos news roundup
Graphic: Images: Dado Ruvic, Apriori1, Nathan Howard, Ford Motor Co.

Electric vehicles are back in the spotlight this week, with major automakers — namely those owned by the Hyundai Motor Co. — touting their growing sales of the cleaner cars. Xiaomi, Tesla’s newest rival in China, is building — and selling — the new SU7 like hotcakes. And California was proud to announce that its EV charging infrastructure is growing, even as the Golden State’s customers ditch Tesla and rebuke Elon Musk.

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Speaking of Tesla, it’s been another wild week for the Austin, Texas-based company. Musk visited China over the weekend and returned with what appears to be a major win for Tesla, sending shares climbing. Then he laid off most of Tesla’s Supercharger team, said goodbye to at least three executives, and announced a slower expansion of the ultra-fast chargers. The division was a major deal for both Tesla and the wider EV market.

Meanwhile, Carvana is back on top this week, with a stock surge after the used car retailer shot past Wall Street’s expectations. It’s another sign of major growth for the company, which was rumored to be near-bankruptcy in late 2022.

Plus, the U.S. will require all passenger cars and light trucks to include automatic emergency brakes (AEB) by 2029. Federal authorities are also investigating Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise after two fatal crashes earlier this year.

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Carvana is bouncing back after its stock lost almost all value in 2022, sparking bankruptcy speculations.
Carvana is bouncing back after its stock lost almost all value in 2022, sparking bankruptcy speculations.
Illustration: Dado Ruvic (Reuters)

Carvana stock hit its highest level in years on Thursday after the used car retailer reported record results and made a profit last quarter.

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All passenger cars and light trucks will be required to have automatic emergency brakes by 2029.
All passenger cars and light trucks will be required to have automatic emergency brakes by 2029.
Photo: Apriori1 (Getty Images)

The federal government will require all passenger cars and light trucks to include automatic emergency brakes (AEB) by 2029, in a push to reduce car crashes and accidents.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Photo: Nathan Howard (Getty Images)

Tesla’s sudden move to lay off most of its Supercharger division shocked the electric vehicle industry, halted construction plans, and left pretty much anyone paying attention baffled.

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U.S. regulators are looking into incidents involving Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUVs equipped with BlueCruise.
U.S. regulators are looking into incidents involving Ford’s Mustang Mach-E SUVs equipped with BlueCruise.
Photo: Ford Motor Co.

U.S. auto safety regulators have launched a new investigation into Ford Motor Co’s driver assistance technology after two electric Mustang SUVs crashed into stationary cars, resulting in at least two deaths.

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Hyundai’s electric vehicle sales climbed in April, boosted by interest in the electric Ioniq 5.
Hyundai’s electric vehicle sales climbed in April, boosted by interest in the electric Ioniq 5.
Photo: Hyundai Motor North America

Despite recording weaker sales in the United States last month, Hyundai Motor North America and Kia America saw interest in their electric offerings grow.

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Agreements between major automakers and Tesla are set to massively expand access to electric vehicle charging across North America.
Agreements between major automakers and Tesla are set to massively expand access to electric vehicle charging across North America.
Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images)

Despite dedicating years of innovation and research toward convincing consumers to buy electric vehicles, automakers are still grappling with a lack of charging infrastructure across the United States. But California — a leader in EVs — says that isn’t too much of a problem for its residents.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a frequent critic of California.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a frequent critic of California.
Photo: Patrick Pleul (Getty Images)

After years of Elon Musk bashing California, it seems that residents have had enough — and they’re ditching Tesla.

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Xiaomi began selling the SU7, a tech-heavy electric sedan, in March 2024. The smartphone giant has pledged to invest $10 billion into the car business.
Xiaomi began selling the SU7, a tech-heavy electric sedan, in March 2024. The smartphone giant has pledged to invest $10 billion into the car business.
Photo: Florence Lo (Reuters)

Getting into the car-making business, especially when it comes to electric vehicles, is no simple task — just ask Apple. But Xiaomi, a Chinese technology giant known primarily for its smartphones, is notching milestone after milestone.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised to be “absolutely hardcore” about reducing the company’s headcount.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has promised to be “absolutely hardcore” about reducing the company’s headcount.
Photo: Toby Melville (Getty Images)

Elon Musk has promised that Tesla’s network of ultra-fast chargers will continue to expand — albeit more slowly — even after he axed the team behind the project.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to be “absolutely hardcore” about slashing Tesla’s headcount.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to be “absolutely hardcore” about slashing Tesla’s headcount.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris for The Met Musuem/Vogue (Getty Images)

Just two weeks after Tesla laid off at least 14,000 workers across the world, CEO Elon Musk is planning layoffs for hundreds of additional staffers — including the bulk of the company’s Supercharger team and several executives.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an unannounced visit to China on Sunday to meet with Premier Li Qiang.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made an unannounced visit to China on Sunday to meet with Premier Li Qiang.
Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane (Reuters)

After Elon Musk made a surprise visit to China on Sunday, Tesla has reportedly overcome a major hurdle in its goal to introduce its driver assistance technology in the world’s largest auto market.

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