In a move that could reshape the future of clean transportation policy in the U.S., Senate Republicans just voted to strip California of its long-standing authority to set its own vehicle emissions rules, including blocking its plan to stop sales of gas-powered vehicles.

The decision targets California’s ambitious clean-air mandates, which critics say are too aggressive for the current market to handle. Supporters of the state’s standards, however, argue that this vote undermines state rights and sets a troubling precedent for federal overreach.

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California has long set its own rules regarding air pollution standards. These included regulations on heavy-duty trucks, trains, and cars. It had even declared that it wouldn’t allow the sale of gas-powered new cars and trucks after 2035. But that authority was just revoked using the Congressional Review Act, or CRA.

This happened despite warnings from two nonpartisan agencies, the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, both of which warned the Senate that this move was likely illegal. Nevertheless, the Senate voted 51 to 44 to overturn the waiver that grants California the power it had to set its own rules.

A Shift With National Consequences

This is a huge move because California, by itself, equates to the fourth-largest economy on the globe. Automakers have largely followed California’s guidance on emissions to keep selling cars there. Several states have also taken up the same standards. Now, all of that is in question as Donald Trump’s signature will axe the waiver for good.

Reacting to the news, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or follow decades of precedent and uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for. Will you side with China or America?”

The Conservative Pushback

Those on the other side of the political aisle obviously have a different view. “California has imposed the most ridiculous car regulations anywhere in the world, with mandates to move to all electric cars,” Trump said during his campaign, reports The Guardian. “I will terminate that.”

“The fact is, these EV sales mandates were never achievable,” John Bozzella, president and chief executive of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement. “There’s a significant gap between the marketplace and these EV sales requirements.”

How did the party of small government justify stepping in and imposing its will on a state this way? It says that since California has such a large sway on the auto industry that it was effectively setting Federal policy all along. This move stops that ability and returns that power to the Federal level alone.

“Over the past two decades, California has used its waiver authority to push its extreme climate policies on the rest of the country, which was never the intent of the Clean Air Act,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, said to the New York Times.

The Hard Numbers

As we recently pointed out, data does seem to indicate that California’s goals surrounding the end of gas-powered new car sales are too ambitious. While EVs are gaining traction around the world, the U.S. is one of the slowest markets concerning adoption.

No doubt, that’s the result of several factors like distance between destinations, charging infrastructure, and pricing. Regardless of why the uptake is slower, it still makes California’s goals tough to imagine coming true. This new move from the Senate makes it appear altogether impossible now. 

Autonomous driving may be the future, but the present still has a lot of explaining to do. Especially when cars with so-called “Full Self-Driving” capabilities start careening off the road for no obvious reason.

That said, it’s rare to see what we just have in a newly released set of videos involving a Tesla. According to the title, it shows a crash while running what Tesla calls its autonomous system, Full Self-Driving (Supervised). What’s worse, though, is that it seems to do so without rhyme or reason in broad daylight with no traffic on a straight road.

More: Tesla Stiffs Cybertruck Owners On Another Promised Feature

Tesla famously uses vision-based software and hardware to run its semi-autonomous Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. In theory, it makes complete sense since we humans also drive almost entirely via vision-based mechanics. In practice, though, there are some major concerns, and this video highlights them. We’ll circle back to that.

The Incident: Straight Road, Sharp Left Turn

A YouTube channel recently uploaded four videos showing each side of a car during a crash. They say this is a Model 3 and that it’s running FSD 13.2.8, which is almost the latest available version. On May 11, Tesla released 13.2.8, but this crash happened on February 26 so indeed, it was up to date given that information.

That said, what the video shows is the most shocking part of this entire situation. Across three of the four clips, we see the car moving for 45 seconds. In all of them, everything appears totally normal for the first 31 seconds as the car trundles down a two-lane road. Then, just as a car passes going the opposite way, all hell seems to break loose.

The car turns hard to the left, goes across the opposing traffic lane, goes off the road, and hits a tree before rolling over. From the moment it begins to turn to the moment it impacts the tree is less than three seconds. While that’s tough to swallow, it’s the conditions that really make this a bad deal for Tesla.

The road was perfectly straight. This appears to be at some time in the relatively early or later part of the day as the shadows cast on the ground are long. Despite that, the sun is bright and seemingly unobstructed by clouds, so there’s no lack of lighting in the scene. Finally, there’s no complex traffic situation here with markings, other cars, or road signs.

Still, for whatever reason, it appears as though this car allegedly on FSD just decided that it needed to leave the roadway and did exactly that. Adding even more confusion to this crash are videos of YouTubers testing FSD against inanimate objects on the road. In almost every case, the technology focuses on slowing itself down, stopping even, to avoid an obstacle. Very rarely does it try this sort of hard steering input at speed.

The Lidar Elephant in the Room

And this brings us back to vision-based autonomous driving systems. Again, we humans use vision to determine how to control our cars. Tesla is trying to do that too, but it’s caught flack, and I suspect is about to catch far more, over its choice to skip using lidar and radar tech.

While vision can work, and obviously does for most people on most days, Lidar and radar offer the ability to easily see through bad weather conditions like fog or haze. They could simply be used as a redundancy to confirm what a vision-based system thinks it sees too. Nevertheless, Tesla ditched it years ago and its CEO Elon Musk appears committed to never bringing it back.

Reports From The Driver

According to the person who posted the videos on Reddit, he was going around 55 mph when the crash happened. He says of the experience, “I loved the FSD until this happened. I was a full believer in autonomous vehicles until this happened to me. Lesson learned.” Thankfully, the only injuries he suffered included a cut on his chin, some lower-back discomfort, and “emotional damage,” as he calls it.

It’s worth pointing out that there are many unknowns here. While there appears to be no reason to suspect these videos and their description are inaccurate, there could be more to the story that we’re not being told. If that doesn’t end up being the case, though, Tesla is likely in a lot of hot water over this. The owner has submitted requests for all of the data relating to the crash so hopefully more of that sees the light of day.

Previous crashes involving the software typically offered some sort of purchase for Tesla defenders to cling to. Based on everything available in the four videos here, it appears as though FSD just made its most blatant mistake in the public sphere.

If this is possible with the hardware and software running Tesla’s planned Robotaxi service, it might have to be even more careful than it’s already planning on being. When asked if he’d ever buy another Tesla, the owner of this car’s words were damning. “I want another but would NEVER use FSD again.” Yeah, I think we can all understand why.

The path to mainstream electrification is all but inevitable. Despite that, many lawmakers are trying to slow it down. Add to that one of the automakers building thousands of EVs every year, General Motors. A newly uncovered email exposes the company as it urges employees to get political. It hopes that with enough support, the government will stop California from setting its own emission standards.

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The Golden State has long done exactly that. In 2022, it went as far as to tell automakers that they had a little over a decade. By 2035, it won’t allow the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks. While that would seemingly be good for EV sales, the plan has several critics aside from General Motors.

The Golden State vs. Detroit

“We need your help!” GM said in an email to white-collar employees obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability.” It’s worth noting that California isn’t alone in its thinking. 11 other states have signed up to follow the same plan. Now, GM and several lawmakers want to remove California’s ability to set its own standards and thus, cancel the ability for the other states involved.

In a statement, GM’s spokeswoman made the company’s stance clear: “GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market”. That’s consistent with the automaker’s view, even when it supported California’s proposal in the past. Clearly, a national standard is in the best interest of automakers since they wouldn’t have to manage different regulations in different states.

Government officials say the standards set in California are simply out of touch with reality. Data seems to back that up, too. It set a target to have 35 percent of all vehicle sales be electric in 2026. Right now, EVs only make up 20 percent of new car sales, and that’s in a place where EVs are wildly popular when compared to other states.

EV sales in North America are slower than in most places across the globe. The transition to electrification appears like a sure thing, but probably further down the road than initially expected. 

It’s that time of year again when model changes are rolling in, and the 2026 Silverado EV is adding a new off-road-focused trim called Trail Boss. As the name implies, it’s built to handle trails like a boss. To accomplish that, it leverages a lift kit, an updated hydraulic rebound control system, and a new Terrain mode. Interested parties will need to be ready to part with over $72,000 to put one in their garage.

Read: Chevy’s New Electric SUV Could Be Coming to Your Country, But Not America

“Trail Boss has been one of the highest turning trims in our portfolio since we first launched it on the 2019 Silverado,” said Scott Bell, vice president, Chevrolet. “Adding Trail Boss to Silverado EV gives customers an option that builds on our strong truck pedigree, high electric range, and off-road capability.” We’re happy to report that this isn’t just an appearance package.

Enhanced Off-Road Performance

Every Trail Boss comes standard with a two-inch lift kit, which Chevy boasts is a 24 percent increase in ground clearance over the standard Silverado EV. On top of that, the automaker re-tuned the coil suspension and rebound control system. A new trim-exclusive Terrain mode acts almost like a low-speed off-road-focused cruise control for navigating uneven surfaces. It also gets sharper 4-Wheel Steering for better response off-road.

Chevrolet leverages a “high-angle approach” front fascia on the Trail Boss along with 35-inch all-terrain tires, unique 18-inch wheels, red tow hooks, and exterior badging to make the trim stand out. The cabin also gets its own unique touches. Perhaps most impressive is that this new version of the Silverado EV doesn’t sacrifice much in the way of range.

“The Silverado EV Trail Boss delivers similar capability expected with other Chevy Trail Bosses,” said Joe Roy, chief engineer for Silverado EV. “It’s an impressive truck that will meet the needs of our customers looking to get off trail and still have all the features customers have come to love about Silverado EV, including range and off-road power.”

Pricing

Available with Chevy’s Extended or Max battery pack, buyers will get 410 or 478 miles of EPA-estimated range. Pricing starts at $72,095, but those who want the Max pack will pay $88,695. That’s right beneath the RST trim that starts at $89,395. Those prices include destination and delivery. There are benefits to each pack worthy of mention.

Those who select the Extended pack get up to 12,500 lb-ft of towing capacity and 2,100 pounds worth of payload capacity. On the flip side, those with the Max pack can enjoy up to 725 horsepower (540 kW) and 775 lb-ft (1,049 Nm) of torque. Expect it to go on sale later this summer, with additional details about options and pricing coming then too.

Other Updates for 2026

In other news related to the 2026 Silverado EV, Chevy is sunsetting the RST trim, leaving only the Work Truck, LT, and Trail Boss in the lineup. In addition, the Silverado EV is getting a more advanced version of Super Cruise, now integrated with Google Maps. The updated system includes hands-on functionality that helps keep the vehicle centered in its lane and adjusts to the car ahead. Also, when you engage Super Cruise on compatible roads, a green light on the steering wheel indicates hands-free driving is activated.

2026 CHEVY SILVERADO US PRICES

Elon Musk might plan on being with Tesla for the foreseeable future, but the board could have a different opinion if sales keep sinking like they have been. The CEO admitted recently that sales in Europe were problematic, and now we have more evidence of that. Tesla’s sales are down across the continent, and the issue appears to be getting worse.

More: The Tesla Model Y Has A New Rival From Toyota That’s Half The Price

It’s no secret that Musk’s divisive actions have led to boycotts and protests. What’s perhaps more surprising, though, is just how dramatically European buyers seem willing to stay away from Tesla. According to preliminary data from market research firm Dataforce, shared with Autonews Europe, the brand’s sales have dropped by over 38% through April, going from 101,677 units last year to just 62,313 this year.

The sales slump looks even worse when you break down the numbers for April alone. Sales year over year for the month fell from 14,696 to just 7,908. That’s a drop off of 46.2 percent. Low-volume cars like the Model S and Model X saw a combined decrease in sales of 69.1 percent, falling from 224 sales in April last year to just 69 this year. It’s not as if the high-volume cars are faring much better either.

Even the Model Y Isn’t Safe

Despite just launching a new and improved Model Y, the brand’s most popular car globally, it’s struggling too. Sales plummeted from 9,704 units in April last year to just 4,743 this April, a staggering 51.1% drop.That’s a devastating number. Tesla mentioned earlier in the year that a sales slowdown would happen for Model Y as production changed from the previous generation to this one. It also confirmed that it’s since finished that switch so this drop isn’t a result of that. Since the beginning of the year, Model Y sales across the EU, U.K., and EFTA countries have dropped by 48.4%. Ouch.

Tesla’s other key player, the Model 3, also saw a huge decline. Sales dropped from 4,768 units in April 2024 to 3,094 last month, a 35.1% decrease.

This would all be a lot easier to swallow for Tesla if sales were down for everyone, but that’s not the case. As Auto News points out, overall sales for all brands were essentially flat in April, with a minor dip of just 0.3% in the EU, U.K., and EFTA countries, down to 1,085,092, or about 4,000 fewer units than in April 2024.

In fact, the European market is actually embracing electrification more than ever this year. Battery-electric vehicle (EV) sales are up 28%, full-hybrid sales are up 16%, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) deliveries have risen by 12%. Meanwhile, sales of non-hybrid gasoline cars fell by 7.2%, and diesel vehicles saw a 19% decline.

It’ll be interesting to see what moves Tesla makes next. As of now, it seems like the company is sticking with its “keep calm and carry on” strategy. But given these numbers, it’s safe to say that strategy might need some serious rethinking.

Tesla has been promising fully autonomous robotaxis for what feels like a lifetime, and now they’re telling us we can finally expect them next month. At least, that’s the plan, according to Tesla itself, with a “bullish” analyst now offering up some fresh details.

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However, it’s not going to be the massive fleet of robo-cabs that everyone was hoping for. Instead, we’re looking at fewer than two dozen vehicles, and they’ll only be available to a select group of people. So, get in line (if you’re invited).

That news comes from Morgan Stanley Analyst Adam Jonas. According to a report from Investors, he recently met with Tesla to review how things are going. After all, Tesla has said repeatedly that it’ll launch its Robotaxi service in June of this year.

The Fleet’s Not So Grand After All

Jonas writes that “Austin’s a ‘go’ but fleet size will be low. Think 10 to 20 cars. Public roads. Invite only. Plenty of tele-ops to ensure safety levels (‘we can’t screw up’). Still waiting for a date.” That’s certainly not the huge splash many might have expected from Tesla. At the same time, some of that confirms what we already knew. Let’s break it down a little.

First, the fact that everything is still a ‘go’ sounds like Tesla is still on schedule. That’s encouraging. The small fleet size is a bit surprising, though. Even at the top end of 20 cars, one would imagine it’ll take a while to gather the data necessary to expand the program quickly. Tesla has long hinted that the service would include public roads, so that’s not shocking, but limiting it to invite-only status is interesting.

Perhaps that’s just a preliminary stage of the project, but it could help the brand avoid bad press should something go wrong. Of course, Jonas also confirms once again that Tesla will have teleoperators in place to monitor cars and take over if need be. How that’ll work in practice is up for debate, though.

A Reality Check

If we’re being serious here, this doesn’t sound all that different from what Tesla is already doing in Austin and San Francisco. Both cities offer a ridesharing app for some employees. In each city, users can hail a Tesla that will show up and take them to their destination with one big safety net: a human in the driver’s seat in case something goes wrong.

The new Robotaxi service in Austin sounds like it’s the same idea, but with a human driver dialed in remotely. The real standout here is Tesla’s Ground Truth Machine technology, which is busy mapping Austin using lidar and radar sensors.

Optimus News

Jonas says that we can expect additional news on Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, later this year as well. If all goes according to plan, investors will have the opportunity to tour the robot manufacturing site during the final quarter of 2025. The automaker/tech company is evidently targeting a $20,000 price tag for Optimus. That’s a lot of cash, but no doubt some one-percenters won’t think twice about it. 

Tesla has just opened the door to a new level of trade-ins: the Cybertruck can now be traded in for other vehicles. Surprising? Maybe, but for anyone who’s been paying attention to Tesla, it’s a move that’s been long overdue. While the Cybertruck was originally priced at $99,990, the trade-in values today are sitting around $63,000, which is a steep drop in just under two years.

Naturally, this hasn’t gone over well with some Tesla owners, who seem to have forgotten the brand’s history. “There’s no point in trading in/upgrading with that low of an offer,” said one person on Cybertruckownersclub. “That’s about $25k depreciation – assuming $10k for FSD,” said another. One more person calculated a 17.2 percent hit in value over what has essentially been barely more than a year.

Read: This Used Cybertruck Just Sold For $6K More Than A New One

Of course, they jumped through a lot of hoops, counting all sorts of things to add value. A more straightforward comparison, from the original price to the trade-in value, suggests depreciation of over 30 percent in that same time period. Taking that kind of hit on a ‘Foundation Series’ is pretty wild. Yet, some owners don’t seem bothered at all.

Several expressed the desire to keep their truck for good and at least one even mentioned willing it to their kids. Clearly, this situation is going to affect different buyers in vastly different ways. For Tesla though, this might be just a bit more gaming of the system.

Now let’s layer on a little extra context. Just last week, it came to light that Tesla had been up to its usual tricks with trade-ins. When it took back cars from customers on lease deals, it promised to turn them into robotaxis. Instead, it just installed some new software features and resold them at a tidy profit. This is the kind of behavior Tesla could repeat with the Cybertruck. After all, if a car didn’t come with all the software options, Tesla could easily push an update, send it back to market, and charge a premium.

There’s really no good reason to believe that Tesla won’t try to do something similar here with the Cybertruck. Owners who didn’t get every available software option could see their trade-in back on the market with a serious markup in price. After all, Tesla only needs to send a software update to enable some features.

All of that said, it’s an interesting situation that Tesla is now in. It’s fighting battles on just about every front while still offering what is objectively a compelling set of products. Will that alone be enough to stem the tide? Only time will tell. At least until then, the chance of getting a Cybertruck for $39,990, albeit on the second-hand market, is getting better.

Credit: Carsly / Rinoa0 / Outdoors / Cybertruckownersclub.com

The Standard of the World. That’s what Cadillac wants to be, and it’s not just us saying it. The automaker declared it, and it’s dead set on achieving that goal with the new Celestiq. Forget forging ahead with a big V8 or a super-luxe version of the long-loved Escalade. It went with an all-electric super sedan, priced like a Rolls-Royce. A new photo of one in the wild has us wondering if it’s going to miss its target.

A Suburban Reality Check

The car in question was spotted by an eagle-eyed Redditor just ten miles from GM’s Milford Proving Grounds. It wasn’t parked outside a multi-million-dollar mansion either. This appears to be an everyday home in the suburbs. In this setting, one we rarely see surrounding cars of this caliber, the Celestiq almost seems pedestrian. It’s worth noting that it had manufacturer plates, so it’s highly likely driven by either a GM employee or a journalist, as Cadillac has been providing testers to the press recently.

More: Cadillac’s $340K Celestiq Doesn’t Force You To Crawl Through The Trunk To Fix A Dead Battery After All

Sure, the Celestiq’s styling is no doubt more aggressive and out there than common cars. Still, it looks quite at home. The average passerby probably wouldn’t recognize that the car they’re looking at might cost more than the house it’s parked at. Nevertheless, everything we’re hearing about the Celestiq indicates that it’s a real moonshot worthy of praise.

After testing one, Jethro Bovington of Road and Track said that “Cadillac has been brave here, and I commend the sheer madness of it all.” What madness is he speaking of? Cadillac went all-out when it came to engineering here.

The Celestiq is packed with tech that’s as over-the-top as its price tag. It comes equipped with Magneride 4.0 shocks to smooth out the bumps and reduce chatter from the road. Under the hood, the electric motors deliver a respectable 655 horsepower and 646 lb-ft of torque. The dashboard? A 55-inch screen stretches across it like a sci-fi movie set. Passengers aren’t left out either, with two 12.6-inch screens in the back row.

Oh, and did we mention there are 38 speakers in the car? That’s almost certainly more than is in the entire house this one is parked at. Cadillac didn’t stop at just the opulent materials and high-end engineering side of things.

Customization Like You’ve Never Seen Before

The customization process is just as wild. According to Motor Trend, potential buyers get to be a part of the design process, and that includes rocking up to Cadillac House, the site, in Michigan. Once there, customers who have a connection to a previous Cadillac will likely find that model along with the Celestiq sitting on the floor of the venue.

From there, they can pick different fabrics, carpets, leathers, specific bits of interior trim, and yes, wheels too. Cadillac is only hand-building around 25 of these a year, and it says that there are some 350,000 combinations available with the options buyers have. Essentially, you’ll never see two of these that are identical.

Will Cadillac’s Celestiq Succeed?

At the same time, none of this means that the Celestiq will be a success. Cadillac has been slower to start production than it had hoped. Bovington rightly points out that Rolls-Royce is struggling to sell its all-electric Spectre. That could indicate that the Celestiq will be an even harder sale.

AutoNews points to a connection to the Lincoln Continental Mark II. “Launched by Ford’s separate Continental division for the 1956 model year, it was a masterpiece of mid-century design and exclusivity. It was also, at around $9,966 (about $117,000 in today’s money), the most expensive American-made car of its time. The result? It was a commercial flop.”

So, Will It Be a Success or a Footnote?

Looking at the Celestiq sitting in a suburban driveway, you might wonder if this is a preview of its future – a short-lived experiment destined to be a trivia answer. Will Cadillac’s electric dream get lost in the shuffle, or will it become the thing that pushes the brand into a whole new era?

Only time will tell, but at least we know one thing for sure already. Cadillac went all-in on this project, and whether it’s a massive hit or not, you can bet that history won’t forget it anytime soon.

Credit: Daily-Delay193

The FD-generation of the Mazda RX-7 is often hailed as one of the most stunning Japanese sports cars of the 1990s, and even today, it still turns heads. Decades after its release, it still looks the part, and well-loved examples can fetch more than MSRP at auction. But this one, listed over on Cars & Bids, offers something a little different.

Also: This Is One Twisted Creation You Have To See To Believe

Under its fetching curves and Montego Blue paint lies a Tesla drivetrain. It makes 362 horsepower (269 kW) and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm) of torque. That’s good enough to keep up with or even beat its original form. The best part though is that it weighs less than it did when it had a rotary engine.

That last point might sound strange. Most EVs are very heavy, and even electromods can end up with weighty battery packs and questionable balance. Not this one, though. It’s been carefully built around a 42 kWh water-cooled lithium-ion pack. Upgraded Ground Control coilovers and Eibach springs help the Mazda handle as it should, too.

Finally, No More Pretending to Love Oil Changes

Of course, with a project of this sort, range is the big tradeoff. This RX-7 features just 120 miles (just shy of 200 km) of range, if you’re careful, so don’t expect to take it on a grand tour. That said, it’ll go long enough to enjoy some serious canyon carving, a cars and coffee meetup, or an everyday work commute in silence. It’s hard to argue with the convenience factor, too. Forget oil changes. No need to worry about Apex seals either. No compression tests are in its future. Unplug and go. That’s this car’s motto.

Even the details appear dialed in. The builder kept the pop-up headlights, added in a rotary-style shifter, and Speedhut gauges. That includes a fuel-level gauge repurposed to show battery charge. A Tesla accelerator pedal sits on a custom-printed bracket. The car even features an updated sound system from Alpine. That all said, it’s not perfect.

It needs work to get the air conditioning running, some of the seats need work, and the body and cabin sport the kind of wear you’d expect in a car from 1993. In the end, though, it’s possible that this is a faster, more reliable RX-7 than it was originally. For many gearheads, that’s a trade-off worth making. It might not drink fuel anymore, but it’ll still burn rubber.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of an electric RX-7 and think you’re up for owning something that blends ’90s nostalgia with a modern twist, check out the listing here and place your bid.

Credit: Cars&Bids

Service experiences: like most things in life, they are not always the same. Some are exemplary, most range from quite good to satisfactory, others are bad – and then there are these ones. Imagine dropping your prized six-figure possession off at a service center for a few minor fixes, only to get it back with more issues than you started with, including, bizarrely, a completely wiped odometer. That’s what one unlucky Tesla Cybertruck owner had to endure, as detailed in a head-scratching thread.

More: Tesla’s Recall Service Left This Cybertruck With A Burn Mark And Panel Gap

In the words of the owner, “My CyberBeast went in for a spa day and came back a newborn, with a lazy eye and a missing limb.” That’s the almost unbelievable title to a new thread over at CybertruckOwners. In it, one member describes one of the strangest service experiences we’ve heard about in a while. Not only did Tesla’s service not address all of the issues this Cybertruck had, they gave it back to the customer after wiping the odometer. This wasn’t a rollback. This was more of a ‘never was.’

Notably, this is a Cyberbeast we’re talking about. The most expensive version at over $100,000, and one would like to hope, most carefully crafted cars Tesla makes. The owner dropped it off for a handful of minor things. He wanted a new light bar installed, he asked Tesla to nudge a few panel gaps so that they’d line up better, and the service team needed to address an on-again-off-again ABS alert.

Service Day Turns Into a Nightmare

According to his post, Tesla promised to have it all done by Thursday of that week. When that fell through, the service team moved his pickup day to Friday, and sure enough, by 5:30 p.m., it was ready… or so he thought. When he arrived, a few things weren’t quite right. The truck didn’t remember his phone, trim was hanging down under the glove box, and the odometer read zero.

As he puts it, “My 26 k-mile CyberBeast is now a CyberBaby. Shot a video while the “count” rolled from 0 → 1 as I left the lot. App and service menu agree — factory-fresh, just ignore the 5 months of road-trip Dorito dust.” To make this even clearer, it wasn’t a glitch. Based on whatever happened while the truck was in service, every source of information about his mileage agreed.

Video Cybertruckownersclub

Just to hammer the point home, the owner even included a video showing the odometer moving from 0 to 1 mile as he drove away. However, that wasn’t even the worst of it. The light bar installation? Well, let’s just say it looked like it had been done by someone who didn’t quite understand what the word symmetry means. There was a half-inch gap on one side and none on the other. And (because, why not?) there was a loose bolt in the tailgate and a trim panel that wasn’t even properly attached.

Also: Some Cybertrucks Getting Bricked After Tesla’s Latest Software Updates

At this point, he’s still trying to figure out what the proper solution is. Many on the forum believe Tesla missed a step, or several, near the end of service. Regardless, it’s not a good look for a company already working hard to improve its public image. 

Credit: CheddaTruck

The first-mover advantage is something Tesla continues to capitalize on. It’s been over 20 years since the brand first launched, and no other automaker in the U.S. has even come close to challenging Tesla’s dominance in the EV space. Despite the growing competition, Tesla still holds a commanding market share, which hovers around 45%.

More: House Speaker Says EV Tax Credits Are Likely Finished

However, if House Republicans succeed in their push, the company’s position could be further strengthened, but at a cost to legacy automakers like Ford and GM. The reason? A looming change to the Federal Tax Credit that currently helps all EV makers sell vehicles.

The Current EV Tax Credit System

At the moment, those who buy a new or used EV in America might qualify for one of two credits. New car buyers can qualify for up to $7,500, and used car buyers can get up to $4,000. These credits are in addition to various state incentives, such as the $5,000 credit in Colorado and $3,500 in Massachusetts.

To be eligible, the vehicle must meet certain requirements, such as North American assembly and specific sourcing of battery materials. SUVs and pickups are eligible for the credit if priced under $80,000, while regular cars must be under $55,000. Income limits also apply: individuals making under $150,000 and couples under $300,000 qualify. For leased vehicles, the credit goes to the leasing company, which often (but not always) passes on the savings to customers, contributing to a rise in EV leases.

That might not seem like a huge chunk of change considering the price of some EVs, but in reality, it plays a huge role in sales. For instance, in 2022, before the introduction of the tax credit, 96,000 EVs were leased. By 2023, that number skyrocketed to nearly 600,000. But a recent budget bill released on Monday proposes ending both the new and used car credits, along with several other non-automotive tax incentives.

A Slower EV Adoption Could Hurt Major Automakers

According to a report from the New York Times, Cox Automotive’s Stephanie Valdez Streaty believes that almost a third of car sales in 2030 will be EVs if the credit stays as it is. However, should the government get rid of it, that figure could drop to just 20 percent. Slowing the adoption of EVs wouldn’t just be a potential backsliding for environmentalists, it could hit big automakers like GM and Ford in a big way.

Those brands are still trying to get to the point where their EV businesses are profitable. And their far from it with their numbers. On the other hand, Tesla hit that mark long ago, so while other players will need to sort out new strategies, it can continue to reap the benefits of being the first to market in the way it was.

Other legacy automakers, such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Kia, have made significant investments in U.S.-based EV production, but they too could face a major setback if the bill passes. The removal of these credits would undermine the financial viability of the incentives that made their business cases profitable.

EV Startups Face Even Greater Financial Pressure

Although Tesla would also be impacted by the removal of the tax credit, it stands to gain in ways its rivals cannot. While Tesla may be able to withstand lower sales, many of its competitors will not have that luxury and could be forced to shut down. Newcomers like Rivian and Lucid, for example, would face immense financial pressure as their sales figures don’t support a profitable business model.

Even smaller, more recent startups like Slate would likely have to review their entire business plan. What, after all, is the point of a tiny EV trucklet with 150 miles of range, no desirable mainstream features, and a price that is as high as a Ford Maverick?

In the grand scheme, while Tesla will undoubtedly be affected, the long-term payoff could be substantial. It may emerge as the dominant force in the EV market with little to no competition to contend with. In other words, instead of having 45% of the EV market’s 33% of car sales, it could end up with double that of the predicted 20%.

In the grand scheme, Tesla will undoubtedly face challenges, but the long-term payoff could be massive. It might emerge as the dominant force in the EV market with little to no competition to contend with in America. Instead of holding 45% of the EV market’s 33% share of total car sales, Tesla might dominate nearly the entire 20% share that EVs are expected to capture in the 2030s if tax credits vanish, while also further extending its technological lead in the field.

“What this does globally to the U.S. auto industry and its ability to compete – I think it’s going to hurt us,” Ms. Valdez Streaty said. “I think it’s going to slow us down, and we are already behind China.”

Waymo handles recalls in a unique way, standing apart from most other brands. Instead of relying on dealerships to manage the process, Waymo can implement fixes directly. And, rather than notifying customers individually, the company can resolve the issue internally. This approach is on display again with the latest recall, which addresses an issue Waymo identified and corrected last year. Interestingly, this recall isn’t tied to any particular vehicle model.

In an NHTSA filing dated May 12, 2025, Waymo declared a recall of its “5th Generation Automated Driving System (ADS) software prior to the 11/7/2024 driverless software release.” It affected 1,212 vehicles that could have ended up in collisions with “chains, gates, and other gate-like roadway barriers.” Notably, Waymo says that it doesn’t know of any injuries related to the recall.

More: Self-Driving Delivery Van Drags Scooter In Viral Video

So why the recall if the problem has already been addressed? Well, the answer is simple: Waymo is obligated to publish it on NHTSA.

The filing clarifies that “Waymo’s internal safety processes had previously identified collisions with chains strung across the path of travel, gates, and similar roadway barriers as an area for improvement, and software updates were in progress at the time NHTSA’s examination began.”

That examination is related to over 22 incident reports involving the same fifth-gen software at the heart of this recall. In that case, the NHTSA says that it involves “collisions with clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid.” Waymo says that during its ongoing discussions with the NHTSA, it was busy working on this issue in the background.

Ultimately, on May 1, 2025, Waymo chose to initiate the recall to meet “relevant regulatory reporting obligations.” Since Waymo owns all of the vehicles involved, there was no need to notify individual vehicle owners or dealers.

Until recently, Tesla lease customers were left with no option to buy their cars at the end of their lease term. Why? Because Elon Musk was sure that these cars were just biding their time until they could be turned into autonomous robotaxis.

Fast forward a few years, and, surprise, the robotaxi future hasn’t materialized. So, instead of the cars joining some high-tech fleet, Tesla decided to flip them for more profit, and customers aren’t exactly thrilled about it.

More: Yes, New Car Prices Did Jump After Trump Announced Tariffs, Data Proves

In a 2019 earnings call, Musk stated, “You don’t have the option of buying. We want them back.” The “them” being the cars, of course. He went on to confidently predict that by the following year, Tesla would have “over 1 million robotaxis on the road.” The idea was that the hundreds of thousands of leased Teslas would eventually join this futuristic fleet. Tesla even told its lease customers this was the exact reason they couldn’t buy the car they’d been driving.

According to a new report from Reuters, those same cars from 2019 to 2024 ended up with upgrades. And then, Tesla put them back up for sale or sold them via auction. From a business perspective, it’s a savvy move. It costs Tesla basically nothing to upgrade these cars via software and then “jack up the price”, according to an unnamed source who spoke to the outlet.

In some cases, that meant an acceleration boost worth around $2,000. In others, it meant the addition of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) tech, which has cost some customers up to $15,000 at times, though now it’s back down to $8,000.

On the used market, these cars fetched far more than they would have if Tesla had simply let the lessees buy them at the end of their term, particularly during the Covid-induced price surge. Needless to say, customers weren’t thrilled to learn their car had been sold off without their knowledge. One particularly upset owner even called out the brand publicly.

Wow so returning a .@tesla lease is a poor experience. Poor customer service, crazy charges, lies about not being able to buy out my lease, then the car gets sold at auction not turned into a robo taxi like I was told.
Slow clap @elonmusk
Also canceled my cybertruck order.

— PixelsandPeeps (@PixelsandPeeps) May 4, 2024

A Shift In Policy

Things changed in late 2024, however. On November 27, Tesla announced that lessees would now have the freedom to buy their car at the end of their term. Why the change, especially if the automaker is closer than ever to Level 5 autonomy as it claims? Values are dropping faster than ever before. On top of that, competition is getting better, and Tesla’s public perception is struggling right now.

Allowing lessees to buy their vehicle is what most of the auto industry sees as a no-brainer since the customer is already there and connected to the car in question. Of course, this depends on the buyout price, which, in many cases, is still inflated. For instance, the buyout price for a standard Model Y AWD is a hefty $33,251 before taxes, which is higher than current market prices for three year old examples.

Still, the damage done by Tesla to its customer base might be irreparable to a degree. One customer told Reuters that “I love the car, I just don’t like what has been going on at the top with the CEO. I don’t want to be associated with that anymore.” At least Tesla’s new plan seems to be to build its own Robotaxi fleet. Whether it gets to even call it that remains up for debate.

• Dodge and Factorial begin solid-state battery tests with production aimed for after 2028.
• The batteries promise faster charging speeds, higher energy density, and better range.
• Factorial’s tech also offers improved performance even in extreme cold temperatures.

Stellantis, and especially its Dodge brand, could really use a win right now. Enter solid-state batteries, the shiny new tech that could provide just the boost they need. Factorial, the company working on these next-gen batteries, has teamed up with Dodge to test them in the real world. If everything goes according to plan, Dodge might roll out vehicles with this technology between 2028 and 2032.

More: GM’s Secret Battery Breakthrough Could Slash EV Costs

The two companies have been working together since 2021, but this marks the first time Dodge will test prototypes on public roads. Starting in 2026, they’ll begin rolling out a fleet of Chargers equipped with Factorial’s solid-state batteries to work out the kinks and fine-tune all the details.

A Milestone for Cell Performance

“What happened with Stellantis is a very important milestone for cell performance validation,” Factorial CEO Siyu Huang told Autonews. “It’s not just about higher energy density, it’s about cycle life, and about fast charging. Above all, this is the first full-blown validation that automakers have shared.” The potential benefits are widespread and vital for the EV movement.

For instance, solid-state batteries offer faster charging speeds. The batteries that Dodge will test offer 375 watt-hours per kilogram, and can go from 15 percent to 90 percent full in just 18 minutes. In addition, they’re more energy-dense. In practice, that means more range in a solid-state battery compared to a conventional one.

Lighter Batteries, More Range, and Cold Weather Performance

On the flip side, an automaker could, in theory, offer a smaller, lighter battery while still offering the kind of range most EVs do today. Factorial says it’s also made progress on cold-weather solid-state battery tech. Finally, they’re safer too since they use a solid, non-flammable electrolyte. “Not only can we deliver a strong performance at room temperature but also at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius. We weren’t able to do this until a few months’ ago,” she said.

Also: A Simple Button Sequence Could Save Your Charger And Challenger From Thieves

Notably, Factorial isn’t working with Stellantis alone. It’s also tied up with Kia, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz. The German automaker is also testing these batteries on the road as of February of this year.

Suffice it to say, all of these automakers will benefit as soon as solid-state batteries become the norm. Additional range, better charging rates, and potential weight reduction are all good reasons to get excited. Hopefully, testing goes well and we see this technology develop sooner rather than later. 

Sometimes your car just breaks. Other times, it breaks, sits for two months, gets stolen, wrecked, and leaves you holding the bag. This is the story of how one Hyundai Ioniq 5 owner’s unlucky repair turned into a cautionary tale about EV parts, dealership security, and what happens when everything goes wrong at once.

On March 16, nearly two months ago, Massachusetts resident Ethan Blount’s Hyundai Ioniq 5 abruptly stopped working. The culprit was the ICCU, a part already known for causing problems in the Ioniq 5 lineup. It failed, leaving Blount stranded, and he had the car towed to his local dealership.

More: Huge Study Shows EVs More Reliable Than ICE Cars With One Surprising Common Issue

At the time, he had no idea it would be the last time he’d see the vehicle in one piece. On May 2, the car was stolen from the dealership. When police eventually located it and gave chase, the situation ended with the Hyundai totaled and Blount left underwater.

A Part With a Pattern of Failure

But let’s rewind. The ICCU (Integrated Charging Control Unit) plays a central role in the Ioniq 5’s electrical system. It manages the bi-directional charging between the 12V battery and the main high-voltage battery, which is responsible for powering essential systems, external devices, and even other EVs.

When it fails, the result is a completely immobilized vehicle. Dozens of Ioniq 5 owners have reported similar failures. In Blount’s case, the delay in repair came down to a parts shortage, with replacements on back order. So his EV sat, unusable and unguarded, for almost two months.

He tells The Autopian that he knew about the ICCU and suspected it immediately when he heard a loud pop. “I got only a mile or so before power started dropping precipitously, and pulled off the main road just in time. I contacted Hyundai and they dispatched a tow truck, taking my car to the nearest dealer,” says Ethan.

A Strange Notification, Then Silence

Then, on May 1, he received a notification via his Hyundai mobile app that the car was left on and idling. Good news, he thought, since it couldn’t do that without being fixed. The next day, everything fell apart. The dealer called and confirmed that the car was fixed but, strangely, they couldn’t find it.

Ethan whipped out his phone and tracked the car. It was in Boston, nowhere near the dealership. He called the police who tried to move in and secure the car, but clearly that didn’t work. The occupants sped off in it, ultimately lost control a short time later, hit a fire hydrant, and then smashed into a church. The impact was such that the Ioniq 5 was seriously damaged. The airbags all deployed, and the front is completely smashed in.

More: Kia EV6 Owner Fed Up After Multiple 12V Battery Failures

Boston police arrested three people at the scene, but they’ve left Blount in a tough spot. “Due to the rapid depreciation of the car I’m worried about what I will be offered by my insurance company since they declared it totaled today,” he said. “I fear I could end up still owing money and not even owning a car.”

In a positive turn though, Hyundai reached out to him two days ago, promising to help. Perhaps this entire saga will end up with the happy ending Blount clearly wants.

Credit: Ethan Blount

Charging an electric vehicle can sometimes be a really peaceful experience. Some models even offer the ability to watch TV or play games during the process. One Cybertruck owner had that peace ruined recently when a Dodge Charger driver lost control and rammed his pickup. It just so happens that another Tesla owner caught the entire situation on camera too.

The situation unfolded at the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, New York. There, a Model Y owner says that the folks in the Dodge nearly hit him. “I was out for a walk when I nearly got hit by these [explicit]. A moment later, I heard their engine rev and I KNEW they were going to do something stupid. So I started recording,” he wrote on Reddit.

More: No One Knows Where This Tire Came From, But It Ripped Through A Mercedes Roof Anyway

He couldn’t have been more correct about his assertion. Despite having an expansive parking lot at their disposal, the driver of this Charger R/T begins a donut relatively close to nearby Teslas charging at a Supercharger station. He gets quite a slide going, complete with some opposite lock, too. When he straightens out, things go sideways in a more metaphorical sense, though.

First, he drives over a calming island near the parking lot entrance. For whatever reason, it’s only after clearing the island that he engages his brakes. Video shows that despite his brakes being on, the car has enough momentum to carry it into the next calming island on the other side of the entrance. When he hits that, the front end flies up and off the ground. Ultimately, the car comes back to earth and keeps rolling until it hits the driver’s side of the Cybertruck.

Video Reddit

It’s clear from the video that the Dodge is not okay after the crash. Smoke is billowing from the front rather than from the rear tires. Part of the undercarriage protection is on the ground, and there is debris all over the lot, though it could be organic rather than bits of Mopar left behind. That said, the Cybertruck looks great for having just been hit by a car, even at a slow speed.

According to the Reddit post, the crash left motor oil and transmission fluid leaking out onto the ground. Meanwhile, the Cybertruck owner got out to check the damage and apparently found… none. “The truck looked completely fine!” the poster added. Safe to say, the Dodge driver got a little more Cybertruck than they bargained for.

Credit: Hammer Of Something/Reddit

The dream of a driverless Tesla fleet shuttling people around while their owners kick back at home has been around for years, always just around the corner, but never quite here. Now, as the company continues to promise that reality is almost within reach, the U.S. Patent Office may have just introduced another delay.

As it turns out, names like “Robotaxi” and “Cybercab” might be too generic to trademark, and that could complicate Tesla’s rollout plans.

Read: Tesla Stiffs Cybertruck Owners On Another Promised Feature

It’s worth noting that Cybercab and Robotaxi refer to different things in the Tesla world. The former is the two-door prototype the automaker unveiled last year. The latter is the software that could enable everyday Tesla owners to let their car go around picking people up and moving them around while the owner is busy working or doing just about anything else.

According to TechCrunch, the USPTO just issued a non-final office action on the trademark application for the name Robotaxi. Specifically, the office said that name “describes a feature, ingredient, characteristic, purpose, function, intended audience of applicant’s goods and/or services.” In layman’s terms, it’s too general. The office even cited Wikipedia, Zoox, and The Verge to prove it.

“This term is used to describe similar goods and services by other companies,” the agency wrote. That mirrors a similar decision it made in April regarding Tesla’s attempt to trademark “Cybercab.”

FSD Supervised ride-hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin & San Francisco Bay Area.

We've completed over 1.5k trips & 15k miles of driving.

This service helps us develop & validate FSD networks, the mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control &… pic.twitter.com/pYVfhi935W

— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) April 23, 2025

In that motion, the USPTO pointed to multiple concerns, including the potential for consumer confusion. In fact, it even mentioned other companies that use the word Cyber, including ones that specifically build aftermarket products for the Cybertruck. In a way, Tesla did this to itself. For now, though, the names aren’t dead and gone.

In both cases, Tesla can argue its case with whatever evidence it thinks is relevant. No doubt, the two words do seem tied to the automaker a little more all the time. Tesla must respond within three months or the USPTO will abandon the application. That runs well past Tesla’s planned June rollout, so expect more news on this topic sooner rather than later.

Just days after Tesla rolled out its new Acceleration Boost for the so-called Model Y ‘Juniper’, it’s back again with more news in the form of the the Long Range Rear Wheel Drive trim. As the name suggests, it sheds a motor, gains some range, and, unsurprisingly, is $4,000 cheaper than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant.

This brings the new base price of the Model Y down to $33,990 if you qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit, or $44,990 without it. Including destination and order fees, the price rises to $46,630. That’s comparable to what you’d pay for a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6, but several thousand more than a Ford Mustang Mach-E. However, buyers do get an extra 30 miles of range, up from 327 miles to 357 miles, compared to the AWD variant.

Read: Tesla’s German Sales Halved While EV Market Explodes

There isn’t any free lunch here, so to speak, and the RWD proves slower than its counterpart. 0-60 comes in 5.4 seconds for the base Model Y LR AWD, compared to the 4.6 seconds of the LR AWD version (provided the owner hasn’t bought the Acceleration Boost). Tesla could potentially offer a similar performance upgrade for the base Model Y in the future.

There is other good news to consider, too. The new base Model Y comes with the same standard features as the AWD version. That includes 19-inch ‘Crossflow’ wheels, Stealth Grey paint, and a black interior. Buyers can add other features like different paint colors or a white interior, but both will cost extra cash.

For those still dreaming of a self-driving future, the Model Y Long Range RWD comes with the option to add Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for an additional $8,000. And if you’re wondering when you can expect your shiny new ride, Tesla’s estimates say first deliveries should be arriving in about three to five weeks, though, as always, that could change depending on how Tesla’s internal processes shake out.

For now, the Model Y AWD remains unchanged at a starting price of $48,990 without the federal tax incentive or deliver fees, so if you’re really hankering for a little more power and performance, you’ll need to dig a little deeper into your pockets.

What Else Is Coming?

In addition to the base trim of the facelifted Model Y, we’re also expecting Tesla to unveil its most affordable EV yet later this year. While it’s unclear whether it will launch in 2025 or 2026, as a recent report suggested, we may also see the debut of the most powerful version of the Model Y, the Performance variant, before the year’s end

Drag coefficients (Cd) might not get the same attention as horsepower or range numbers, but they’re critical to the efficiency of EVs. A low Cd can drastically improve a car’s range and even allow manufacturers to use smaller, lighter batteries. That’s why automakers like Avatr, Volvo, Lightyear, and Audi love to tout their impressively low Cds. But one of them may not be as honest as it seems, and a popular Chinese blogger figured it out on his own.

Zurich Bei Le Ye is a popular auto blogger in China with over a million followers, and he personally owns an Avatr 12. According to the automaker, the electric sedan boasts a Cd of just 0.208, but Ye wanted to verify that claim. To do so, he took his own car to a wind tunnel and conducted the same test Avatr would have performed before releasing their figure. However, things didn’t go as expected. Ye’s test resulted in a Cd of just 0.281, barely better than Volvo’s EX90 SUV.

More: Aptera’s Quirky EV Has Aero Perfected By Pininfarina And 400 Miles Of Range

No Funny Business Here, Just Bad Results

It’s not as though there’s something strange going on with the test data either. The car had a Cd of over 0.28 across all speeds from 80 km/h to 140 km/h (49-86 mph). The test happened at the Tianjin China Automotive Technology and Research Centre (CATARC), which has been around since 1985. Testers followed CSAE 146-2020 standards, and were professional technicians, so they knew what they were doing. Essentially, this car just ended up with a result that is some 30 percent higher than Avatr quotes.

According to Car News China, “The blogger also claimed that the testing facility did not provide a formal report after the test day, suggesting potential intervention by the brand. A video detailing the test was reportedly taken down.” Avatr, for its part, insists the video is incorrect and has offered a reward of 5 million yuan (roughly $695,000 at current exchange rates) for anyone with information on what it calls a “black PR” campaign.

Test result pic.twitter.com/1rdQPLDok1

— Ray (@ray4tesla) May 5, 2025

The blogger argues that Avatr should produce its original test results in full and demonstrate the 12 accomplishing the feat in public. The entire incident has called into question other astonishing claims of low Cds by other Chinese automakers like Xpeng, which says it makes the world’s most aerodynamic vehicle.

While China’s automotive industry has made impressive strides in recent years, it’s still in the process of building its reputation, and some marketing claims certainly deserve closer scrutiny. As one commenter on X put it, “Shocking but not shocking.” The industry has made great progress, but there’s still work to be done before it earns the same level of respect and trust as many legacy brands.

Update: Turns out, you don’t have to crawl through the Cadillac Celestiq like some kind of luxury burglar to jump-start the 12V battery, as originally reported. Thanks to the manual, we now know there’s an easier way to do it. We’ve updated the article to reflect this new, less claustrophobic method.

Automotive design has come a long way, but sometimes it feels like we’re taking a few awkward steps backward. A prime example? The Cadillac Celestiq. This $340,000 (starting price) all-electric, hand-built super sedan is Cadillac’s big play to remind everyone that it’s “the standard of the world.”

If the method for accessing the battery is the new benchmark, though, we might all want to collectively hit the rewind button. The good news it’s that it isn’t as bad as was first reported.

More: Cadillac Projects EVs Will Make Up 35% Of Its Sales This Year

Originally, it seemed like a dead 12V battery would trap owners in a strange, high-end version of a luxury escape room. According to GM Authority, if the car lost power, you’d have to access the cabin through the trunk like a burglar on a mission, and then dig your way to the manual release system. Only after all that could you finally jump-start the 12V battery back to life.

Apparently, that’s not the case after all. While Cadillac hasn’t responded to our email from earlier today when we asked them about the procedure, Carbuzz reported (and we’ve also confirmed via the owner’s manual that you can see below), that Celestiq owners have a simpler option.

The automaker provides jump leads that can relay power directly to the 12V battery in the trunk. It’s still not exactly a walk in the park, as owners will need to remove an interior panel to access the leads, but it’s certainly a far cry from crawling through a $340,000 car like it’s a secret agent mission.

First, owners will need to access the trunk by opening it with the physical key and remove the load floor. After that, they’ll take out the storage bin underneath and look for the jumper leads on the left side of the trunk. Once they’ve located the leads, they can jump-start the 12V battery, get into the car, pop the front trunk, and either charge the battery directly or replace it if necessary.

The Celestiq is built-to-order, and maybe buyers with deep enough pockets can request something radical like… a mechanical frunk latch that is unlockable via a key? If the trunk can have it, why not the frunk too? Sure, most owners will probably call Cadillac to come deal with it, but at this price point, convenience should be a feature, not an upgrade.

We’re also waiting for Cadillac’s response and will update the article if we hear back from them.