GM rolls out three new EV charging adapters as US shifts to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard.
The automaker first sold an adapter about a year ago so its EVs could use Tesla Supercharger plugs. That move gave customers more charging options. Now GM adds three more adapters to cover different charging rates and standards.
More adapters mean more flexibility. But also more complexity. Two-EV households could end up with four different dongles in trunks or frunks. 
Senior climate reporter Tim De Chant warns this will clutter EV owners with a tangle of charging adapters.
Meanwhile, US EV sales face a new hurdle: Federal tax credits for EVs are expiring. A recent TechCrunch Mobility poll shows nearly 60% of readers expect a steep sales drop in the next two quarters post-credit.
Some automakers may pass along the $7,500 credit via other price cuts for a quarter or so. Fresh EV models arriving in late 2025 and 2026 could weather the storm better. But looming tariffs will likely squeeze margins further.
Lucid Motors is still hunting for a permanent CEO after Peter Rawlinson quit six months ago. Interim CEO and CFO Marc Winterhoff might step into the top role himself. The company is cold-calling candidates far and wide but has yet to make a pick.
Tesla’s Dojo AI supercomputer project in Buffalo, NY, is far from dead despite the team’s disbandment. Tesla confirmed a $500 million investment commitment. $314 million was already spent last year, per sources. Tesla’s Buffalo facility remains a key employer and may be rebranded under its Cortex supercomputing cluster.
Big money news:
- Blue Water Autonomy, building unmanned naval ships, raised $50M Series A led by GV.
- Joby Aviation completed its acquisition of Blade.
- Amsterdam-based Vox AI raised €7.5M seed to build voice AI directed at drive-thrus.
Other quick hits:
- Aurora Innovation will integrate self-driving trucking into McLeod Software’s TMS, easing autonomous shipment management.
- The Boring Company testing Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system in Vegas tunnels connecting Convention Center to hotels.
- Fisker Inc. founder Henrik Fisker shut down his private charitable foundation tied to the defunct EV startup.
- Kodiak Robotics hires Surajit Datta as CFO ahead of its upcoming SPAC merger.
- Tesla could’ve avoided a $242.5M Autopilot lawsuit, court filings show. A hacker recovered vital missing crash data.
- Over 1,000 publicly exposed hobby Tesla vehicle servers leaking detailed location and vehicle info were discovered by a security researcher.
California lawmakers struck a deal with Uber and Lyft to allow drivers a path to unionizing.
Uncaged Innovations is working with Hyundai’s Cradle to refine plant-based, leather-scented artificial leather for cars.
Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov shared a video of robotaxis driving through a massive Phoenix haboob storm. Waymo now operates 2,000 robotaxis commercially — 800+ in San Francisco, 500 in LA, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and expanding in Atlanta.
Podcast alert:
The latest episode of The Autonocast features Billy Thalheimer, CEO of Regent, discussing the intersection of boats, autonomy, and aviation.
“Yup, only email subscribers get to participate in polls.”
— TechCrunch Mobility
“Some folks may soon have a trunk or frunk load of charging adapters.”
— Senior climate reporter Tim De Chant
“Tesla is still committed to spending $500 million on a supercomputer there.”
— Sources on Tesla’s Buffalo, NY AI supercomputer
“Winterhoff has an eye on taking the [Lucid CEO] position himself.”
— Insider on Lucid Motors CEO search
