Electrek

Tesla patent reveals dual-battery system for trailer-mounted range extender

6 days ago

A newly published Tesla patent application describes a sophisticated dual-battery management system designed to integrate an auxiliary battery pack with a vehicle’s primary pack — including a configuration where the auxiliary battery lives inside a towed trailer.

The patent was filed in August 2024, months before Tesla officially cancelled the Cybertruck’s bed-mounted range extender, suggesting the automaker’s engineering team continued developing the underlying technology even as the original product was being abandoned.

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Fred Lambert

Donut Lab solid-state battery: 5 independent tests in, still no energy density or cycle life data

6 days 3 hours ago

Donut Lab has now released five independent test reports from Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre on its solid-state battery — and not a single one addresses the two claims that actually matter: the 400 Wh/kg energy density and the 100,000-cycle life.

The Q1 2026 deadline that Donut Lab set for delivering production batteries inside Verge Motorcycles is eight days away. The latest report, a cycling test dated March 13, adds another data point — but the overall picture remains unchanged.

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Fred Lambert

Tesla and SpaceX announce $25B ‘Terafab’ chip factory — here’s why it reeks of desperation

1 week ago

Tesla and SpaceX have unveiled “Terafab,” a joint $25 billion chip fabrication facility in Austin, Texas, that Elon Musk claims will produce 1 terawatt of computing power annually. It would be the largest semiconductor fab ever built — by an absurd margin.

Musk took the stage at the defunct Seaholm Power Plant in Austin on March 21 to officially launch the project, calling it “the most epic chip building exercise in history by far.”

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Fred Lambert

Fast flop: stupid fast Audi RS e-tron GT gets over $50,000 in discounts

1 week ago

With almost 1,000 hp and a blistering 60 mph coming in just 2.4 seconds, Audi’s electric flagship super sedan made headlines and set performance records when it was launched back in 2024. Unfortunately for Audi, it didn’t set many sales records, and you can now buy the ridiculously rapid RS e-tron GT with more than $50,000 in discounts. (!)

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Jo Borrás

Mahindra reveals Batman BE 6 EV – and it’s kind of amazing [update]

1 week ago

Indian ag and automaker Mahindra has launched a limited-run Batman Edition of its BE 6 Electric Origin SUV, calling it, “a production car that brings to life a rare fusion of cinematic heritage and modern luxury, inspired by Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Trilogy from Warner Bros. Pictures.”

UPDATE 21MAR2026: if you bought one last year, Mahindra could buy it back.

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Jo Borrás

A 24/7 solar farm-building robot just hit the market

1 week 1 day ago

The US needs a lot more electricity fast, and one company thinks robots can help build it quicker.

Berkeley, California-based Terabase Energy says its next-gen Terafab automated solar construction system has finished field testing and is now ready to ship commercially. Terafab V2 brings autonomous robotics and AI into the way massive solar farms are built.

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Michelle Lewis
Checked
9 hours 10 minutes ago
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