Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fourth consecutive month of decline - Tesla moved only 40,100 vehicles in January 2026, down from 48,500 in January 2025. Nine of the past twelve months have shown year-over-year declines.
The tax credit hangover is real - The expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit effectively raised prices overnight. The only three months of growth in the past year (July-September 2025) were entirely driven by consumers rushing to buy before the credit expired.
Brand damage compounds the problem - Tesla's brand value crashed 36% in 2025 to $27.6 billion (down from a $66.2 billion peak in 2023). In California, Tesla's market share fell from 11.6% to 9.9% while competitors grew - a "devastating signal" for a brand born in the Bay Area.
Affordability is the new battleground - Rivian's R2 SUV starts at $45,000 (similar to Tesla Model Y pricing), marking a significant step down from the luxury R1 family. Customer deliveries begin Q2 2026.
Massive delivery jump expected - Rivian projects 62,000-67,000 deliveries in 2026, a 53% increase from 42,247 in 2025. By year-end, CEO expects R2 to make up the "majority" of Rivian's volume.
Q4 profitability milestone - Rivian achieved a positive gross profit of $120 million in Q4 2025, prompting analysts to raise price targets (UBS to $16, Deutsche Bank to $23).
Industry-wide retreat underway - GM, Ford, Stellantis, and Honda have announced billions in charges to write down EV investments that didn't pay off as the market shifts post-tax credit.
Affordable EVs still the priority - Despite writedowns, Ford is focusing on its $30,000 EV pickup (reveal next week), GM brought back the Bolt EV under $30,000, and Tesla stopped selling high-end Model S/X.
The pivot to pragmatism - After the hype of 2023-2024, automakers are regrouping with more realistic timelines and product strategies focused on profitability over market share.
China takes biggest hit - Global EV registrations fell 3% to almost 1.2 million units. China dropped 20% to under 600,000 (lowest in almost two years) due to purchase tax introduction and lower subsidies.
U.S. market collapses - North American EV sales down 33% to just 85,000 vehicles, the fewest since early 2022, driven by policy changes under Trump administration.
Bright spot: Rest of world surges 92% - Sales up to 190,000 units (highest on record) sustained by incentives in Thailand and strong growth in South Korea and Brazil. Europe grew 24% but at slowest rate since February 2025.
Leadership crisis at xAI - Musk announced a reorganization "to improve speed of execution" after co-founders Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu departed this week, following earlier exits by Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, Christian Szegedy, and Greg Yang.
SpaceX-xAI mega-merger - Last week's all-stock transaction valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion post-merger. SpaceX IPO expected sometime in 2026.
Regulatory headwinds mounting - xAI faces regulatory probes in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. after Grok enabled mass-creation of deepfake porn, including images of children, raising serious safeguard questions.
Five new models in 2026 - Ferrari plans to reveal five new models this year, including the all-electric Luce (Italian for "light") on May 25. Company expects 6% earnings growth despite EV market turbulence.
No gas-powered imitation - Ferrari says the Luce will be "completely different in every possible way" with electric-specific driving feel, unique sound from the powertrain, custom torque delivery, and redesigned dynamics/styling.
Luxury specs confirmed - Four doors, four seats, four electric motors combining for over 1,000 horsepower. Interior features three-spoke steering wheel with tactile controls, designed in part by former Apple touchscreen engineers.
Nuclear generation rising steadily through 2030 - International Energy Agency reports nuclear set a new record in 2025 and projects continued steady growth, driven by data center electricity demand (620-1,050 TWh by 2026).
Small modular reactors (SMRs) gaining traction - Equinix signed preorder agreement with French developer Stellaria for molten salt reactor deployment starting 2035. Multiple SMR deals signed across Czech Republic, South Korea, and Poland.
Fusion commercialization accelerates - Tokyo's Helical Fusion signed first power purchase agreement with supermarket chain Aoki Super for heating, cooling, and refrigeration using stellarator-based fusion technology.
8. U.S. Proposes 100% "Buy America" Rule for EV Chargers
Fourth consecutive month of decline - Tesla moved only 40,100 vehicles in January 2026, down from 48,500 in January 2025. Nine of the past twelve months have shown year-over-year declines.
The tax credit hangover is real - The expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit effectively raised prices overnight. The only three months of growth in the past year (July-September 2025) were entirely driven by consumers rushing to buy before the credit expired.
Brand damage compounds the problem - Tesla's brand value crashed 36% in 2025 to $27.6 billion (down from a $66.2 billion peak in 2023). In California, Tesla's market share fell from 11.6% to 9.9% while competitors grew - a "devastating signal" for a brand born in the Bay Area.
Affordability is the new battleground - Rivian's R2 SUV starts at $45,000 (similar to Tesla Model Y pricing), marking a significant step down from the luxury R1 family. Customer deliveries begin Q2 2026.
Massive delivery jump expected - Rivian projects 62,000-67,000 deliveries in 2026, a 53% increase from 42,247 in 2025. By year-end, CEO expects R2 to make up the "majority" of Rivian's volume.
Q4 profitability milestone - Rivian achieved a positive gross profit of $120 million in Q4 2025, prompting analysts to raise price targets (UBS to $16, Deutsche Bank to $23).
Industry-wide retreat underway - GM, Ford, Stellantis, and Honda have announced billions in charges to write down EV investments that didn't pay off as the market shifts post-tax credit.
Affordable EVs still the priority - Despite writedowns, Ford is focusing on its $30,000 EV pickup (reveal next week), GM brought back the Bolt EV under $30,000, and Tesla stopped selling high-end Model S/X.
The pivot to pragmatism - After the hype of 2023-2024, automakers are regrouping with more realistic timelines and product strategies focused on profitability over market share.
China takes biggest hit - Global EV registrations fell 3% to almost 1.2 million units. China dropped 20% to under 600,000 (lowest in almost two years) due to purchase tax introduction and lower subsidies.
U.S. market collapses - North American EV sales down 33% to just 85,000 vehicles, the fewest since early 2022, driven by policy changes under Trump administration.
Bright spot: Rest of world surges 92% - Sales up to 190,000 units (highest on record) sustained by incentives in Thailand and strong growth in South Korea and Brazil. Europe grew 24% but at slowest rate since February 2025.
Leadership crisis at xAI - Musk announced a reorganization "to improve speed of execution" after co-founders Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu departed this week, following earlier exits by Igor Babuschkin, Kyle Kosic, Christian Szegedy, and Greg Yang.
SpaceX-xAI mega-merger - Last week's all-stock transaction valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion post-merger. SpaceX IPO expected sometime in 2026.
Regulatory headwinds mounting - xAI faces regulatory probes in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. after Grok enabled mass-creation of deepfake porn, including images of children, raising serious safeguard questions.
Five new models in 2026 - Ferrari plans to reveal five new models this year, including the all-electric Luce (Italian for "light") on May 25. Company expects 6% earnings growth despite EV market turbulence.
No gas-powered imitation - Ferrari says the Luce will be "completely different in every possible way" with electric-specific driving feel, unique sound from the powertrain, custom torque delivery, and redesigned dynamics/styling.
Luxury specs confirmed - Four doors, four seats, four electric motors combining for over 1,000 horsepower. Interior features three-spoke steering wheel with tactile controls, designed in part by former Apple touchscreen engineers.
Nuclear generation rising steadily through 2030 - International Energy Agency reports nuclear set a new record in 2025 and projects continued steady growth, driven by data center electricity demand (620-1,050 TWh by 2026).
Small modular reactors (SMRs) gaining traction - Equinix signed preorder agreement with French developer Stellaria for molten salt reactor deployment starting 2035. Multiple SMR deals signed across Czech Republic, South Korea, and Poland.
Fusion commercialization accelerates - Tokyo's Helical Fusion signed first power purchase agreement with supermarket chain Aoki Super for heating, cooling, and refrigeration using stellarator-based fusion technology.
8. U.S. Proposes 100% "Buy America" Rule for EV Chargers
