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- 🔋 Tesla's Secret "Diversion Team"
🔋 Tesla's Secret "Diversion Team"
PLUS: Fisker's New Vehicles Look Incredible
Sup. This is Plugged In. We break EV newsletter records at speed. Call us the Max Verstappen of electrification.
Here’s what we’ve got for you today:
Tesla’s Secret “Diversion Team” 🕵️♀️
Fisker’s New Vehicle Lineup Looks Incredible 🚗
Tesla Acquires Wireless Charging Startup ⚡️
BYD Atto 3 Outsells Everyone in Sweden 📈
There’s a lot of hot topics this week; we’ve linked more in The Juice 🔋 below

TESLA’S SECRET “DIVERSION TEAM” 🕵️♀️
All aboard the Tesla train, where sometimes the journey is more like a wild theme park ride! A recent Reuters investigation has uncovered a hidden layer to Elon Musk's brainchild. Tesla's secretive "Diversion Team." Their mission, should they choose to accept it (and they did), was to divert and cancel appointments for range-related issues faster than a Tesla Roadster going 0 to 100. Real quick.

Source: Reuters
The Great Range-gate
Hundreds of Tesla owners were finding themselves in a pickle. Scratching their heads over the mysterious vanishing act their vehicle's range was performing. The cars were working fine, but the estimated driving range was as inflated as a parade float.
Enter the Diversion Team
So, Tesla, not to be outdone by anyone's complaints, formed a team with a flair for speed and diversion. This unknown unit was all about speed. Diverting hundreds of cases per week as if they were swatting flies in Musk's office.
Diversion Team members would celebrate a job well done by striking a metal xylophone (because why not?), followed by hearty applause throughout the Tesla offices. It's like Wolf of Wall Street, only instead of penny stocks it’s range complaints.
What Happens in Diversion Team, Stays in Diversion Team
This swift-moving team would reportedly receive up to 2,000 cases per week and targeted to close around 750 of them. They were like the superheroes of customer complaints, except with less spandex. If you didn't pick up their call in time, they’d close your case due to being "unresponsive."

Conclusion: Steering Towards Transparency?
Tesla's diversion team, operating like a pit crew at the grand prix of complaints, symbolizes a rather bumpy road in customer relations.
Reuter's report sheds light on the challenges facing not only Tesla but the electric vehicle industry as a whole. How we measure, estimate, and communicate vehicle range is no laughing matter (xylophones aside).
While the diversion team's antics might make for amusing water-cooler talk, it also brings up serious questions about transparency and trust between automakers and their customers. In an era where range anxiety remains one of the top concerns for electric vehicle owners, the diversion of these complaints might not be the right direction.

FISKER’S NEW VEHICLE LINEUP LOOKS INCREDIBLE 🚗
Fasten your seatbelts because Fisker is back with a bang, unveiling not one, not two, but three new models! They've promised this vehicle lineup by the end of 2025 which, at Fisker's pace, means sometime before the next solar eclipse.
Let’s start with Ronin. A Category of One. The hypercar that probably just winked at you from your dreams.

Source: Car And Driver
Ronin is a carbon-fiber daydream hitting 60 mph in 2.0 seconds, all thanks to 1000 horsepower from three electric motors. Six-hundred-mile range? Check. Butterfly doors? Check. Six-figure price tag? Big check. It's a little like Fisker's own superhero, minus the cape.

Source: Car And Driver
Meet PEAR, starting at under $30,000 and built on what must be a platform made of budget-friendly fairy dust. It's a lightweight, low-cost chariot, but don't let the price tag fool you. Inside, it's all style with a six-seat interior layout, cloth upholstery, and a two-tone dashboard, featuring blue accent coloring as if Picasso himself was on the design team.

Source: Car And Driver
The Alaska pickup looks so ready for production it might just roll off the concept stage itself. Based on the Ocean, it offers a compact size but with a bed that extends like a good party guest’s stay. Pricing starts at $45,400, and it's U.S.-built. Get ready to ride the Alaskan waves as early as December 2024.
So, is Fisker about to make automotive history or write a new chapter in the book of "Well, We Tried"? Only time will tell, but until then, we're enjoying the ride.

TESLA ACQUIRES WIRELESS CHARGING STARTUP ⚡️
Hold onto your charging cables! In a move that could leave cords as neglected as last year's fashion, Tesla has acquired Wiferion, the wireless charging company.
Let's rewind. Last month, based on whispers from German media outlets, Tesla had shown intention to acquire Wiferion. A legal document had also surfaced stating “The shareholders intend to sell their shares in the company to Tesla International BV by means of a purchase agreement.”
Fast forward to now, and cue the confetti! The acquisition is a done deal. Wiferion was quick to update the footer of its website, boasting about being the new arm candy of Tesla.

The mysterious “wireless” home charger shown on Investor Day
Earlier this year at Investor Day, Tesla had quietly teased a wireless charger. They even gave us a sly wink, revealing what looked like a magical charging platform.
So, here's to Tesla and Wiferion! Let's see if they'll make charging cables feel as outdated as flip phones or disco balls. 🪩

BYD ATTO 3 OUTSELLS EVERYONE IN SWEDEN 📈

BYD appear to be playing Dance Dance Revolution in Sweden. They've cranked up the volume and have set a new high score at the top! July was hot for the Chinese automaker, selling an electrifying 724 units of the BYD ATTO 3. This crowns the ATTO 3 as the best-selling EV in Sweden and BYD is doing the electric slide all the way to the bank.
Now, let's groove to some stats. Sweden, land of ABBA, meatballs, IKEA, and now electric cars, saw 6,785 EV registrations in July. Volkswagen are holding the lead and BYD rocking out a close second. Both brands zapped more than 10% of the market share for the month, so they're singing a duo of "Thank you for the music!"

Source: CarNewsChina.com
If you look at the top five chart-toppers, it reads like a festival lineup: BYD, Volkswagen, BMW, Skoda, and Tesla. For BYD, it was their best gig in Sweden yet. The ATTO 3 even outpaced traditional gas guzzlers to stand as the second best-selling car. The Volvo XC60, presumably humming "Waterloo," clinched the top spot for ICE vehicles.
If BYD were a band, July was their worldwide tour. They've exported a whopping 18,169 vehicles from China but the show isn't done yet. It looks like they're prepared for an encore with two brand-new car carriers, set to arrive this fall. The Chinese EV storm is coming.

THE JUICE 🔋
Tesla faces California class action on its EV range claims. If this is proven to be true it would be a serious hit to Tesla.
Xpeng’s Head of Autonomous Driving Quits Rumored to join Nvidia. Seems logical given Nvidia’s strong presence with AI.
2024 Porsche Macan EV Spotted in its closest production-spec form yet. As the first Porsche entering the electric SUV segment, this car is critical for the German outfit.
Honda’s e:Ny1 enters the fray. Another entry into the electric SUV segment. Has Honda done enough to survive the face offs against Toyota’s bZ4X, Volkswagen’s ID 4, and even Tesla’s Model Y?
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