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TSLA earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pauses F-150 Lightning, more

TSLA earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pauses F-150 Lightning, more

Electrek Oct 24, 2025 71 min
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About this episode

The latest episode dives into Tesla's recent earnings report, revealing a revenue of $28 billion but a decline in earnings, raising concerns about the company's growth. The hosts discuss Rivian's layoffs as it prepares for the R2 launch and Ford's pause on F-150 Lightning production due to supply chain issues. They also touch on GM's new level three autonomy features and Tesla's new solar panel production. The conversation highlights the challenges facing electric vehicle manufacturers and the evolving landscape of EV technology.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Term

level three autonomy

"...there was an interesting announcement about, I guess it's level three autonomy that they announced. They don't call it level three, but that's what it is."

Level three autonomy means the car can drive itself most of the time, but you still need to be ready to take control if something goes wrong. It's like having a really smart co-pilot that can handle driving in some situations.

Car

Ford F150 Lightning

"two vehicle programs that were, you know, sort of kill this week, or at least pause, and that's the F-150 lightning and the bright drop electric van. So two big bummers that we're going to have to discuss later on the show. We're going to have time to talk to you guys. So if"

The Ford F-150 Lightning is an electric pickup truck that looks like the regular F-150 but runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It's important because it shows how trucks can be more environmentally friendly while still being strong and useful.

Term

regulatory credits

"Tesla disclosed in the earnings report that they lost $1.4 billion in regulatory credits. So that's not like this quarter, like this quarter, I think they had like 400 something million in regulatory credits compared to like 700 the same period last year."

Regulatory credits are like rewards for car companies that make electric cars. They can sell these rewards to other companies that need them to follow environmental rules.

Term

CAFE standard

"...contracts that they had with automakers to buy their credit, $1.4 billion of that was erased due to the changes with the cafe standard and all that."

The CAFE standard is a rule that helps make cars use less fuel. It pushes car companies to create vehicles that are more efficient and better for the environment.

Term

FSD

"...the take rate on them all S and X for FSD is way higher, for example. Right. Because of that..."

FSD means Full Self-Driving, which is a technology from Tesla that allows their cars to drive themselves with little to no human input. It's a big deal for people looking for advanced car features.

Car

Tesla Model Y

"...Time to get them on a Y. Yeah, I'm still leaning more towards model three, but..."

The Tesla Model Y is an electric SUV from Tesla. It's known for being roomy and having lots of tech features, making it a good option for families or anyone needing more space.

Car

Tesla Model 3

"...I'm still leaning more towards model three, but..."

The Tesla Model 3 is a smaller, more affordable electric car from Tesla. It's known for being efficient and having a simple design with a big screen for controls.

Car

Tesla Semi

"...Tesla confirmed that Semi truck production Tesla Semi production has been delayed into next year. And I feel a little bit vindicated on this because if you remember this year I have a report on that saying that Tesla had delayed production into next year..."

The Tesla Semi is a large electric truck made by Tesla. It's designed to carry heavy loads and is more environmentally friendly than regular trucks that run on diesel fuel.

Term

Class 8 truck

"...Tesla confirmed that Semi truck production Tesla Semi production has been delayed into next year..."

Class 8 trucks are big trucks used for transporting heavy loads. They are the largest type of trucks on the road and can carry a lot of weight.

Term

MSRP

"...we need to know the pricing because we know the price of increase we know it's not $180,000 for the 500 mile version like it originally was..."

MSRP is the price that the car maker suggests you pay for a vehicle. It's like a starting point for how much a car should cost, but the actual price can be different when you go to buy it.

Brand

GM

"Yeah, so GM had an event in New York City, Mary Bara, Royce, like kind of all the big leagues were there."

GM stands for General Motors, a big company that makes cars and trucks. They own several popular car brands.

Concept

Mary Barra

"Yeah, so GM had an event in New York City, Mary Bara, Royce, like kind of all the big leagues were there."

Mary Barra is the CEO of General Motors, which means she is in charge of the company and makes important decisions about their cars.

Concept

Sterling Anderson

"Sterling Anderson who we know from Tesla and then Aurora and some other stuff is now one of the chief product officers."

Sterling Anderson is a person who has worked with big car companies like Tesla and now works at GM to help create new cars.

Car

Cadillac Escalade IQL

"There's a 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQL which is the longer Escalade which is crazy because the regular Escalade..."

The Cadillac Escalade IQL is a bigger version of the regular Escalade, a luxury SUV that comes with high-tech features.

Car

Cadillac Escalade

"...at were pretty important. There's a 2028 Cadillac Escalade IQL which is the longer Escalade which is crazy b..."

The Cadillac Escalade is a big, fancy SUV that has a lot of room inside and comes with many luxury features. The new version coming out in 2028 will be even longer, which means it can carry more people and stuff.

Term

Super Cruise

"it's gonna have eyes off super cruise. They're not calling it ultra cruise anymore."

Super Cruise is a feature in some Cadillac cars that lets you drive without using your hands on the wheel on certain highways.

Company

NVIDIA

"they're using like invidia chips and what you would expect."

NVIDIA is a company that makes powerful computer chips, and they also create technology used in cars for things like self-driving features.

Term

LiDAR

"...you can see like the LiDAR hump on it. Yeah, it's a big one. First GM car to have that, I think."

LiDAR is a technology that helps cars understand their surroundings by using lasers to measure distances. This helps in making cars smarter and safer, especially for self-driving features.

Term

level three automation

"...that's been one of the big slight again, Tesla for a long time is like, why there's level three is super valuable, like long distance."

Level three automation means that the car can drive itself in many situations, but you still need to be ready to take over if something goes wrong. It's like having a helper that can do most of the driving for you.

Car

Rivian R1S

"on those. And a technology company because they use a lot of what they are learning from the R1's program to deliver the R2. Yeah. And then they also sold their technology to Yeah. Yeah. So that they're making some money from that too now."

The Rivian R1S is an electric SUV made for people who love outdoor adventures. It's special because it can go off-road and is part of a new trend of electric vehicles that are designed for fun and exploration.

Term

internal combustion engine (ICE)

"...because it was an ice plan before that."

An internal combustion engine is a type of engine that makes cars go by burning fuel like gasoline. It's the kind of engine most cars used before electric cars became popular.

Company

BrightDrop

"...the bright drop program started roughly, it was rough for them with 146 trucks in 2022 about 500 trucks in 2023."

BrightDrop is a company that makes electric delivery vans. It's part of General Motors and helps businesses deliver packages in a more eco-friendly way.

Term

electric vehicle (EV)

"...bring it to EV production because it was an ice plan before that."

An electric vehicle, or EV, is a car that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. They are better for the environment because they produce less pollution.

Term

delivery van

"...it's not as much as like the transit or the even Rivians Amazon delivery van."

A delivery van is a big vehicle used to carry packages and goods from one place to another. Businesses use them to deliver items to customers.

Car

Chevrolet Express

"...comparable to the GMC seven of van or the Chevy Express, which are the main commercial van from GM..."

The Chevy Express is a large van made by Chevrolet. It's often used by companies to carry people or cargo because it has a lot of space inside.

Car

GMC Savana

"...comparable to the GMC seven of van or the Chevy Express, which are the main commercial van from GM..."

The GMC Savana is another large van made by GMC, similar to the Chevy Express. It's used by businesses to transport goods or people because it has a lot of room.

Term

Android Auto

"...like the Android Auto experience is fine. But like for me, it's, you know, when, for instance, texting..."

Android Auto is a feature that lets you connect your Android phone to your car so you can use apps and get directions easily while driving.

Term

CarPlay

"...when I'm driving around my Chevy Bolt 2023, which has CarPlay, it's a really nice experience because I can just, you know, tap the, you know, respond to the stuff really easily..."

CarPlay is a feature that lets you connect your iPhone to your car so you can use apps and send messages easily while driving.

Car

Honda Prologue

"... can support CarPlay. It supports CarPlay and the prologue, the Honda prologue, which is basically a GM car...."

The Honda Prologue is a new electric SUV that Honda is making, and it will be similar to some cars made by General Motors. It's important because it shows that more car companies are starting to make electric vehicles.

Term

unsupervised self-driving

"...if you're promising unsupervised full self-driving to someone and you're selling it for $10,000..."

Unsupervised self-driving means that a car can drive itself without anyone watching or controlling it. It's what companies like Tesla are trying to achieve with their technology.

Term

hardware three

"...issues with my hardware three full self driving computer. Most likely Tesla will be forced to upgrade..."

Hardware three is the third version of Tesla's computer system that helps their cars understand the environment around them. It's important for features that allow the car to drive itself.

Company

Ken Power

"...the Ken power stuff is what a lot of the charging station operator mentioned a lot. So a friend of mine, Sylvain Juteau operates in what is called the really electric station..."

Ken Power makes equipment that helps charge electric cars quickly. They are known for having some of the best charging technology available.

Company

Alpetronic

"...they are buying the Alpetronic stuff."

Alpetronic makes charging stations for electric cars. They are known for making good quality chargers that work with many different types of electric vehicles.

Term

Tesla mobile connector

"I've been using the Tesla mobile connector, the whole ownership of my car, which the benefit of getting a dedicated home charger."

The Tesla mobile connector is a charger that you can use to charge your Tesla car at home or on the go. It can plug into regular outlets or special charging stations, making it easy to keep your car charged.

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