Tesla to benefit from Trump presidency, claims Wedbush analyst

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Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives recently shared a rather interesting prediction for Tesla. As per the analyst, a potential Trump presidency would actually be bullish for Tesla, even if it would be negative for everyone else in the electric vehicle sector.

Ives’ comments were shared during a segment in CNBC’s Last Call. Amidst his current campaign, former President Donald Trump has so far been against electric vehicles for the most part. Despite this, he has also stated that he is “a fan of Elon.” “I like Elon, I like him, and I think a lot of people are going to want to buy an electric car,” Trump said at a rally earlier this month.

Elon Musk confirmed this as much, even stating that the former president was “very nice” and he does call him “out of the blue for no reason.” Musk inferred that Trump’s positive stance on Tesla may be partly due to the fact that some of the former president’s friends probably now have Teslas. He also noted that Trump is “a huge fan of the Cybertruck.”

Considering Trump’s typical anti-EV rhetoric, it was no surprise that the Wedbush analyst was asked if the former president’s potential efforts to roll back electric vehicle incentives could benefit Tesla. Ives noted that a Trump presidency would indeed be positive for Tesla.

“I’d say Trump’s pro-Musk, and I’d say it’s bullish. A Trump presidency would, at the end of the day, be bullish for Tesla, negative for EVs… I think it also speaks to the Biden administration, Musk has really been an afterthought… I think if Trump’s in the White House, Musk gets more front and center. That’s bullish for Tesla, especially if you start to see those EV rebates roll back — negative on the industry, bullish for Tesla,” Ives said.

The Wedbush analyst has a great point. The Biden administration has made it a point to ignore Tesla and focus on union-made EVs instead, so it would not be surprising if a potential Trump administration made it a point to openly support Musk and Tesla. Tesla is also among the carmakers in the United States today that can compete without the federal tax credit, as the company has already achieved economies of scale.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Tesla to benefit from Trump presidency, claims Wedbush analyst





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Tesla Semi spotted with apparent LiDAR rooftop rig

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It appears that Tesla may be doing some initial work in the development of the Tesla Semi’s driver assist systems. This was hinted at in a recent sighting of the Class 8 all electric truck near Gigafactory Nevada that involved a Tesla Semi with an extensive sensor suite on its roof. 

A video of the rather interesting Tesla Semi was initially posted on the r/teslamotors subreddit, though it quickly made its way to other social media platforms like X as well. The sensors on the Tesla Semi’s roof caught the attention of EV watchers, as they looked quite similar to the rooftop LiDAR sensors that have been spotted in select test vehicles in the past. 

Tesla has mostly used LiDAR rigs to gather information and validate vision data on test vehicles. While this has caused some confusion among Tesla critics due to Musk’s previous negative comments about using LiDAR in production vehicles, a patent from the electric car maker has noted that an “auxiliary sensor, such as radar, LiDAR, or another sensor” can be used for collecting training data that can “then be used to train a machine learning model.” 

With this in mind, Tesla may indeed be doing some initial work with regard to the development of the Tesla Semi’s driver-assist functions. The Tesla Semi does not have Autopilot or Full Self Driving (FSD) for now, after all, though the vehicle’s page in Tesla’s official website indicates that the Class 8 all-electric truck is already equipped with “active safety features that pair with advanced motor and brake controls to deliver traction and stability in all conditions.” 

The Tesla Semi is already a compelling option for fleet owners today because it is an all-electric vehicle and EVs have inherent advantages over their combustion powered counterparts. Teslas, however, are not just great vehicles because they are electric. They’re extra compelling because systems like Autopilot and FSD make them far more capable, safer, and more convenient to operate compared to conventional vehicles. Needless to say, with Autopilot and FSD, the Tesla Semi could truly be a disruptive vehicle. 

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Panasonic applies lessons from Tesla Giga Nevada to new Kansas facility

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Panasonic Energy is applying lessons from Tesla Giga Nevada to is upcoming battery plant in De Soto, Kansas. Panasonic Energy believes its new factory in Kansas will be the largest battery manufacturing plant in the world. 

“We’re very excited by the backup that we have in terms of experience, in terms of the technological advancement that Panasonic brings,” said Innocent Chikunya, Vice President of Operations.

Tesla and Panasonic have been making battery cells for electric vehicles since 2017 at Giga Nevada, otherwise known as Gigafactory 1. Panasonic will apply the lessons it learned in Nevada at its new battery plant in Kansas.

Panasonic Energy will produce 2170 cells at the Kansas facility. Panasonic is investing $4 billion in its 4.7-million-square-foot battery facility in Kansas. As of the last week of June, the battery manufacturing plant was less than 50% complete. 

Panasonic’s Kansas-based battery plant will have two wings. Each wing in Panasonic’s massive manufacturing plant will have four battery assembly lines. The company has made significant progress on the external infrastructure of the facility. The infrastructure for wing one is finished, and Panasonic has already started installing cell production equipment inside it. It will continue construction on wing two while installing equipment in wing one. 

Panasonic Energy aims to open its Kanas facility by spring 2025. The company has committed to hiring employees to fill more than 4,000 jobs in the area over the next few years. Panasonic estimates the starting pay for jobs will range between $20 and $30 per hour. 

If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101. 

Panasonic applies lessons from Tesla Giga Nevada to new Kansas facility





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