Tesla sued Sweden’s transportation agency and postal service on Monday over a union strike blocking the company’s license plate deliveries in the country. The workers are striking to demand the non-unionized automaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, a standard practice that mechanics’ union IF Metall describes as “the backbone of the Swedish model.” However, the Swedish Transport Agency says it already received an interim decision from a district court ordering it to consent within seven days to Tesla’s request to collect license plates or face hefty fines. The agency says it’s too early to say what exactly that means for the standoff.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Tesla, which delivered over 9,000 EVs to Swedish customers in 2022, described the actions of The Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) as a “unique attack” on the US company. Tesla’s lawsuit reportedly urges a district court to fine the Swedish Transport Agency 1 million kronor (US$95,803) while allowing Tesla to “retrieve license plates.” The registrations are held up because workers at state-owned postal service PostNord stopped supplying the plates to Tesla after its workers joined the strike.

The lawsuit allegedly claims the Swedish Transport Agency refused the automaker’s request to pick up the license plates itself or, failing that, send them through a different channel. Reuters reports Tesla filed two lawsuits: one against the Swedish Transport Agency and another against PostNord.

In a statement to Engadget, Swedish Transport Agency spokesperson Ann-Sofie Masth confirmed the lawsuit and revealed the court’s interim decision. “The Swedish Transport Agency has now received an interim decision from the Norrköping district court to consent within 7 days to Tesla collecting license plates directly from our sign manufacturer. It appears from the decision that our sign manufacturer has announced that it is prepared to provide the signs directly to Tesla, provided that the Swedish Transport Agency agrees to this. We at the Swedish Transport Agency now need to analyze the announcement and assess what consequences this has for us and what measures might need to be taken to implement the decision. It is currently too early to say exactly what that would mean.”

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Tesla, not exactly a union-friendly company, has a policy against signing collective bargaining agreements, claiming its employees already have equal or better terms than what the union proposed. The argument that it takes good enough care of its employees to void the need for a union echoes one Tesla CEO Elon Musk made in 2017 when accused of allegations of poor working conditions and low pay at the company’s Fremont, CA factory.

IF Metall, Sweden’s most prominent manufacturing union, began striking on October 27. Although Tesla doesn’t have a manufacturing plant in the country, it has several service centers, which stopped working on Tesla vehicles after going on strike. Other unions in the Nordic nation, including dockworkers, cleaners and electricians, have joined the strike in an act of unity. A component maker joined the unions on Friday in a sympathy action.

In Tesla’s court filing, the company reportedly described the decision as “a unique attack on a company operating in Sweden,” claiming the refusal to deliver the license plates would affect “a large number of consumers who ordered a new car from Tesla.”

In a statement to The AP, an IF Metall representative said, “We are doing this for the sake of our members, to ensure that they have safe working conditions.” A Swedish Transportation Agency spokesperson reportedly told Reuters, “We at the Swedish Transport Agency do not share this view and therefore Tesla has decided to have the issue tested in court, which is their right.”

Tesla, which hosts 50,000+ supercharging stations for electric vehicles globally, is rolling out a new fee system that the company hopes will free up charging traffic at its stations. Supercharger idle fees will roll out globally, while congestion fees will specifically be implemented in the US.

Idles fees will kick in and start charging drivers on a per-minute basis when a car remains stationed at a charging point after it has already been fully recharged. Through the Tesla app, the company says drivers will be alerted when their charge is near complete and once again when their cars reach a full charging threshold. For every additional minute an EV remains parked in a charging station and connected to a Supercharger, Tesla will charge the driver an idle fee of up to 50 cents per minute, or $1.00 per minute when the charging station is at full capacity. These fees will vary by what country you’re in. The company will waive fees if a car is moved after a five-minute grace period.

Tesla explains the move by stating that a car driver would “never leave a vehicle parked by the pump at a gas station” and that the same logic should apply to Superchargers. In addition to idle fees, certain Supercharging locations will start charging congestion fees, which will be incurred when charging stations are busy and a vehicle’s battery is over 90 percent. When charging, cars won't be charged a congestion fee, which will cost US drivers $1.00 a minute. This is to encourage drivers to only charge up as much as they need for their trip, rather than take the time to top off their battery completely.

As more automakers adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) used by Tesla's Superchargers, more EV drivers are gaining access to high-speed charging networks. And while the availability of charging stations is a crucial factor for increasing EV adoption among drivers in the US, Tesla has said that congestion is an issue the company has kept its eye on. The new fee system could help clear up the influx of new EV drivers that are charging at Tesla Supercharging stations as more mainstream electric cars are adopted by the public, while the fees will contribute to the company’s bottom line. Analysts estimate that the Tesla Supercharger network will become worth between $10 and $20 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Cadillac has unveiled a new entry-level compact electric SUV. The Optiq will sit below the Lyriq in Cadillac’s lineup, and images the automaker shared suggest it will also borrow from the more expensive SUV’s stylings. However, you may have to wait a while before buying one, as Cadillac says we won’t hear more about the Optiq (including its full specs) until 2024.

The Optiq will continue Cadillac’s naming convention of ending its EVs’ names with some form of “IQ.” In addition to the Lyriq, other examples include the Escalade IQ and Celestiq.

Although Cadillac hasn’t explicitly stated so, the Optiq will likely use GM’s Ultium battery platform. Road and Driver speculates that since Cadillac’s SUV is similar in size to the Chevy Equinox EV, it could have similar specs. The Equinox has a 210-horsepower electric motor for the front wheels and an optional 290-horsepower dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup with a range likely capping out at around 300 miles for maxed-out configurations.

Cadillac

Autoblog notes details we already know about the version of the Optiq made for China, thanks to photos and information shared through the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) pre-market vehicle approval process. That model is allegedly 189.8 inches long, 75.3 inches wide and 64.6 inches tall. That would make it around 2.5 inches narrower and seven inches shorter (in length) than the Lyriq. The China model is listed as weighing 4.850 lbs with a top speed of 112 mph. It has two front-wheel-drive configurations, including a 201-horsepower motor and a 241-hp one.

Cadillac’s full press release was short and to the point. “Today, Cadillac has confirmed the fourth vehicle to join its expanding global electric vehicle portfolio — OPTIQ,” the announcement reads. “OPTIQ will act as the entry point for Cadillac’s EV lineup in North America, slotting in below LYRIQ, a luxury compact SUV. OPTIQ’s spirited driving dynamics are designed to appeal to global luxury customers.  Additional details, as well as available features and pricing, will be unveiled next year.”

Lucid’s Gravity all-electric SUV has been on our radar for a while now, since originally being introduced back in 2022. Now we have more details, including pricing, availability and those all-important range metrics. First, the bad news. This thing likely won’t ship until 2025, as production doesn’t officially ramp up until late 2024, as reported by Sustainable Mobility Solutions (SAE).

We already knew some details surrounding the EV, including the roomy three-row interior, but now we have range data. Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson promises a range of at least 440 miles, so it looks like it could inch further than that once the Gravity hits the assembly line. The company has stated in the past that this EV would boast a “greater electric range than any SUV on the market today.”

So let's look at some metrics. According to Kelly Blue Book, the Gravity will easily exceed this promise, as the current top-range EV SUV is the Fisker Ocean, with a max driving range of 350 miles per charge. As a matter of fact, if Lucid’s forthcoming SUV truly gets 440 miles per charge, that’ll place it near the top of the list for any electric vehicle, SUV or not. The only competition will be another Lucid automobile, as the Air Grand Touring sedan gets 516 miles per charge, according to MotorTrend.

Like the Air line, the Gravity is built on a 900-volt electrical architecture that supports DC fast-charging. The company says the forthcoming EV can go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds, via its dual-motor setup, and boasts a payload capacity of 1,500 pounds with the ability to tow a further 6,000 pounds.

Beyond metrics, Lucid also lifted the veil on the interior of the SUV. The Gravity will boast a 34-inch OLED main display and an optional lower display, with multi-tasking available between the two. In other words, you can throw navigation on one screen and the media player on the other. These displays won’t get in the way of the dash cluster and will even offer gaming applications in the future, according to Derek Jenkins, senior vice president of design and brand at Lucid.

The steering wheel includes two touch controllers inspired by the Apple TV remote, as minute thumb movements select items from the infotainment screen and adjust dashboard display elements. Of course, this is a three-row vehicle, so there’s plenty of room for friends and family, if you’re into that kind of thing. It seats up to seven people.

As previously mentioned, the price should be around $80,000, though things could change before these cars hit showrooms in 2025.

Hyundai just announced that its forthcoming Ioniq 5 N electric vehicle will go on sale next March via approved retailers, in addition to officially unveiling the car to US-based consumers at AutoMobility LA. The Ioniq 5 N was first teased back in July, so it’s nice to have a definitive release date, despite the lack of pricing information.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is the company’s first N-branded EV, which is basically a sub-brand dedicated to high-performance vehicles. To that end, this upgraded version of the standard Ioniq 5 EV can go from zero to 60 MPH in just over three seconds, with a top speed of 161 MPH. As a reference point, that older Ioniq 5 maxes out at 115 MPH. The dual motors of the Ioniq 5 N create 641 Horsepower (478 kW) with the proprietary N Grin Boost engaged.

This is an electric vehicle, so the battery requires some attention. The Ioniq 5 N’s newly-designed 84 kWH battery features a thermal regulation system to reduce heat-induced power degradation. To that end, you’ll go from 10 percent to 80 percent of juice in just 18 minutes, when connected to a DCFC 350 kW charger.

This vehicle is also outfitted with plenty of high-performance features, many of them with the company’s preferred “N” nomenclature. There’s the specially-tuned N R-MDPS (Rack-Mounted Motor-Driven Power Steering) system, the N Pedal system for responsive handling, the N Drift Optimizer for maintaining the perfect drift angle and the N Brake Regen system to help conserve that all-important juice, among others.

Hyundai

There’s also a greater emphasis on driver feedback, to allow for more precise control during difficult driving conditions. This is aided by the integrated 10-speaker sound system. All aspects of the vehicle, from the steering wheel to the pedals, feature N-branded elements. Finally, there’s a newly-designed control center complete with a sliding armrest, knee pads, shin support, USB-C ports, a wireless charger and, the techiest feature of all, cupholders.

As previously mentioned, the Ioniq 5 N goes on sale next March, with pricing to come at a later date. The standard Ioniq 5 starts at $39,700, so it’ll be more than that, likely much more than that.

Chinese automobile manufacturer HiPhi, otherwise called Human Horizons, just unveiled the HiPhi A, an all-electric hypercar that’s drenched in power. The company claims it can reach a top speed of 186 MPH and can accelerate to 60 MPH in around two seconds. The maximum power output is 1,305 PS, thanks to the company’s in-house-developed high-performance powertrain with a front single-motor drive and rear dual-motor drives.

The “A” in HiPhi A stands for Apollo and refers to the company’s technology partnership with the EV maker of the same name. Apollo’s behind several innovative hypercars, including the Intensa Emozione and Project Evo models. As such, the HiPhi A is more than just raw power and all-electric bona-fides. It boasts adaptive dampers, rear-wheel steering and a proprietary torque vectoring system that the company says improves both handling and braking.

There’s also plenty of premium features to suit consumers with deep pockets. These include a 23-speaker Meridian audio system, nappa leather trim and a robust driver-assist platform that features 34 sensors including lidar. As is the case with most modern high-end vehicles, there’s also an entertainment/infotainment screen to stave off boredom during those long road trips. This screen is attached to an “eight-direction, infinitely adjustable, high-speed motion robotic arm.”

This is an electric vehicle, so the battery is worth discussing. The 800-volt electrical system was developed in-house and features a battery that discharges up to 1,500 kw at its peak. Those numbers look good on paper, but HiPhi has yet to provide a range estimate, despite saying that the casing is fireproof.

The HiPhi A will take center stage at Friday’s Guangzhou Auto Show, which will be the first time people will be able to see it in person. The company promises more information, like pricing and availability, in the coming months. It’s worth noting that the brand doesn’t currently operate in the US, but has recently expanded to Europe. 

Electric supercars are extremely expensive, so you had better start hitting up your rich relatives now. For instance, the Lotus Evija cost over $2 million when it launched back in 2020.

HiPhi’s release shouldn't be quite so bad, as the company's all-electric HiPhi Z all-electric sedan cost around $90,000 when it launched. This isn’t a hypercar, of course, but does include many of the same features, such as that nappa leather interior and floating entertainment screen.

The kids’ version of the Tesla Cyberquad is back on sale. Made by Radio Flyer (the 106-year-old company known for its Americana-steeped red wagons), the children’s ride with Cybertruck stylings initially launched in 2021. However, it was recalled for not meeting Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards. Radio Flyer says the new version of the $1,900 children’s vehicle now meets all CPSC requirements and will begin shipping later this month.

“We’re thrilled to announce the official relaunch of the Cyberquad for Kids by Radio Flyer, a product we have been working to enhance for the last two years,” Robert Pasin, Radio Flyer’s CEO (described as “Chief Wagon Officer”), wrote in a press release.

The updated Cyberquad for Kids is Model 915, replacing the recalled Model 914 that quickly sold out nearly two years ago. The CPSC claimed model 914 violated ATV federal safety standards for youths and had an inadequate mechanical suspension and maximum tire pressure, among other issues. When the older model was pulled, the government agency said Tesla had sold around 5,000 units.

According to Radio Flyer, Model 915’s safety updates include the “replacement of the rear spring with a steel tube with rubber-coated metal inserts that secures the rear frame to the main frame,” an updated age range of nine to 12 years old, a tire inflation warning label and another revised warning stating it isn’t an ATV or intended for off-road use.

Radio Flyer / Tesla

The vehicle still includes a 500-watt motor with a max speed of 10 mph. It has an estimated 15 miles of range and an LED headlight and taillight mimicking the Cybertruck. The ride-on toy includes a steel frame, high-pressure rubber air tires and a 36V Radio Flyer battery, which the wagon-maker says provides “the best performance with a lower impact on the environment, as well as the longest run time and fastest recharge time compared to other products on the market.”

Tesla, whose involvement Radio Flyer has described as limited primarily to the sales and the vehicle’s appearance, offers the updated Cyberquad for Kids exclusively on its website — along with Model S for Kids and My First Model Y. The Cyberquad ride-on toy is available now for $1,900. The EV maker says orders will begin shipping in late November.

Tesla apparently won’t sue Cybertruck buyers for reselling the vehicle within the first year of buying it. Its newly-updated purchase agreement, which had included the controversial clause as of last week, has now been removed, according to Electrek, which first spotted the change.

The previous version of the agreement stated that Tesla “may seek injunctive relief to prevent the transfer of title of the Vehicle” if buyers breach its resale provision, or it may “demand liquidated damages from you in the amount of $50,000 or the value received as consideration for the sale or transfer,

whichever is greater.” Buyers who tried to flip their Cybertrucks could also be banned from buying Tesla vehicles in the future, the previous agreement said. It was also unclear how long Tesla would enforce this clause.

Electrek noted that clauses like these have been used by other car companies like Ferrari, Ford, and Porsche before to prevent resellers from scalping rare or expensive cars. But the Cybertruck, whose first deliveries are due around the end of this month, is supposed to be a mass-produced vehicle, with Tesla claiming to be able to build around 125,000 of them each year. The company has delayed the Cybertruck numerous times and won’t start full-fledged production until 2024.

Uber drivers (and riders) need to maintain a high rating to keep using the app, but bad actors can pull that score down. Some may even give a driver or courier a poor rating for a perfectly fine ride or food delivery just so they can get a refund. Uber says it's doing more to tackle that problem and to make the platform fairer and safer for riders and couriers.

The company says it has established new systems to pinpoint users who make complaints solely in an effort to get a refund or other appeasement. Uber says any allegations that these flagged users make will not impact a driver's rating or play a factor in account deactivation decisions. The company notes that this builds on a policy it's had since 2017 to discard low ratings for issues that are outside of a driver's or courier's control, such as heavy traffic.

Elsewhere, drivers and couriers will receive clearer information as to why Uber deactivated their account. They'll be able to ask Uber to review the decision and include any details that may help their case, such as video or audio recordings. In addition, drivers in the US who have been accused of operating their vehicle under the influence of drugs will have the option of taking a test to prove their innocence. Uber will cover the cost of the drug test.

These are part of a number of measures Uber is bringing in to make the platform safer and fairer for drivers. For one thing, the company is expanding its Record My Ride feature to more cities in the US. Drivers in more locations will be able to use their iPhone's front-facing camera to capture video of their trips. As with the audio recording feature that's now available nationwide, no one will have access to an encrypted video capture unless a driver sends it to Uber for review.

In another safety-oriented update, Uber says that in 2024 it will "significantly expand verification of rider identities to compare rider account details against trusted data sources or an ID document." Eventually, it will start informing drivers whether the rider they're set to pick up is verified. The idea is to give drivers more peace of mind before they accept a trip.

Other updates Uber has announced include Android Auto integration so the Uber Driver app can be accessed on a larger screen. That builds on previous CarPlay integration.

Drivers will soon be able to share real-time traffic and route information that other drivers can access, while information on roadworks, crashes and lane closures that are sourced from TomTom are automatically factored into Uber's suggested routes. Meanwhile, couriers can now see if there's free parking close to their destination and they can access more information about their drop-off point, including photos of the building or door.

Volvo has unveiled its first fully electric minivan, which is geared toward comfort. So much so, the brand describes the EM90 as a "living room on the move." While it might be comfy enough to travel in while wearing PJs, Volvo is pitching the EV as an option for those who want a space where they can get work done too.

The EM90 is infused with sound isolation and road noise cancellation tech, while Volvo claims that dual chamber air suspension and silent tires will offer the driver and passengers a smooth ride. If that works as promised, you'll be able to get the most out of an audio system that has 21 Bowers & Wilkins speakers.

Along with a 15.4-inch infotainment screen for the driver, there's a roof-mounted 15.6-inch HD display to which you can cast shows and movies from your phone. Attach a compatible camera, and the screen can be used for video calls. 5G connectivity will come in handy for business-minded users too.

Many of the EM90's functions can be controlled with your voice, including the audio and interior lighting. With a voice command or by flicking a switch, the car's screens, seats, windows, air conditioner and lighting can be adjusted for theater or meeting room use — or even a bedroom setup for the rear seats, Volvo says.

If the EM90 looks familiar, that's because it's based on the 009 from Zeekr, Volvo's sibling brand, as Electrek points out. It has a 200 kW electric motor that can take it from 0 to 100 kmph (62.1 mph) in 8.3 seconds. The EV has a 116 kWh battery (with bi-directional charging support) that Volvo claims can charge from 10 to 80 percent in under 30 minutes.

On top of all of that, the EM90 has an impressive range, at least on paper. Volvo says it has a range of up to 738 km (459 miles) based on China's CLTC testing cycle. The vehicle will only be available in China at first and it starts at around $114,000. It's unclear if or when the EV will arrive elsewhere.