No car company is making more headlines right now than Tesla. Can the electric vehicle company stay ahead in the battle for electric car dominance?
Mark Rechtin, Executive Editor at Motor Trend, says Tesla's competitors are quickly gaining ground. Motor Trend tested out the Tesla Model 3, Nissan Leaf, and Chevrolet Bolt. Rechtin says that the Leaf and Bolt offer the best options, especially if you don't have $60,000 to spend on a Tesla.
Rechtin also discusses the ongoing problems Tesla is having with its Model 3 production. The company continues to fall behind its original target numbers, while its CEO Elon Musk is tweeting about a possible Tesla pickup truck. Rechtin says Musk should focus more on the Model 3 and less on his dream projects.
Over the past year, the new love for gaming has created a huge demand for the consumption of content on streaming platforms. All this has caused a rise in gaming influencers all over the world. Founder of Viral Nation Joe Gagliese and Digital Video Executive Andrew Wall, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Nikola announced that it delivered its first electric semi trucks last week, sending the embattled EV company's stock soaring. There is a lot of competition in this space, though, said Lauren Fix, an automotive analyst with Car Coach Reports. While every country has companies racing to dominate the electric trucking industry, she explained, a shortage of graphite, used in batteries, and a dearth of convenient charging stations will still keep growth slow in 2022. "You really have to be very careful when you're investing in this marketplace," Fix said. "That's great that [Nikola was] able to deliver one, but can they deliver more?"
Carlo and Baker kick off the weirdest week of the year with all the news you missed over the holiday weekend, including calls for the CDC to shorten its isolation window as Omicron sweeps through the country.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal investigation into Tesla. The agency is looking into about 580,000 Tesla vehicles, and a feature called 'Passenger Play' which allows drivers to play video games on the center touch screen. The feature previously only worked when a vehicle was in park; but, the NHTSA says it has confirmed that the feature has been available while vehicles are in motion since December of 2020. iSeeCars.com executive analyst Karl Brauer joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
