CJames Croft on X says California would rather give EV contracts to Chinese BYD than Tesla or Rivian. That is a huge claim.
MAnd it's wrong. California's EV program is a point-of-sale rebate for buyers, not a contract with BYD.
CBut the anger underneath — Newsom ran Tesla out of California — that part isn't made up.
MI'm not defending Newsom. But BYD passenger vehicles aren't even sold in the U.S. So a state contract with them makes no sense.
COkay, the Chinese part is bad. But the program does favor Rivian over Tesla, right?
MMotley Fool reports the cap is waived for automakers headquartered in California. Rivian qualifies; Tesla doesn't.
CSo Californians can get a rebate on a Rivian, but not a Tesla? That's exactly the kind of home-team favoritism the post is mad about.
MNo, that's the real story. The fake part is BYD contracts. That's not a small mistake — it's the entire scare.
CThe guy shouldn't have dragged BYD into it. But you don't think Sacramento would love to stick it to Tesla?
MSacramento would love jobs and tax revenue. Rivian is headquartered there. It's politics, not a Chinese conspiracy.
CIt's still picking winners. Tesla builds cars in California too — Fremont employs a lot of people.
MAnd Tesla moved its headquarters to Texas. California wrote a rule that benefits companies based here. That's legal and very normal.
CNormal doesn't make it right. If the state is using taxpayer money to boost Rivian over Tesla, that's a legitimate gripe.
MThen make that gripe. Don't invent BYD contracts. False claims poison a real argument.
CFine. The BYD line is false. But the cap waiver is a real advantage for Rivian.
MWhich brings us to the actual Rivian news, not another EV conspiracy.
MTest Miles on X says the Rivian R2 starts under fifty thousand dollars, aimed right at the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Ford Mustang Mach-E.
CUnder fifty? I thought Rivian was the seventy-thousand-dollar adventure truck company.
MIt's actually around forty-five thousand before options. That's a direct shot at the Model Y.
CSo if California waives the rebate cap for Rivian, the R2 gets a tax break a Model Y doesn't. That's real.
MExactly. The R2 is expected in the first half of next year. It's the make-or-break vehicle for Rivian.
CA smaller, cheaper Rivian could finally give the company volume. The R1S and R1T are great but expensive.
MThe question is whether Rivian can ramp production without the early quality problems that hurt Tesla.
CTesla had years to learn. Rivian has to do it faster, with less cash and more competition from Ford and Hyundai.
MAnd that's why I'm not convinced the R2 saves them. Ford and Hyundai already have cheaper EVs on sale.
CBut Rivian's software and brand are much stronger. And Ford's EV push has been rough.
MBrand doesn't pay for a factory. Rivian burned through billions getting to this point.
CSo did Tesla for a decade. Now it's the most valuable car company. The R2 is Rivian's Model 3 moment.
MMaybe. But Tesla had no competition in 2017. Rivian has everyone.
CThat's exactly why the California rebate edge matters. It's a small break in a brutal market.
MFine, it helps on price. But the product still has to be good and profitable.
CAnd one more from the EV rumor mill: The Times of GenZ says Tesla plans to expand its driverless Cybercab service beyond Austin.
MOfficial word? I've only seen the pilot program in Austin. No confirmed expansion yet.
CThe Cybercab itself is real — two seats, no steering wheel, no pedals. Fully autonomous.
MThat part's confirmed. It's the expansion part that's still just a post.
CSo Tesla might expand, or might not. Breaking news.
MWelcome to today's internet. If it says 'plans to,' hold the confetti.
CDifferent world entirely: retired General David Petraeus is now on the advisory board of an Australian defense startup called Advanced Navigation.
MPetraeus, the former CIA director. What does the company do?
CAutonomous systems, robotics, multi-drone AI operations. Chad Loder posted it on Bluesky.
MA general on a defense tech board isn't shocking. But 'multi-drone AI operations' sounds like the next battlefield.
CIt is. Advanced Navigation makes precision navigation for drones and robots when GPS is jammed. That's not sci-fi; that's modern warfare.
MSo Petraeus lends his name and network to a company selling into that market. That's how the defense industry works.
CRetired generals don't join boards for free. But the technology is real, and it's going to be everywhere.
MMy take: watch where former intelligence chiefs land. It tells you which tech is about to get big.
CAnd that's your defense-tech map for a Friday night.