Xiaomi hires Tesla’s former head of sales in China to lead its auto retail push

Xiaomi has recruited Kong Yanshuang, formerly Tesla’s General Manager for the China region, to take charge of its growing automotive sales operations. The hire signals a significant professionalization of Xiaomi’s EV retail strategy as the company targets 550,000 deliveries in 2026.

Kong joined Xiaomi in early March and is currently in a work handover phase, replacing Li Xiaorui, the former director of Xiaomi’s automotive division, according to a report from Jiemian News.

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Kia unveils US-spec EV3, for sale this year, picking up the ball Volvo dropped

Kia has unveiled the US version of its EV3 small SUV, which has been selling like gangbusters overseas and will come to the American market by the end of this year.

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Tesla FSD v14.3 launching this week, Musk claims ‘last piece of the puzzle’

Elon Musk announced today that Tesla “Full Self-Driving” v14.3 is currently in employee beta testing and will “probably go to wide release end of week.” Musk has described v14.3 as the version that will make your car “feel like it is sentient.”

If that sounds familiar, it should. Musk has promised that the “next update” will be the transformative one for about a decade now — and the most recent v14.2 updates have actually been degrading in key areas.

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E-quipment highlight: Maintou MTA 519e electric telehandler

With practical lift heights, load capacities, and the ability to run a variety of skid steer attachments, it’s no wonder the telehandler market is growing – and French equipment brand Manitou is hoping their latest all-electric MTA 519e model is going to grow with it.

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Why the Los Angeles Fire Department just added 30 electric motorcycles to its fleet

The Los Angeles Fire Department is adding a new tool to its emergency response arsenal, and it’s not your typical fire truck. The department is rolling out 30 new ERidePro electric motorcycles designed to serve as fast, highly mobile medical response units.

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NYC just dropped 360 kW chargers where drivers really need them

New York City just added another DC fast-charging hub, and this one is clearly aimed at the drivers who need it most.

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Tesla expands unsupervised ‘Robotaxi’ area in Austin with only a handful of cars

Tesla has expanded the geofence for its unsupervised “Robotaxi” service in Austin, Texas, growing the area where vehicles can operate without a safety monitor inside the car.

But social media sightings indicate that only a handful of vehicles — somewhere between 4 and 8 Model Ys — are actually running without a human safety monitor. And even those still operate under remote supervision from Tesla.

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bp pulse is building Australia’s first airport-scale EV charging hub

bp pulse has broken ground on its first large-scale EV charging hub in Australia – and it’s landing in a high-traffic spot: Melbourne Airport.

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This $8,500 EV in China racked up nearly 57,000 orders

BYD’s top-selling Seagull EV has a new rival after Chery Automotive’s new QQ3 secured close to 57,000 orders. Chery launched the new EV in China, starting at about $8,500.

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Final Day Spring Sale Green Deals – Jackery 2,042Wh Explorer 2000 v2 power station at exclusive $679 low, Eve, Birdfy, and much more

It’s the final day of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, so we’re doing a blowout edition that has some new Green Deals and a whole lot of our favorite picks from over the last week. Among our newest inclusions, you’ll find an exclusive deal on Jackery’s 2,042Wh Explorer 2000 v2 Portable Power Station down at its $679 low for the first time since Black Friday, as well as the first-ever discount on Eve’s Aqua HomeKit Smart Water Controller 2-Pack at $100 off, and a collection of Birdfy smart feeders, houses, and more at up to 36% off starting from $85. Among our favorite picks, you can find deals/sales from Lectric, Segway, Anker, Bluetti, EGO, and so much more. And for all the other deals you don’t see here, you can find everything collected into our Green Deals spring shopping hub here.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

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