autoevolution
 

Cristian Agatie

Contributor
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As a child, he grew up among tractors and heavy machinery and was covered in grease from tip to toe most of the time. It was a tractor that he drove for the first time and when asked what he’d become, he candidly replied: “tractor operator”. Later on, he drove all kinds of vehicles, from heavy trucks to off-roaders, all outside of public roads until he got his driving license.

He did not become a tractor operator, as you can tell already. Instead, he got interested in journalism and pursued a career finding stories for local newspapers and radio stations. But the first love is never forgotten, so when presented with the chance, he seized it and became a motor journalist in 1995.

Having found the perfect job to mix his passion for cars and journalism, he couldn’t help exploring other areas, like science, computers, and mobile devices. He took stints working for a computer magazine for a couple of years, and it was then that he had his first contact with new media. But cars always remained his passion, so he returned to motor journalism when Auto Bild started its local branch. Later, he became an internet junkie, and moving online felt only natural.

In the meantime, he also became obsessed with technology, electric vehicles, batteries, and whatnot, so he writes a lot about those. He found autoevolution a fertile ground for exploration and so he discovered his passion for RVs and campers, but also solar panels and new energy solutions.
Hyundai Dealership Scams Ioniq 5 Owner and Their Insurance Company for Battery Replacement
Hyundai Dealership Scams Ioniq 5 Owner and Their Insurance Company for Battery Replacement

18 Dec 2023, 16:41 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The owner of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 was told that the battery pack needed to be replaced after a minor scratch. The Hyundai dealership that evaluated the car asked a whopping $30,000 CAD ($22,400 USD) for a new battery. However, when the insurance compa...

 
ChatGPT-Powered Customer Support at Chevy Dealership Hilariously Recommends Buying a Tesla
ChatGPT-Powered Customer Support at Chevy Dealership Hilariously Recommends Buying a Tesla

18 Dec 2023, 12:22 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Chatbots are a new reality, with OpenAI's ChatGPT being the most famous. That's probably why a Chevrolet dealership thought it was cool to let ChatGPT handle customer support. This proved to be a terrible idea as the new employee recommen...

 
Mercedes-Benz Dealer Prints Out and Distributes FUD Article About Tesla Autosteer Recall
Mercedes-Benz Dealer Prints Out and Distributes FUD Article About Tesla Autosteer Recall

18 Dec 2023, 10:12 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / On December 12, Tesla issued a voluntary recall to prevent drivers from abusing the Autosteer system. The measure was blown out of proportion by the media despite all this being about a minor software update. A Mercedes-Benz dealer in Houston, TX, ...

 
Tesla's High Fidelity Park Assist in 2023 Holiday Update Is Just the Beginning
Tesla's High Fidelity Park Assist in 2023 Holiday Update Is Just the Beginning

17 Dec 2023, 14:48 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla owners have been asking for a 360-degree bird's eye view for years, and Tesla finally delivered it with High Fidelity Park Assist. The new feature comes with the 2023 Holiday Update, but only on Tesla vehicles without ultrasonic sensors....

 
Tesla Holiday Update Rolls Out With Autosteer Fix, FSD Beta 11.4.9, and Surprise Features
Tesla Holiday Update Rolls Out With Autosteer Fix, FSD Beta 11.4.9, and Surprise Features

16 Dec 2023, 02:20 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla was expected to start rolling out the Holiday Update this week, but it offered more than that. The 2023.44.30 software rolls out to customers with the controversial Autosteer recall fixes, a new version of Tesla's FSD Beta software, and ...

 
Mystery of Tesla Cybertruck's Wade Mode Solved, Here's How It Pressurizes the Battery Pack
Mystery of Tesla Cybertruck's Wade Mode Solved, Here's How It Pressurizes the Battery Pack

15 Dec 2023, 13:28 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / People who tested the Cybertruck discovered a mysterious "Wade Mode" hidden inside the Off-Road menu. The description was laconic, saying it "raises the air suspension and pressurizes the battery when driving through water." How...

 
Tesla Autosteer Recall: What Changes With the 2023.44.30 Software Update?
Tesla Autosteer Recall: What Changes With the 2023.44.30 Software Update?

15 Dec 2023, 10:23 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The world is again abuzz about a Tesla recall, this time affecting over two million vehicles. Despite what the word "recall" implies, this is simply a software update to prevent drivers from abusing the Autosteer system. All vehicles equi...

 
LFP Chemistry Gets a Boost From Zeekr's Ultra-Fast-Charging 'Golden Battery'
LFP Chemistry Gets a Boost From Zeekr's Ultra-Fast-Charging 'Golden Battery'

15 Dec 2023, 01:12 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Zeekr unveiled the 007 luxury sedan in November without offering crucial technical details. It turns out that the Tesla Model S rival will be rocking a new LFP battery that Zeekr developed in-house. The main characteristic is its ultra-fast chargin...

 
Tesla Cybertruck's Powered Tonneau Cover Puts Rivian To Shame, Here's Why
Tesla Cybertruck's Powered Tonneau Cover Puts Rivian To Shame, Here's Why

14 Dec 2023, 16:40 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The powered tonneau cover on the R1T's bed was Rivian's biggest blunder to date, taking the EV startup two years to fix. Tesla, on the other hand, fitted the Cybertruck with a cover that could withstand the weight of two people and not br...

 
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Tesla Cybertruck's Armored-Glass Windows, Gigawiper?
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Tesla Cybertruck's Armored-Glass Windows, Gigawiper?

14 Dec 2023, 13:58 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla announced the Cybertruck pricing during the Delivery Day event on November 30, proving more expensive than people anticipated. However, replacement parts seem to be reasonably priced, according to the parts catalog that Tesla published. This ...

 
Tesla Cybertruck Doesn't Come With a Radar Sensor Like Model S/X, Parts Catalog Shows
Tesla Cybertruck Doesn't Come With a Radar Sensor Like Model S/X, Parts Catalog Shows

14 Dec 2023, 10:54 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla Cybertruck still hides many secrets even two weeks after deliveries began. As Tesla published the Cybertruck's parts catalog, some of its secrets came to light. Among them was the fact that the electric pickup truck doesn't have a f...

 
Select Tesla Model 3 Trims To Lose $7,500 Tax Credit, Other Models Likely Affected
Select Tesla Model 3 Trims To Lose $7,500 Tax Credit, Other Models Likely Affected

13 Dec 2023, 17:43 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was a boon for EV makers, with a $7,500 tax credit making their cars more affordable for qualifying buyers. However, the situation will change significantly in 2024, and not even Tesla will be able to enroll all it...

 
Tesla Adds Non-Refundable $1,000 'Early Access Deposit' to Cybertruck Orders
Tesla Adds Non-Refundable $1,000 'Early Access Deposit' to Cybertruck Orders

13 Dec 2023, 15:49 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla delivered the first Cybertrucks to employees and celebrities on November 30 and soon opened the order books for regular customers. However, it appears that many changed their mind after placing an order. To prevent this in the future, Tesla i...

 
Tesla 'Recalls' 2 Million EVs With an OTA Software Update To Prevent Autopilot Abuse
Tesla 'Recalls' 2 Million EVs With an OTA Software Update To Prevent Autopilot Abuse

13 Dec 2023, 12:28 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla is once again making changes to its driver assistance systems to comply with NHTSA's requests to make it harder for drivers to abuse the Autopilot system. More than 2 million vehicles will receive an over-the-air (OTA) update that will p...

 
Tesla Optimus Gen 2 Has Incredible Human-Like Gestures, Will Soon Thread a Needle for You
Tesla Optimus Gen 2 Has Incredible Human-Like Gestures, Will Soon Thread a Needle for You

13 Dec 2023, 10:34 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla Optimus program is advancing at a neck-breaking pace, with the second generation of the bot demonstrating human-like movements. Tesla has put a lot of effort into improving the hands, which now feature 11 degrees of freedom. Elon Musk says it...

 
Tesla Cybertruck Was Added to the NHTSA Database With No Official Crash-Test Ratings
Tesla Cybertruck Was Added to the NHTSA Database With No Official Crash-Test Ratings

12 Dec 2023, 16:54 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / As the Tesla Cybertruck was listed on the NHTSA's website, many people wondered why the electric pickup has no official safety ratings. The reason is that neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS have tested the Cybertruck, and they might never do so. H...

 
Volkswagen ID.3 Lost 10 Percent of Its Battery Capacity After Two Years and 30,000 Miles
Volkswagen ID.3 Lost 10 Percent of Its Battery Capacity After Two Years and 30,000 Miles

12 Dec 2023, 15:17 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / All electric vehicles lose battery capacity over time, although this should be negligible. However, an independent test showed that a 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 lost 10 percent of its battery after only 30,000 miles. This is more than other EVs tested in...

 
Rivian R1T Owner Got the Updated Powered Tonneau Cover Installed, Here's How It Works
Rivian R1T Owner Got the Updated Powered Tonneau Cover Installed, Here's How It Works

12 Dec 2023, 12:45 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Early Rivian R1T owners got in trouble with the powered tonneau covers on their trucks, which broke prematurely. Rivian took note and promised a fix, but it took more than a year before the updated covers became available. Here are the first impres...

 
Tesla Cybertruck RC Prototype Slides Off-Trail, Needs To Be Rescued by a Ford F-350
Tesla Cybertruck RC Prototype Slides Off-Trail, Needs To Be Rescued by a Ford F-350

12 Dec 2023, 10:45 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Those who followed the Cybertruck for the past year know that Tesla's electric pickup is not that good for off-road adventures. A video shared on Instagram shows a release-candidate Tesla Cybertruck rescued by a Ford F-350 recovery truck after...

 
Audi Q6 E-Tron Sheds Almost All Camo, Shows Legacy Carmakers Don't Care About Aerodynamics
Audi Q6 E-Tron Sheds Almost All Camo, Shows Legacy Carmakers Don't Care About Aerodynamics

11 Dec 2023, 17:03 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Audi is nearing the Q6 e-tron for its expected launch next year, two years later than planned. The all-electric crossover has been caught undisguised, revealing all the design details that were until now hidden. Strikingly, the Audi Q6 e-tron follo...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie