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.
Mother and Daughter 'Trapped' Inside Rented Tesla Didn't Know How To Open Doors Manually
Mother and Daughter 'Trapped' Inside Rented Tesla Didn't Know How To Open Doors Manually

18 Sep 2023, 16:58 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / A mother and her daughter who rented a Tesla from Hertz remained trapped inside the car when it ran out of battery. Without prior experience driving a Tesla, they did not know how to charge it or how to open the doors manually when it ran out of po...

 
Tesla Designs Cybertruck-Friendly Supercharger; the First Will Be Installed in California
Tesla Designs Cybertruck-Friendly Supercharger; the First Will Be Installed in California

18 Sep 2023, 15:24 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Although Tesla opened its Supercharger network to other EV brands, its stations are less accommodating for non-Tesla vehicles. Things are set to change, as Tesla now has a new standard design for upcoming Superchargers. Even smaller stations will b...

 
Tesla Model 3 Highland Lacks Rumored Megacastings, Structural Battery Pack
Tesla Model 3 Highland Lacks Rumored Megacastings, Structural Battery Pack

18 Sep 2023, 10:30 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Among the most significant changes expected with the refreshed Model 3 were switching to a structural battery pack and the use of megacastings, similar to how the Model Y is built. Still, a Highland body-in-white image posted on Tesla's Europe...

 
Turkish President Erdogan Courts Elon Musk To Build a Tesla Gigafactory in Turkey
Turkish President Erdogan Courts Elon Musk To Build a Tesla Gigafactory in Turkey

18 Sep 2023, 08:52 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Turkey joins the group of countries trying to lure Tesla to establish a local production facility. Elon Musk met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in New York ahead of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly. Erdogan tried to persuade Musk to in...

 
Tesla Semi: Everything We Know About the Truck That Will Change the World
Tesla Semi: Everything We Know About the Truck That Will Change the World

17 Sep 2023, 07:30 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla Semi plans were first revealed in Elon Musk's Master Plan Part Deux in 2016, but very few people outside Tesla believed it could be done. Seven years later, the Tesla Semi has confirmed Musk's vision, although it's still not ma...

 
Tesla Offering Powered Liftgate Retrofit for Older Model 3 EVs in the US
Tesla Offering Powered Liftgate Retrofit for Older Model 3 EVs in the US

15 Sep 2023, 16:39 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla dealt a blow to aftermarket vendors in the US by offering an official powered liftgate retrofit for the older Model 3 EVs. The electric sedan is available with a powered liftgate as standard since 2020. Those with older cars who wish to upgra...

 
Tesla Could Offer Scratch-Proof Tungsten-Carbide Coating for the Cybertruck
Tesla Could Offer Scratch-Proof Tungsten-Carbide Coating for the Cybertruck

15 Sep 2023, 10:59 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / If you thought the Cybertruck's feature list had been closed, think again. Elon Musk just revealed that he's considering adding an optional scratch-proof coating to prevent people from keying the Cybertruck. The layer will use a tungsten-...

 
Tesla Scraps 4680-Cell Model Y AWD, Allegedly To Save Cells for Cybertruck Production
Tesla Scraps 4680-Cell Model Y AWD, Allegedly To Save Cells for Cybertruck Production

15 Sep 2023, 09:41 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla fans noticed that the base-version Model Y AWD has mysteriously disappeared from Tesla's US website. Built with a 4680-cell structural battery, the Model Y AWD was likely sacrificed to redirect the 4680-cell supply to Cybertruck producti...

 
If You Feel Rich, Tesla Has a $2 Million Model Y for You, and It's a Grab
If You Feel Rich, Tesla Has a $2 Million Model Y for You, and It's a Grab

14 Sep 2023, 17:00 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla is considered a luxury carmaker, although many people complained about the lackluster build quality. The EV maker apparently wants to prove that it's on the same level as supercar builders with a $2 million Model Y sold from inventory. B...

 
Rivian Owners Report Vastly Improved Ride Quality With the 2023.34.00 Update
Rivian Owners Report Vastly Improved Ride Quality With the 2023.34.00 Update

14 Sep 2023, 15:44 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian released the 2023.34.00 update for internal testing on September 6, and one week later, the first owners could install it. One of the highlights of this update was "improved handling and ride comfort," and some Rivian customers con...

 
Tesla EVs With Hardware 4 Autopilot Computer Finally Got Access to FSD Beta Software
Tesla EVs With Hardware 4 Autopilot Computer Finally Got Access to FSD Beta Software

14 Sep 2023, 09:30 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Earlier this year, Tesla launched the Hardware 4 Autopilot computer with the refreshed Model S and Model X. Soon, people discovered that FSD Beta software was unavailable on the new models, and Tesla Vision wouldn't work either. After over six...

 
Watch the Tesla Model 3 Highland Dynamically Relocate Hazard Lights When the Trunk Opens
Watch the Tesla Model 3 Highland Dynamically Relocate Hazard Lights When the Trunk Opens

13 Sep 2023, 17:28 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Unlike the current generation, which comes with split taillights, the Model 3 Highland has the taillights integrated into the trunk lid. This poses issues when the trunk is open, so Tesla had to find a solution to keep the hazard lights visible whe...

 
2024 Jeep Gladiator Drops Diesel Engine Option, Packs More Standard Features
2024 Jeep Gladiator Drops Diesel Engine Option, Packs More Standard Features

13 Sep 2023, 17:00 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Jeep revamped the Gladiator for the 2024 model year, and, as expected, many of the features introduced with the facelifted Wrangler are now coming to the midsize pickup. The revised face is the most obvious, but expect a host of improvements under ...

 
Tesla Powerwall 3 Gets an Official Release, Specifications Show Improvements in Key Areas
Tesla Powerwall 3 Gets an Official Release, Specifications Show Improvements in Key Areas

13 Sep 2023, 14:05 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla released the Powerwall 3 specifications, confirming previous speculations and insider information. The upgraded Powerwall has been improved in key areas, notably backup power and the number of solar power inputs. Although Tesla states that th...

 
Model 3 Highland Caught Undisguised in the US for the First Time As Tesla Clears Inventory
Model 3 Highland Caught Undisguised in the US for the First Time As Tesla Clears Inventory

13 Sep 2023, 08:57 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla unveiled the refreshed Model 3 on September 1 in Europe and China, but it's yet to make a similar move in North America. The moment is near, though, as a red Model 3 Highland was caught cruising in California with no camo. Tesla is also ...

 
Charging an EV Takes Less Energy Than Water Heating in a Typical US Household
Charging an EV Takes Less Energy Than Water Heating in a Typical US Household

12 Sep 2023, 16:46 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / People thinking that switching to EVs on a large scale would strain the electrical grid need not worry. A recent study shows that EV charging needs less energy than water heating in a typical US household. The study analyzed average annual househol...

 
Hundreds of Rivian R1S and R1T EVs Are Piling Up at Service Centers
Hundreds of Rivian R1S and R1T EVs Are Piling Up at Service Centers

12 Sep 2023, 14:18 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian is preparing to end the year with impressive delivery results as production has finally ramped up. The hundreds of vehicles piling up at service centers indicate that logistics might start to be a problem unless Rivian manages to send all th...

 
Tesla's Next-Gen Robotaxi Might Not Be Everyone's Cup of Coffee, Design Sketch Shows
Tesla's Next-Gen Robotaxi Might Not Be Everyone's Cup of Coffee, Design Sketch Shows

12 Sep 2023, 11:27 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Elon Musk was consumed by the idea of building a robotaxi long before the Master Plan Part Deux was published in 2016. The autonomous people mover is now closer to production, and a design sketch from Walter Isaacson's book "Elon Musk&quo...

 
Hatred Toward Robotaxis Goes Wild as Masked Man Destroys a Cruise AV With a Hammer
Hatred Toward Robotaxis Goes Wild as Masked Man Destroys a Cruise AV With a Hammer

12 Sep 2023, 09:49 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / San Francisco's people have had enough autonomous vehicles in their city and are willing to go to extremes to fight the trend. In July, activists discovered they could disable the robotaxis by placing traffic cones on the hood. The situation e...

 
Tesla Model Y That Refused To Crumble Under the Rubble in China Has the Most Unusual Story
Tesla Model Y That Refused To Crumble Under the Rubble in China Has the Most Unusual Story

11 Sep 2023, 17:56 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The story of a pink Tesla Model Y caught under the rubble in China made international news over the weekend. Still, the car has a far more unusual story, as it appears its owner is one of the most unlucky people on Earth. Tesla EVs have always b...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie