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.
SpaceX Starts Using Second-Generation Starlink Constellation to Beam Internet Data
SpaceX Starts Using Second-Generation Starlink Constellation to Beam Internet Data

21 Jun 2023, 14:04 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Starlink V2 Mini satellites had a rough start after the first batch was launched in February. Still, SpaceX learned from its past mistakes and is now ready to switch on its second-generation Starlink constellation. This should provide a welcome rel...

 
Rivian Will Offer Free NACS Adapters to Owners With CCS Vehicles
Rivian Will Offer Free NACS Adapters to Owners With CCS Vehicles

21 Jun 2023, 11:52 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / After jumping on the NACS bandwagon, Rivian went the extra mile and announced it would offer free NACS adapters to access Tesla Superchargers. Rivian clarified that only the first adapter would be provided free of charge, with additional adapters a...

 
Tesla's NACS Gets a Boost As Texas Now Requires Charging Stations To Include Plug
Tesla's NACS Gets a Boost As Texas Now Requires Charging Stations To Include Plug

21 Jun 2023, 10:08 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla scored victory after victory as carmakers and service providers adopted the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Still, things are only getting sweeter as Texas now requires charging networks to include both NACS and CCS if they want to b...

 
Musk Confirms Investment in India 'As Soon as Humanly Possible' After Meeting Modi
Musk Confirms Investment in India 'As Soon as Humanly Possible' After Meeting Modi

21 Jun 2023, 08:25 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Elon Musk said a possible Tesla investment in India is very likely after meeting prime minister Narendra Modi in New York. While this doesn't necessarily mean an EV gigafactory, it might signal that India is open to lowering the car import tar...

 
Rivian Switches to a Single 12-Volt Battery for Newer R1 Vehicles
Rivian Switches to a Single 12-Volt Battery for Newer R1 Vehicles

20 Jun 2023, 18:32 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian recently faced a flurry of dying 12-volt batteries on its vehicles, last time because of a botched software update. This must have caused the EV startup a lot of money because it decided to replace one of the two 12-volt batteries with a cap...

 
All-Electric Cadillac Escalade IQ To Be Unveiled on August 9 in New York
All-Electric Cadillac Escalade IQ To Be Unveiled on August 9 in New York

20 Jun 2023, 16:29 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / In a very short period, Cadillac confirmed the all-electric Escalade IQ, tested the first prototype, and announced the full-size electric SUV would be unveiled on August 9. The Cadillac Escalade IQ is built on the Ultium platform in GM's famou...

 
Rivian Is the Latest EV Maker To Adopt Tesla's NACS Charging Standard
Rivian Is the Latest EV Maker To Adopt Tesla's NACS Charging Standard

20 Jun 2023, 14:16 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian is the latest carmaker to announce a partnership with Tesla to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The EV startup will gain access to more than 12,000 Superchargers in 2024 and will implement Tesla's charge port on its ve...

 
New Rivian OTA Update Solves Annoying Issues With Highway Assist
New Rivian OTA Update Solves Annoying Issues With Highway Assist

20 Jun 2023, 12:58 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian rolled out the 2023.22.00 update, which solves an annoying issue with Highway Assist. The latest update also introduces driver seat and steering wheel calibration and improvements to the phone screen and Alexa integration. Rivian is known...

 
Hyundai Pledges Billions for Next-Gen IMA EV Architecture and Battery Development
Hyundai Pledges Billions for Next-Gen IMA EV Architecture and Battery Development

20 Jun 2023, 10:12 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Hyundai is among the most ambitious traditional carmakers in adopting electromobility. The Korean company is already giving the chills to Ford, GM, and Volkswagen, with plans to sell 2 million EVs annually by 2030. Hyundai announced investments tot...

 
Tesla Restarts Semi Production, New Trucks Heading to Customers With Larger Orders
Tesla Restarts Semi Production, New Trucks Heading to Customers With Larger Orders

20 Jun 2023, 08:39 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Recent reports suggested that Tesla Semi production is not going exactly as planned, with no new deliveries outside the PepsiCo fleet. It appears that Tesla is now preparing to deliver new trucks, mostly to customers that placed large orders. Te...

 
Tesla FSD Beta V11.4.4 Said To Improve Handling on Narrow Unmarked Roads
Tesla FSD Beta V11.4.4 Said To Improve Handling on Narrow Unmarked Roads

19 Jun 2023, 17:22 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla started rolling out the FSD Beta V11.4.4 to a limited group of beta testers, as Musk promised on Wednesday. Based on the release notes shared on social media, this build should fix the dangerous bug that made the car swerve into oncoming vehi...

 
What Modifications Does the Tesla Model Y Need To Become a Police Pursuit Vehicle?
What Modifications Does the Tesla Model Y Need To Become a Police Pursuit Vehicle?

19 Jun 2023, 15:29 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / As police departments started to see the advantages of electric vehicles and added them to their fleets, companies have specialized in making these EVs fit for police operations. Here's what modification a Tesla Model Y needs to become a fierc...

 
Is Volkswagen Cracking Dry-Battery-Electrode Manufacturing Process Before Tesla?
Is Volkswagen Cracking Dry-Battery-Electrode Manufacturing Process Before Tesla?

19 Jun 2023, 13:33 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Volkswagen announced a "game-changing" technology for battery cell production, utilizing dry coating. This is a manufacturing process that Tesla and its partners have been developing for years without significant progress. Could Volkswage...

 
Tesla Celebrates Important 4680-Cell Production Milestone, Still Far Behind Schedule
Tesla Celebrates Important 4680-Cell Production Milestone, Still Far Behind Schedule

19 Jun 2023, 12:04 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla celebrated an important 4680 cell production milestone, with the 10 millionth cell produced at Giga Texas. Although the number sounds impressive, it is still insufficient for mass production. You could power about 11,500 EVs with that entire ...

 
Tesla Cybertruck Lands in New Zealand for Winter Testing Season
Tesla Cybertruck Lands in New Zealand for Winter Testing Season

19 Jun 2023, 09:18 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Although people expect the Cybertruck production to start soon, Tesla's electric pickup truck is not yet done testing. A prototype has been spotted being unloaded from a cargo plane in New Zealand close to the SHPG proving grounds. Although...

 
Rivian R2S To Be Unveiled Early Next Year, Deliveries Planned for 2026
Rivian R2S To Be Unveiled Early Next Year, Deliveries Planned for 2026

18 Jun 2023, 09:33 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / While busy ramping up R1T and R1S production at its Normal, Illinois, factory, Rivian has almost completed the design phase for its R2 line of vehicles. According to the company's CFO, Claire McDonough, Rivian will show the first R2 model, a c...

 
Tesla FSD Beta Has a 'God Mode' Called 'Elon Mode' That Changes Driving Behavior
Tesla FSD Beta Has a 'God Mode' Called 'Elon Mode' That Changes Driving Behavior

18 Jun 2023, 07:45 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Like many pieces of software, Tesla FSD Beta also has a God mode called, predictably, "Elon mode." Ethical hacker Green tested the feature and became less annoyed by the automated driving software than he usually was. Cheat codes are p...

 
20 Upcoming Electric Cars Worth Waiting For (2023-2024)
20 Upcoming Electric Cars Worth Waiting For (2023-2024)

17 Jun 2023, 19:16 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Electric vehicles entered the mainstream as people rushed to join the craze, and carmakers obliged. With so many exciting EV models in the pipeline, it might be worth waiting a bit longer before pulling the trigger on a new electric vehicle if you&...

 
Tesla Semi Recall Reveals That Production Has Stalled in 2023
Tesla Semi Recall Reveals That Production Has Stalled in 2023

16 Jun 2023, 22:30 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Most of the time, a recall only tells us that a carmaker, its employees, or the suppliers haven't done their job properly. In some cases, though, recalls offer interesting details that carmakers want to keep under the radar. In the case of the...

 
White Tesla Model 3 'Project Highland' Prototype Shows Intriguing New Details
White Tesla Model 3 'Project Highland' Prototype Shows Intriguing New Details

16 Jun 2023, 16:04 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The refreshed Tesla Model 3 is closer than ever to its official unveiling, but we still don't know much about the updated model. Almost everything we assumed was based on a few prototype sightings and a leaked picture of its front end. A new p...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie