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.
The EPA Unveils Ambitious Plan To Accelerate EV Adoption by Restricting ICE Emissions
The EPA Unveils Ambitious Plan To Accelerate EV Adoption by Restricting ICE Emissions

12 Apr 2023, 11:22 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The EPA proposed stricter vehicle emissions standards for 2027-2032 vehicles in a bid to accelerate EV adoption in the US. The agency aims for EVs to make up 67% of light-duty vehicle sales and 46% of medium-duty vehicle sales in the 2032 model yea...

 
Tesla Model Y Performance Owner Shares His Experience Towing a Boat
Tesla Model Y Performance Owner Shares His Experience Towing a Boat

12 Apr 2023, 09:37 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Common wisdom taught us that towing a trailer severely cuts the range of an electric vehicle, especially when driving at highway speeds. One Tesla Model Y Performance owner discovered that things could get even tighter, especially when the loads ar...

 
Tesla Megapack Investment in China Points to an Abundance of Li-Ion Cells
Tesla Megapack Investment in China Points to an Abundance of Li-Ion Cells

11 Apr 2023, 17:32 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla recently announced a new 40-GWh Megapack factory in China, pointing to a growing supply of Li-ion cells. The decision reveals interesting things about Tesla's strategy, as shown in a note to investors from Morgan Stanley's Adam Jona...

 
Tesla Cybertruck Prototype With Strange Steel Wheels Points to More Thorough Testing
Tesla Cybertruck Prototype With Strange Steel Wheels Points to More Thorough Testing

11 Apr 2023, 16:05 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla has tested the Cybertruck prototypes in various scenarios, making us believe the truck might be the most thoroughly tested model in its lineup. Recently, a Cybertruck prototype was spotted around the Fremont factory with strange steel wheels ...

 
Rivian Offers Update on R1T Tonneau Cover, Owners Are Not Satisfied
Rivian Offers Update on R1T Tonneau Cover, Owners Are Not Satisfied

11 Apr 2023, 14:06 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian R1T’s tonneau cover saga shows that being the first to market is not always important. Many owners reported that the powered cover would not work correctly, and Rivian promised a fix. Since then, things have gotten more complicated, an...

 
Tesla "Whompy Wheels" Make Another Victim, Service Center Punishes the Car Owner
Tesla "Whompy Wheels" Make Another Victim, Service Center Punishes the Car Owner

11 Apr 2023, 11:11 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Reliability is not among Tesla's strongest points, and some of the most worrying problems are related to the suspension. A Tesla Model S owner who recently experienced a ball joint popping out of the control arm was forced to pay for the repai...

 
Rivian Reinvents Truck Storage in New Patent, Gives Tesla Cybertruck a Nod
Rivian Reinvents Truck Storage in New Patent, Gives Tesla Cybertruck a Nod

11 Apr 2023, 09:20 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian is already leading the pickup truck segment in storage features with its Gear Tunnel. The EV startup wants to dial things to the max and patent a new integrated storage system. This reminds us of Tesla Cybertruck's sail pillar storage. ...

 
Many Americans Believe Tesla Has the Best Logo Among Major Car Brands
Many Americans Believe Tesla Has the Best Logo Among Major Car Brands

11 Apr 2023, 07:47 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Car companies spend billions of dollars on advertising and self-promotion every year. On the other hand, Tesla is not doing any of these, so it's interesting to see how the company's image is affected. It turns out it's not, Tesla ha...

 
Guy Goes From Ford Mustang Mach-E to Tesla Model Y, Regrets It Very Much
Guy Goes From Ford Mustang Mach-E to Tesla Model Y, Regrets It Very Much

10 Apr 2023, 18:37 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla fans swear that their cars are the best electric vehicles on the market, despite anecdotal evidence that some things are not perfect. And yet, many people coming from other brands sometimes regret their decision. One Ford Mustang Mach-E owner...

 
Tesla Software Update With Major Improvements Going Out to Employee Vehicles
Tesla Software Update With Major Improvements Going Out to Employee Vehicles

10 Apr 2023, 16:18 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla is testing an important software update with its employees, bringing interface improvements and owner-request changes. The update is also expected to fix the dreaded factory-reset bug that affected Tesla vehicles in the past months. Tesla ...

 
Cruise Recalls 300 Robotaxis After One of Them Crashed Into the Back of a Bus
Cruise Recalls 300 Robotaxis After One of Them Crashed Into the Back of a Bus

10 Apr 2023, 14:11 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / On March 24, a Cruise robotaxi crashed into the back of a bus in San Francisco. GM's Cruise has recalled its 300 robotaxis to address the software issue that caused the crash. The company explained what caused the crash, and it's hilariou...

 
Elon Musk's Tesla Strengthens Its China Ties With a Megapack Investment in Shanghai
Elon Musk's Tesla Strengthens Its China Ties With a Megapack Investment in Shanghai

10 Apr 2023, 10:50 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Energy storage is an important part of Elon Musk's plans for decarbonization, potentially making peaker plants redundant. Tesla announced building its second energy-storage-battery megafactory in Shanghai, China, to supply Megapack storage bat...

 
Scientists Revealed What Brought Down an Entire Fleet of Starlink Satellites
Scientists Revealed What Brought Down an Entire Fleet of Starlink Satellites

10 Apr 2023, 09:00 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / The entire G4-7 fleet of Starlink satellites that SpaceX launched on February 3, 2022, was lost after they reentered the atmosphere. NASA found out that a solar storm may have caused the disaster, but also that SpaceX went on with the launch despit...

 
Rivian Executives Discuss Affordable R2 Platform Underpinning Future Tesla Model Y Rival
Rivian Executives Discuss Affordable R2 Platform Underpinning Future Tesla Model Y Rival

9 Apr 2023, 10:13 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian executives embarked on a rare media tour discussing the company's plans. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe and the company's CFO Claire McDonough offered a unique perspective on Rivian's future R2 platform. This will underpin a more affo...

 
Tesla To Launch a New Steering Yoke With "Improved Materials" in July
Tesla To Launch a New Steering Yoke With "Improved Materials" in July

8 Apr 2023, 22:48 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla pushed the steering yoke in the automotive space with the launch of the refreshed Model X and Model S in 2021. Not everyone was a fan, and a steering wheel retrofit offered for cars delivered with a yoke proved popular. Now Tesla announced it...

 
The Latest Tesla Recall Affecting the Model 3 Can't Be Fixed With a Software Update
The Latest Tesla Recall Affecting the Model 3 Can't Be Fixed With a Software Update

8 Apr 2023, 10:50 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla tries to fix most of the problems its cars might experience with a software recall, even when a hardware component is involved. In the case of the latest Model 3 recall, the EV maker cannot fix the problem over the air, and the cars need to b...

 
Fisker Ocean Passes FMVSS Testing, Will Get Official EPA Rating in the U.S. Soon
Fisker Ocean Passes FMVSS Testing, Will Get Official EPA Rating in the U.S. Soon

7 Apr 2023, 17:10 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Fisker is getting closer to starting the U.S. sales of the Ocean SUV after passing all the FMVSS tests required for U.S. certification. The electric SUV is now awaiting its EPA-range certification, expecting the agency to confirm previous estimates...

 
CALB's "U-Type" Battery Tech Improves Energy Density and Supports Fast Charging Beyond 6C
CALB's "U-Type" Battery Tech Improves Energy Density and Supports Fast Charging Beyond 6C

7 Apr 2023, 15:21 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Battery technology keeps improving as electric vehicles are produced in large quantities. CALB, a Chinese battery manufacturer, claims its "U-type" battery structure offers higher energy density and faster charging speeds than regular cyl...

 
Toyota Pledges 1.5 Million EV Sales in 2026 as CEO Koji Sato Takes the Helm
Toyota Pledges 1.5 Million EV Sales in 2026 as CEO Koji Sato Takes the Helm

7 Apr 2023, 13:11 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Toyota CEO Koji Sato held his first press conference since replacing Akio Toyoda, promising 10 new electric vehicles in the next three years. The sales target in 2026 is an ambitious 1.5 million EVs, as Sato warned the auto industry is in a "l...

 
Tesla Officially Names Tom Zhu As Second-in-Command, Nominates JB Straubel to the Board
Tesla Officially Names Tom Zhu As Second-in-Command, Nominates JB Straubel to the Board

7 Apr 2023, 10:40 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tom Zhu has made one more step up Tesla's hierarchy ladder and oversees the entire Tesla Automotive operations. An SEC filing made this official, along with other surprising moves at Tesla, including the intention to bring back JB Straubel to ...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie