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.
Round Steering Wheel Retrofit for Tesla Model S/X Sold Out
Round Steering Wheel Retrofit for Tesla Model S/X Sold Out

23 Mar 2023, 18:33 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla bowed down to customers' requests and reintroduced the round steering wheel on the Model S and Model X. It went even further and offered a retrofit for those who wanted to replace the yoke in their cars. Although many Tesla fans declared...

 
Something's Wrong With the Starlink V2 Mini Satellites, Musk Talks About Deorbiting
Something's Wrong With the Starlink V2 Mini Satellites, Musk Talks About Deorbiting

23 Mar 2023, 17:03 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / SpaceX recently launched its first group of Starlink V2 Mini satellites, touting improved capabilities, with four times the data capacity of the previous generation. Soon, astronomers noticed that the satellites started to descend rather than rise....

 
Ford Expects To Lose $3 Billion in 2023 From Its EV Business
Ford Expects To Lose $3 Billion in 2023 From Its EV Business

23 Mar 2023, 14:52 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Ford has changed how it reports financial results, breaking out the number for each division, Ford Blue, Ford Pro, and Model e. The latter will widen its losses in 2023, as revealed by Ford CFO John Lawler, to $3 billion, up from $2.1 billion in 20...

 
Apple's Self-Driving Program Increases Total Number of Drivers, Its Cars Love Curbs
Apple's Self-Driving Program Increases Total Number of Drivers, Its Cars Love Curbs

23 Mar 2023, 11:53 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Although many companies have scaled down their autonomous-driving efforts, Apple appears to stick to the original plan. A recent report from the California DMV shows that Cupertino hired more test drivers, although it kept the test fleet unchanged....

 
Cruise Robotaxis Failed To Detect Yellow Tape, Causing a Blockage in San Francisco, Again
Cruise Robotaxis Failed To Detect Yellow Tape, Causing a Blockage in San Francisco, Again

23 Mar 2023, 10:02 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Cruise robotaxi again went into the spotlight after a storm downed trees and utility wires in San Francisco. The autonomous cars failed to notice the yellow tape isolating the affected streets and got entangled in the cables. About five years a...

 
Rivian Skimps on Meridian Elevation Audio System, Owners Are Up in Arms
Rivian Skimps on Meridian Elevation Audio System, Owners Are Up in Arms

22 Mar 2023, 19:12 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Rivian launched the R1T and R1S with a high-fidelity audio system designed by the leading audio company Meridian. Two years later, the partnership ended, and Rivian started producing the Elevate audio system in-house. Owners are split over the move...

 
What Is the Drag Strip Mode in the Tesla Model S Plaid and How Does It Work?
What Is the Drag Strip Mode in the Tesla Model S Plaid and How Does It Work?

22 Mar 2023, 17:34 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla Model S was never a slouch, but things got really crazy with the release of the Model S Plaid in 2021. The 1,020-horsepower sedan quickly became the king of drag strips, leaving many ICE sportscars in the rearview mirror. Tesla is now explain...

 
The Second 9,000-Ton Giga Press Is Heading to Giga Texas, Presumably for the Cybertruck
The Second 9,000-Ton Giga Press Is Heading to Giga Texas, Presumably for the Cybertruck

22 Mar 2023, 15:08 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla is readying the Cybertruck production line at Giga Texas for the start of production later this summer. The most important part seems to be IDRA's Giga Press machines that would cast the single-piece megacastings of the Cybertruck. One i...

 
Tesla Model Y's Battery Spontaneously Combusts in Oak Creek Canyon, What Caused It?
Tesla Model Y's Battery Spontaneously Combusts in Oak Creek Canyon, What Caused It?

22 Mar 2023, 11:30 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Firefighters from Sedona Fire District responded to a battery fire that affected a Tesla Model Y in Oak Creek Canyon. The crews needed almost two hours to extinguish the fire. The area was affected by flooding, which has been proven to cause batter...

 
Insider Confirms Surprising Detail About the "Project Highland" Tesla Model 3
Insider Confirms Surprising Detail About the "Project Highland" Tesla Model 3

22 Mar 2023, 09:22 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / We've been talking about Project Highland for the past four months and have seen some prototypes. New insider information spills the beans on the changes that will come with the refreshed Tesla Model 3, and some of them are unexpected. Unle...

 
Erratic Tesla Safety Score Affects Owners' Insurance Rates, People Are Furious
Erratic Tesla Safety Score Affects Owners' Insurance Rates, People Are Furious

21 Mar 2023, 18:32 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla said it created its insurance arm to help owners pay less than third-party insurers charged them. Still, owners complain that the criteria used to evaluate their driving behavior, and especially the Tesla Safety Score, is flawed. Tesla ini...

 
Tesla Will Use Sheet Metal Hydroforming To Shape Its Next-Generation Vehicles
Tesla Will Use Sheet Metal Hydroforming To Shape Its Next-Generation Vehicles

21 Mar 2023, 16:42 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla aims to cut production costs in half with its next-generation model that will be assembled at Giga Mexico. According to a physics engineer involved with Tesla, the EV maker will employ a new production technique called "fluid cell sheet ...

 
Volkswagen's Scout to Get $1.3 Billion in Incentives for Its South Carolina Factory
Volkswagen's Scout to Get $1.3 Billion in Incentives for Its South Carolina Factory

21 Mar 2023, 13:54 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Volkswagen recently announced a $2 billion U.S. factory to build 200,000 off-road electric vehicles per year under the Scout brand starting in 2026. Volkswagen was convinced to set foot in South Carolina with a hefty incentive package worth almost ...

 
Ford Launches the MEB-Based Explorer EV, Engineered and Built in Europe
Ford Launches the MEB-Based Explorer EV, Engineered and Built in Europe

21 Mar 2023, 13:06 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Ford has announced the all-electric Explorer, its third electric vehicle, with reservations now open for European customers. The Ford Explorer will be available to order later this year for under €45,000. Ford has previously teased its next...

 
California Expected to Move Forward With Diesel Truck Ban, Despite Industry Protests
California Expected to Move Forward With Diesel Truck Ban, Despite Industry Protests

21 Mar 2023, 11:19 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / California has always been at the forefront of emission regulations and is now moving to ban diesel trucks beginning in 2045. Despite the protests initiated by the trucking industry, EPA is expected to give California a waiver to move forward with ...

 
Watch Tesla Model S Plaid Lapping the Nurburgring, It Doesn't Disappoint
Watch Tesla Model S Plaid Lapping the Nurburgring, It Doesn't Disappoint

21 Mar 2023, 09:58 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla recently offered some people the chance to test the Carbon Ceramic Brake kit, and one of them was French pilot Sebastian Vittel. The test session opened his appetite for more action, so he took his own Model S Plaid on the Nurburgring. There&...

 
Tesla's Aggressive Price Cuts Have Squeezed Legacy Carmakers in World's Biggest EV Market
Tesla's Aggressive Price Cuts Have Squeezed Legacy Carmakers in World's Biggest EV Market

20 Mar 2023, 18:25 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla solved its low-demand problem in China with aggressive price cuts that essentially passed the problem to its rivals. Traditional carmakers have refused to follow suit immediately, but are now forced to slash prices after their sales collapsed...

 
Insurers Write Off Electric Vehicles Even for Minor Damages to the Battery Packs
Insurers Write Off Electric Vehicles Even for Minor Damages to the Battery Packs

20 Mar 2023, 17:10 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Electric vehicles were supposed to be sustainable and save the planet, but they are more of a burden so far. Even minor damages to the battery pack in an accident can prompt insurers to write off cars with few miles. That’s because the replac...

 
Kia EV5 Concept Previews Upcoming Electric Compact SUV Set To Enter Production This Year
Kia EV5 Concept Previews Upcoming Electric Compact SUV Set To Enter Production This Year

20 Mar 2023, 15:48 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Last year, Kia unveiled a new EV strategy comprising 14 new models by 2027, many of them being crossover and SUVs. After introducing the EV9 on March 15, Kia seized the Chinese EV Day opportunity to preview the EV5 compact SUV it plans to launch in...

 
Rivian R1T Bricked With No Warning Following a Software Update
Rivian R1T Bricked With No Warning Following a Software Update

20 Mar 2023, 14:47 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Many Rivian R1T owners report dead 12-volt batteries following a software update earlier this month. When this happens, the truck bricks and locks out the drivers, who have no better choice than to call Rivian service. To fix the issue, the technic...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie