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WTF Kawasaki
I legitimately thought this was some sort of delayed April Fools’ joke.
Mathew Growden
April 13, 2025
Oh Hi,
I hope it feels like spring where you are. Have a spectacular day.
-Growdy
WTF Kawasaki
I don’t know what kind of drugs they share around the Kawasaki R&D office, but they are definitely the good kind of drugs. I legitimately thought this was some sort of delayed April Fools’ joke.
Let me set the scene. In a mountain valley in the not-so-distant future, a rider leans forward, and their mechanical steed springs to life.
This isn’t a scene from science fiction—it’s the vision Kawasaki unveiled at the Osaka-Kansai Expo this year.
The Kawasaki CORLEO concept is a hydrogen-powered robotic vehicle that carries folks across rough terrain where traditional off-road vehicles can’t go.
Instead of wheels, it is a rideable quadruped that can walk, trot, and climb through backcountry trails. CORLEO stands on four independent robotic legs with rubberized “hooves” for sure-footed traction on mud, rock, and gravel. electronicspecifier.com
CORLEO has no handlebars to turn or a throttle to twist. Instead, this machine is designed to respond to the rider’s natural body movements. tweaktown.com
This mechanical horse also features an augmented reality-style heads-up display. Its small instrument panel on the “dashboard” shows the hydrogen fuel level, the terrain route or GPS directions, and even the rider’s current center-of-gravity position. motorcycle.com
Kawasaki envisions CORLEO as a next-generation off-roader for adventurers: an alternative to dirt bikes, side by sides, and ATVs that can scale mountains and scramble over debris. interestingengineering.com
Recreational uses aside, CORLEO could be used by first responders in disaster zones littered with rubble or debris. It could also be suitable for certain military applications on the battlefield. karmactive.com, oldmooresalmanac.com
This isn’t the first ride-on horse-like robot I’ve featured in this newsletter. Last year, Xpeng unveiled their unicorn-themed ridable robot, but that bot was more of a kids’ toy. newatlas.com
You won’t be able to trade your current horse in for a CORLEO any time soon; production versions of the beast are not expected to show up until 2050 or later. driving.ca
As odd as CORLEO may seem, it makes an interesting statement about what is possible with AI, robotics, and alternative energy.
Would you ride on the Kawasaki CORLEO? |
China’s Automotive Expansion
2025 GAC Hyptec HL
GAC launched its new Hyptec HL EREV, which includes a CATL Freevoy battery, a 1,200 km range, and built-in onboard DeepSeek AI. carnewschina.com
SAIC’s Roewe D6 EV set the Guinness World Record for “the lowest energy consumption for a mass-produced pure electric car driving through the Qinghai-Tibet Highway.” carnewschina.com
BYD launched its first EVs with ultra-fast charging. electrek.co
BYD launched its premium Denza brand in Europe. cnbc.com
Nio signed a deal to build swap stations in Yunnan. cnevpost.com
Geely and Volvo confirmed that it may take up to two years to ramp up US production to avoid tariffs. reuters.com
Magna opened a new China headquarters in Shanghai. autonews.com
The EU and China have agreed to look into setting minimum prices for Chinese-made EVs instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year. reuters.com
Must Know Musk News
Some senior Trump administration officials and Cabinet members have found themselves deeply annoyed by Elon. gizmodo.com
Hacked, stolen documents explain how Elon likes to be treated on his private jet. bloomberg.com
Tesla’s sales in the US are worse than you might think. electrek.co
Tesla’s new variant of the Cybertruck is cheaper and has a longer range. theverge.com
Tesla suspended orders for Model S and Model X in China. Both models are made in the US. reuters.com
Polestar wins more disgruntled Tesla owners. reuters.com
Rise Of The Machines
OK Go Robots used in music video production
OK Go put together their most technically ambitious music video using robots. universal-robots.com, youtube.com
H2 Clipper received patent approval to unleash robot swarms to build aircraft using AI to enable their robots to self-improve, reduce errors, and stay on schedule. interestingengineering.com
Figure 02 robots at BMW’s Plant Spartanburg are performing real-world tasks. interestingengineering.com
ICYMI: Boston Dynamics taught Atlas to walk, run, crawl, and breakdance. youtube.com
Energy
The SG DD-276 turbine spans over three football fields
The world’s largest wind turbine went online in Denmark. It has a wingspan of nearly three football fields and can power 70k homes annually. newatlas.com
Siemens chooses Oakville, Canada, for their $150M AI manufacturing research hub with an initial emphasis on battery and electric vehicle tech. insidehalton.com
Rossini Energy uses wood to make its new solar carports and EV charging stations more sustainable. pv-magazine.com
At least two Chevron chartered vessels carrying Venezuelan crude are in limbo as the Venezuelan government has no certainty of payment amid US sanctions on OPEC-member countries. reuters.com
ChargePoint has new Level 2 chargers that can charge up to double the speed of other Level 2 chargers. theverge.com
VW’s truckmaker Scania agrees to buy Northvolt's heavy battery pack division. reuters.com
Volvo developed a new Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). electrek.co
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission granted Ontario Power Generation its first small modular reactor license. theglobeandmail.com
ICYMI: Renewable and nuclear energy provided 40.9% of the world’s power generation in 2024. electrek.co
But Wait, There’s More
Bye Bye Brightdrop
GM pulls the plug on Brightdrop production at CAMI plant. cnbc.com, autonews.com
“GM Canada said the decision to halt production at the CAMI Assembly through most of the spring and summer is related to market demand and high inventory for the BrightDrop vehicle — and not because of the tariffs.” fortune.com
GM CEO Mary Barra made $29.5 million last year (that adds up to a lot of CAMI plant employee salaries, just saying). autonews.com
GM has a new futuristic EV Corvette concept that was designed by their UK-based design team. theverge.com
Stellantis confirms that Maserati isn’t dead yet (even though sales numbers for the brand are awful). reuters.com, motor1.com
Workers at Stellantis’s Windsor assembly plant will return to work for at least two weeks. cbc.ca
VW keeps on trucking with a new Amarok pickup planned for the South American market. motor1.com
Nissan partners with Waymo for self-driving tech. techcrunch.com
Waymo is preparing for international expansion, starting with Japan. theverge.com
Waymo self-driving robottaxis account for 20% of Uber rides in Austin, Texas. bloomberg.com
Lucid will acquire select Arizona-based facilities and assets previously belonging to Nikola. reuters.com
NHTSA folks responsible for evaluating the risks of self-driving cars were all fired by DOGE. theverge.com
Jeff Bezos funds an EV startup that has a fun-looking compact pickup prototype. techcrunch.com, techcrunch.com
Zoox begins robotaxi testing in LA. techcrunch.com
Nuro secures $106 million in funding to help scale autonomous driving tech and expand commercial partnerships. techcrunch.com
Pirelli’s US investment plans are on hold due to tensions and complications with its largest investor, Chinese state-owned group Sinochem. reuters.com
A US judge approves letting the former Canoo CEO buy Canoo’s assets. techcrunch.com
97% of drivers want an in-car payment system for tolls, parking, and charging. arstechnica.com
Tariffs are expected to negatively impact sales of US-made vehicles in Canada and increase other non-US imports. autonews.com
North America-wide, Trump’s 25% auto tariffs are expected to cut sales by millions and cost the industry billions of dollars. cnbc.com
The McMurtry Spéirling has SMASHED Top Gear’s 20-year lap record. youtube.com
You read to the bottom, and that puts you on the top of my books.