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.
Rivian Improves R1S Engineering Using Die-Cast Subframe Instead of the Old Welded Part
Rivian Improves R1S Engineering Using Die-Cast Subframe Instead of the Old Welded Part

23 May 2023, 18:29 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Even though they look the same on the outside, Rivian has improved its vehicles, with R1T and R1S getting tweaks and new features. Pictures shared on social media show that at least the R1S has a new die-cast subframe in the front, replacing the ol...

 
Cadillac Escalade IQ Spied for the First Time With a New Design Language, Celestiq DNA
Cadillac Escalade IQ Spied for the First Time With a New Design Language, Celestiq DNA

23 May 2023, 16:17 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / As soon as General Motors announced the Cadillac Escalade IQ, our photographers snapped the first pictures of a prototype testing on US roads. Based on the photos of the camouflaged prototype, the all-electric Escalade will feature a more stylish d...

 
Ford Offers More Details on Its Three-Row Explorer-Like Electric SUV Coming in 2025
Ford Offers More Details on Its Three-Row Explorer-Like Electric SUV Coming in 2025

23 May 2023, 13:52 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / On Capital Markets Day, Ford offered more details on its EV plans, including a new three-row electric SUV it will launch in 2025 in North America. Despite some confusion during the presentation, the new SUV is the Explorer BEV Ford intends to start...

 
Tesla Reopens FSD Beta Program to New Testers With 2023.12.10 Unified Update
Tesla Reopens FSD Beta Program to New Testers With 2023.12.10 Unified Update

23 May 2023, 10:59 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla closed the FSD Beta program in February after it initiated a voluntary recall to fix its FSD Beta software. Since then, no new testers have been admitted, and some even reported they were bumped off the testing program. With the 2023.12.10 up...

 
Ford's Level-3 Autonomy Features Won't Be Ready Before 2025 and Will Be Severely Limited
Ford's Level-3 Autonomy Features Won't Be Ready Before 2025 and Will Be Severely Limited

23 May 2023, 08:46 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Ford wants its Level-2 driver assist system BlueCruise to be used in about 500,000 vehicles by next year and has ambitious plans for autonomous driving. The Blue Oval is working on a Level-3 driver assist system allowing drivers to take their eyes ...

 
Aston Martin Vantage Coupe Successor Spied for the First Time With the New Front Design
Aston Martin Vantage Coupe Successor Spied for the First Time With the New Front Design

22 May 2023, 17:54 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / All eyes are now on the Aston Martin DB12 launch on May 24, but its two-seater brother is also preparing for an update. Our photographers were lucky to catch an Aston Martin Vantage Coupe prototype testing on the Nürburgring. Aston Martin h...

 
Battery Pack That Makes the GMC Hummer EV Tick Is an Abomination, Teardown Reveals
Battery Pack That Makes the GMC Hummer EV Tick Is an Abomination, Teardown Reveals

22 May 2023, 15:44 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / When GMC Hummer was launched, we were shocked to learn that its battery pack weighs as much as a compact car such as the Honda Civic. After the Munro Live team tore it down, it became clear that the Ultium battery pack was an abomination, and GM co...

 
Tesla Cleared in Another Suspected Case of 'Sudden Unintended Acceleration'
Tesla Cleared in Another Suspected Case of 'Sudden Unintended Acceleration'

22 May 2023, 13:40 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / In January, a Tesla Model 3 allegedly accelerated on its own and smashed into the West Vancouver ferry terminal ramp. The investigation revealed that the crash was not caused by a sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) event but by driver error. T...

 
Watch Tesla's Powerful 'Drive To Believe' Video - Its First Attempt at Advertising
Watch Tesla's Powerful 'Drive To Believe' Video - Its First Attempt at Advertising

22 May 2023, 10:02 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Over the weekend, Tesla Asia's Twitter account shared a testimonial video highlighting Tesla's unique selling points. Coming shortly after the 2023 Shareholder Meeting, where Elon Musk promised to try a little advertising, this video can ...

 
Chinese Battery Manufacturer Starts Mass-Producing Solid-State Batteries
Chinese Battery Manufacturer Starts Mass-Producing Solid-State Batteries

22 May 2023, 08:31 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Solid-state batteries promise to surpass their liquid-electrolyte variants in energy density, safety, and durability, but the technology still needs improvements. Chinese battery manufacturer Ganfeng claims it cleared the hurdles and started the ma...

 
Tesla Cybertruck Did Some Winter Testing After All, Still Not Enough To Satisfy Fans
Tesla Cybertruck Did Some Winter Testing After All, Still Not Enough To Satisfy Fans

21 May 2023, 08:01 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / So far, all the Tesla Cybertruck prototypes we've seen were driving on city streets or getting stuck in the field. No real winter or hot-climate testing surfaced, although this doesn't necessarily mean the electric pickup wasn't tort...

 
Tesla Model 3 'Project Highland' Sounds So Bad That People Rush To Order the Current Model
Tesla Model 3 'Project Highland' Sounds So Bad That People Rush To Order the Current Model

20 May 2023, 21:24 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / People have mixed feelings about the upcoming Tesla Model 3 lineup refresh, known internally as Project Highland. Many worry that the new Model 3 will be s stripped-down version of what we know today and rush to place orders for the current model. ...

 
Tesla Issues a New FSD Beta Build To Solve Problems Experienced With the V11.4.1
Tesla Issues a New FSD Beta Build To Solve Problems Experienced With the V11.4.1

20 May 2023, 10:55 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Earlier this month, Tesla rolled out FSD Beta V11.4.1 as a significant update to the 11.4 build. Unlike V11.4, the new build went wide to beta testers, but the rollout was halted shortly after that. Elon Musk on Friday confirmed that the V11.4.2 wo...

 
BYD Structural Battery in the MiG Tesla Model Y RWD Wipes the Floor With CATL Pack
BYD Structural Battery in the MiG Tesla Model Y RWD Wipes the Floor With CATL Pack

20 May 2023, 09:03 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Tesla started production of the basic version of the Model Y at Giga Berlin earlier this month. The Model Y RWD, built with BYD structural battery packs, has started deliveries, and people have put them to the test. The results show that the BYD LF...

 
SpaceX Scored Another Victory in Its Never-Ending War With Dish, Will Keep the 12-GHz Band
SpaceX Scored Another Victory in Its Never-Ending War With Dish, Will Keep the 12-GHz Band

19 May 2023, 18:04 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / SpaceX scored another win against Dish Network in a dispute over the use of the 12-GHz radio spectrum. Dish wanted to use the 12-GHz spectrum for its ground-based 5G network, risking interference with SpaceX satellites operating in the same band. T...

 
Chevrolet Silverado EV Will Have a Longer Range Than Previously Announced
Chevrolet Silverado EV Will Have a Longer Range Than Previously Announced

19 May 2023, 16:01 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / GM is preparing to launch the Chevrolet Silverado EV, with the fleet-focused version debuting soon. According to Rory Harvey, GM's incoming North American president, the work-truck version will have a longer EPA range than GM initially estimat...

 
Legacy Carmakers Can't Copy Tesla Fast Enough As Megacastings Enter the Mainstream
Legacy Carmakers Can't Copy Tesla Fast Enough As Megacastings Enter the Mainstream

19 May 2023, 11:39 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Although carmakers have used die-casting in the past, Tesla was the first to use single-piece megacastings to replace massive sections of the car body. Traditional carmakers now copy the move, as IDRA announced its first Giga Press contract from a ...

 
Car Tires Are Set To Become Much More Expensive As Producers Are Forced To Limit Pollution
Car Tires Are Set To Become Much More Expensive As Producers Are Forced To Limit Pollution

19 May 2023, 09:45 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Electric vehicles are significantly heavier than their ICE-powered counterparts, which causes the tires to wear a lot faster. US and European authorities seek to force producers to change the tire rubber composition to make them less polluting. Thi...

 
US Lawmakers Declared War on the Auto Industry Over an Ancient Technology
US Lawmakers Declared War on the Auto Industry Over an Ancient Technology

18 May 2023, 18:11 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / There's a war between US lawmakers and the car industry over ancient radio technology. As more carmakers ditch AM radios inside their cars, the authorities consider the old tech a safety feature. A group of bipartisan senators introduced legis...

 
US-Spec Volkswagen ID. Buzz Will Debut June 2 in California
US-Spec Volkswagen ID. Buzz Will Debut June 2 in California

18 May 2023, 16:33 UTC · By: Cristian Agatie / Volkswagen announced in March that the ID. Buzz will debut in the US this summer and has now offered more details. The long-wheelbase version will make its public appearance on June 2 at the International Volkswagen Bus Day in Huntington Beach, Cal...

 

Stories by Cristian Agatie