TESLA PROFITS, A POLAR VORTEX, AND MORE THIS WEEK IN CAR NEWS

[Mark-x]

  TESLA’S UP, THE temperature’s down. This week, we focused on two big, country-shaking stories. The world’s most famous electric carmaker, Tesla, had its second consecutive quarter of profits, according to earnings released this week. (CEO Elon Musk suggested you maybe shouldn’t expect a third.) Also, it was very cold! Planes, electric cars, and rail tracks felt the pain, and we explored how the nation’s transportation system braved the weather.

Plus: Lyft sues to halt a driver minimum wage law in NYC, LA Metro experiments with ride-hail, and we connect the dots between carbon fiber production and flying taxis. It’s been a week—let’s get you caught up.

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Stories you might have missed from WIRED this week
Say hello to Mercedes’ EQC SUV, a roomier, rangier electric for the whole fam.

Why do freezing cold temperatures force airlines to cancel flights if planes spend so much of their lives at high altitudes? This is the reason.

Batteries are like humans—not fans of extreme temperatures. Here’s how electric cars have been faring in the country’s winter freeze.

Tesla announced it was profitable in the last quarter of 2018, though the electric carmaker didn’t quite meet Wall Streeters’ expectations. But onto the next: CEO Elon Musk says the company has already started work on the factory tooling for the Model Y.

The original genius of ride-hail companies like Uber and Lyft is that they skirted both taxi and labor regulations. Now NYC is challenging that model. To whit: Thanks to new laws, the companies now must hand over even more detailed info about how they operate in the city.

But the ride-hailers aren’t going down without a fight. This week, Lyft and Juno sued New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, temporarily pressing pause on a new law that forces ride-hailers to pay drivers minimum wage. (Uber and Via did not sue.)

We spoke to “Professor Pothole” about how new tech could help prevent the car owner’s least favorite infrastructure problem. (Hint: Focus on preventing potholes, not just spotting them.)

LA Metro embarked on a one-year experiment: letting riders summon rides to three stations on an Uber-like app, for a subsidized fee.

Why making enough strong, lightweight carbon fiber might be the limiting factor for the nascent “flying taxi” industry.