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Vikas Bajaj

@vikasbajaj

I am an editor who oversees energy and transportation coverage for the business desk of The New York Times. Previously: editorial board member, Mumbai bureau chief and housing and finance reporter.

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14.11.2024
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Latest posts by Vikas Bajaj @vikasbajaj

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U.S. Automakers Risk Being Reduced to Niche Producers of Gas Vehicles

General Motors, Ford and other established automakers risk becoming relics if they don’t catch up to Chinese carmakers and technology companies in electric vehicles and self-driving cars. Great story by @jackewingnyt.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/b...

03.03.2026 17:52 πŸ‘ 29 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0

I saw a fair number of Neta cars in Bangkok last summer. Not great news for anybody who bought one and has a problem with it.

23.02.2026 17:07 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Stuck With an Empty Factory, Ford Seeks a New Market

Also, can Ford and other automakers succeed by shifting their battery manufacturing capacity to storage batteries? by @jackewingnyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/b...

12.02.2026 19:15 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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In Kentucky, People Blame Ford More Than Trump for Lost Factory Jobs

Why automakers, not Trump and the Republicans, may get more blame for the industry scaling back investments in new EV and battery factories after changes in federal policy. by @jackewingnyt.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/b...

12.02.2026 19:13 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

A memo just went out to employees at two of Musk's companies: SpaceX has acquired xAI.

02.02.2026 21:38 πŸ‘ 435 πŸ” 121 πŸ’¬ 60 πŸ“Œ 160
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Three Hours of Free Power and Other Ideas to Lower Utility Bills

It can seem like there is nothing anybody can do about soaring electricity bills. But that is not true. Ivan Penn and @rebeccafelliott.bsky.social talk to energy experts about what governors and legislatures can do. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/b...

31.01.2026 15:33 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Tesla’s Model S, Soon to Be History, Changed the Auto Industry

The Tesla Model S, which will soon go away, helped transform the auto industry and was like unlike any other car when it came out in 2012. by Neal Boudette www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/b...

30.01.2026 20:57 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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U.S. Refiners to Profit as Trump Asserts Control Over Venezuelan Oil

Who will benefit from Trump's plans for Venezuelan oil? American refineries. by @rebeccafelliott.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/b...

14.01.2026 14:17 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Optimism About Nuclear Energy Is Rising Again. Will It Last?

There is a new wave of optimism about nuclear energy and small modular reactors. Will it pan out this time? Ivan Penn visits Kairos Power's operations in New Mexico and Tennessee to see how one company is trying to make these reactors a reality. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/b...

06.01.2026 18:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Tesla Car Sales Dropped 9% in 2025, Falling Behind China’s BYD

Tesla's 2025 sale dropped 9 percent and fell behind BYD for the first full year. @jackewingnyt.bsky.social reports www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/b...

02.01.2026 14:31 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Cheap Solar Is Transforming Lives and Economies Across Africa

Great story by my colleague @sominisengupta.bsky.social on how cheap solar energy is changing lives in South Africa. It's a story playing out around the world, especially in places where access to electricity is limited or nonexistent. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/c...

30.12.2025 16:58 πŸ‘ 63 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 4
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Meet a U.S. Start-Up Trying to Break China’s Rare-Earth Monopoly

U.S. start-ups are using new methods to process rare earth metals in hopes of competing against Chinese suppliers. Can they succeed? by @rebeccafelliott.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/b...

29.12.2025 17:23 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Heating Costs Expected to Rise 9.2% This Winter

Winter is coming -- and so are much higher heating bills. Story by Ivan Penn www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/b...

17.12.2025 15:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Wildcatter and Trump: An Unusual Duo Reshapes U.S. Energy

Harold Hamm, an Oklahoma oil tycoon, is playing a central role in reshaping energy policy by allying himself with President Trump. @ericlipton.nytimes.com & @rebeccafelliott.bsky.social have the goods here: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/b...

12.12.2025 14:30 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
LinkedIn This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

The best hope to avoid losing to Chinese automakers is for Detroit's automakers to learn how to get more innovative and move faster. Here's how Ford is trying to do that under Doug Field and Jim Farley. Great story by @jackewingnyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/b...

11.12.2025 16:36 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Once a Gamble in the Desert, Electric Grid Batteries Are Everywhere

How batteries became one of the fastest growing addition to electric grids, and are allowing Chile, California, Australia and many other places uses their abundant renewable energy at all hours of the day. Great story by Ivan Penn. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...

05.12.2025 14:55 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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See How E.V. Road Trips Went From Impossible to Easy There are a lot more fast chargers than there used to be. Look up what that could mean for a route near you.

The conventional wisdom about EV charging is quickly becoming obsolete as companies add chargers at a rapid pace, blanketing many well-traveled routes with fast chargers. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

29.09.2025 22:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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American Steel Just Got More Expensive. Buyers Blame Tariffs.

On a visit to a school bus factory, I was told that American steel producers are taking advantage of the tariffs to raise their prices. FULL STORY FREE LINK:

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/b...

22.07.2025 14:28 πŸ‘ 137 πŸ” 58 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 9
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Tesla U.S. Sales Plunge as G.M. and Others Make Gains Overall sales of electric vehicles rose almost 11 percent in the first three months of the year as traditional carmakers offered new models.

Tesla's share of the US electric vehicle market fell to 44% in the first quarter, down from 51% a year earlier and more than 60% two years ago. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/b...

11.04.2025 14:04 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump’s Auto Tariffs Will Raise Car Prices, but Details Are Murky Experts say the 25 percent import fee will make many cars more expensive, but it is not clear when, by how much or which models.

Car prices are going to go up because of President Trump's new auto tariffs but its not clear when prices will rise, by how much and on which models. By Neal Boudette www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/b...

27.03.2025 19:27 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's the end of an era on the @nytimes.com econ team, with @jeannasmialek.bsky.social headed to Brussels. Couldn't have asked for a better reporting partner for the past nearly six years.

18.12.2024 20:36 πŸ‘ 35 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

It turned out that people were generalizing from me, Ben Bernanke and Joe Stiglitz. I grew my beard when I was 26, because I kept being mistaken for an undergraduate, and am afraid of what I would look like without it 2/

10.12.2024 19:58 πŸ‘ 406 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 22 πŸ“Œ 4
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Robots Struggle to Match Warehouse Workers on β€˜Really Hard’ Jobs The machines can load and unload trucks, move goods and do other repetitive tasks but are stymied by some, like picking items from a pile.

Robots can load and unload trucks, they can move pallets around a warehouse but they often struggle with other tasks like removing a box from a pile. @eavis.com reports on why its difficult to automate warehouses. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/b...

19.11.2024 20:16 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Why Oil Companies Are Walking Back From Green Energy As leaders gather for a global climate summit, investors are rewarding oil giants like Exxon Mobil that did not embrace wind and solar.

Big Western oil companies and their investors were eager to invest in renewable energy a few years ago when oil and gas prices had collapsed. Now, they have reversed many of those bets, Rebecca Elliott reports. www.nytimes.com/2024/11/18/b...

18.11.2024 16:13 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0