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Merz ramps up pressure on EU over electric car shift

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Merz ramps up pressure on EU over electric car shift


A BYD car at the Munich auto show.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called Tuesday for “more flexibility” from the EU in the transition to electric cars as resistance grows over plans to phase out combustion-engine vehicle sales by 2035.

Merz made the appeal at the opening of the IAA motor show in Munich, as Europe’s struggling automakers line up to plead for the bloc to reconsider the plan aimed at combating climate change.

German titans VW, BMW and Mercedes-Benz as well as US-European giant Stellantis have voiced concerns as they struggle to build up competitive electric vehicles (EV) against Chinese rivals like BYD.

While he did not openly criticize the EU’s deadline to halt sales of new combustion engine cars in a decade, Merz said he wanted to see “more flexibility” in European regulation.

“We are of course committed to the transition to e-mobility,” the conservative leader, who took office in May, told the show.

But he added that “we need smart, reliable and flexible European regulation—it is more necessary than ever”.

“We want to achieve climate protection as cost-effectively as possible through technological openness. Unilateral political commitments to specific technologies are fundamentally the wrong economic policy approach.”

Markus Soeder, the leader of Bavaria state where the motor show is taking place and a political ally of Merz, was more blunt.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opens the International Motor Show IAA in Munich
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opens the International Motor Show IAA in Munich.

“This combustion engine ban is wrong,” he told the show.

“We need other options because, to be perfectly honest, combustion engines still have a future. Electric mobility will prevail in the long term but we need significantly more time to organize the whole thing in Europe.”

‘Supportive’ speeches

Jan Vlasak, who works in software for a German carmaker, praised the speeches as “really supportive of the automotive industry”.

The 35-year-old agreed the 2035 ban should be reviewed, calling for it to be pushed back by five to 10 years.

A stuttering shift to EVs is one of the major challenges facing Europe’s auto sector. Manufacturers have invested huge sums in the transition, but sales have grown far more slowly than anticipated.

On top of that, the industry has faced rising at home along with fierce competition in China from BYD and other EV makers that has eroded sales for foreign manufacturers in the world’s biggest auto market.

In Germany, the auto sector has already shed more than 50,000 jobs over the past year, according to EY.

A PIX Beastie mini electric vehicle with a 3D printed unibody chassis is on view at the booth of Chinese smart vehicle tech company PIX Moving during the International Motor Show IAA
A PIX Beastie mini electric vehicle with a 3D printed unibody chassis is on view at the booth of Chinese smart vehicle tech company PIX Moving during the International Motor Show IAA.

Volkswagen is planning 35,000 layoffs between now and 2030 and taking the unprecedented step of halting production at two of its sites in Germany.

Plans for redundancies have been coming thick and fast at Porsche, Audi, and at hundreds of German auto sector suppliers.

Merz is planning to host meetings with key auto sector players soon to chart a way forward.

“Our goal is for Germany to remain one of the world’s leading places for automotive and manufacturing in the future—we want to shape the transformation of the automotive industry,” he said.

Chinese competition

On the other side of the argument, more than 150 businesses in the EV sector wrote an to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday urging her to “not row back” on the 2035 target.

When the IAA winds down on Friday, carmakers are expected to have a meeting with von der Leyen in Brussels to discuss how to save the sector.

Underlining the competition the German car sector faces, more Chinese carmakers are expected at the fair than ever before.

ID.Polo cars at the booth of the German car maker Volkswagen during the International Motor Show IAA
ID.Polo cars at the booth of the German car maker Volkswagen during the International Motor Show IAA.

Fourteen Chinese carmakers—as opposed to just 10 European ones—are displaying new models.

Around 100 of the 700 firms taking part overall in the IAA will be from China, up 40% from the last show in 2023.

Chinese carmakers there range from BYD, whose sales in Europe rose dramatically in the first half of this year, to GAC, which is taking its first steps in the European market.

BYD on Monday presented its compact Dolphin Surf model, which has been on sale in Europe since May for around 20,000 euros ($23,500).

From later this year it will be produced in a new facility in Hungary, with the company hoping to avoid EU tariffs on Chinese imports.

Volkswagen is trying to fight back with its own models at the more affordable end of the market.

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Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray Is the Easiest Part of My Nightly Routine

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Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray Is the Easiest Part of My Nightly Routine


I’ve always approached taking melatonin supplements with skepticism. They seem to help every once in a while, but your brain is already making melatonin. Beyond that, I am not a fan of the sickly-sweet tablets, gummies, and other forms of melatonin I’ve come across. No one wants a bad taste in their mouth when they’re supposed to be drifting off to sleep.

This is where Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray comes in. Fellow WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins first gave it a go, and reported back favorably. This spray comes in two flavors, lavender and mint, and is sweetened with stevia. While I wouldn’t consider it a gourmet taste, I appreciate that it leans more into herbal components known for sleep and relaxation.

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

Onnit

Instant Melatonin Mist

Keep in mind that melatonin is meant to be a sleep aid, not a cure-all. That being said, one serving of this spray has 3 milligrams of melatonin, which takes about six pumps to dispense. While 3 milligrams may not seem like a lot to really kickstart your circadian rhythm, it’s actually the ideal dosage to get your brain’s wind-down process kicked off. Some people can do more (but don’t go over 10 milligrams!), some less, but based on what experts have relayed to me, this is the preferable amount.

A couple of reminders for any supplement: consult your doctor if and when you want to incorporate anything, melatonin included, into your nighttime regimen. Your healthcare provider can help confirm that you’re not on any medications where adding a sleep aid or supplement wouldn’t feel as effective. Onnit’s Instant Melatonin Spray is International Genetically Modified Organism Evaluation and Notification certified (IGEN) to verify that it uses truly non-GMO ingredients.

Apart from that, there may be some trial and error on the ideal amount for you, and how much time it takes to kick in. Some may feel the melatonin sooner than others. For my colleague Molly, it took about an hour. Melatonin can’t do all the heavy lifting, so make sure you’re ready to go to bed when you take it, and that your sleep space is set up for sleep success, down to your mattress, sheets, and pillows.



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I Tested Bosch’s New Vacuum Against Shark and Dyson. It Didn’t Beat Them

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I Tested Bosch’s New Vacuum Against Shark and Dyson. It Didn’t Beat Them


There’s a lever on the back for this compression mechanism that you manually press down and a separate button to open the dustbin at the bottom. You can use the compression lever when it’s both closed and open. It did help compress the hair and dust while I was vacuuming, helping me see if I had really filled the bin, though at a certain point it doesn’t compress much more. It was helpful to push debris out if needed too, versus the times I’ve had to stick my hand in both the Dyson and Shark to get the stuck hair and dust out. Dyson has this same feature on the Piston Animal V16, which is due out this year, so I’ll be curious to see which mechanism is better engineered.

Bendable Winner: Shark

Photograph: Nena Farrell

If you’re looking for a vacuum that can bend to reach under furniture, I prefer the Shark to the Bosch. Both have a similar mechanism and feel, but the Bosch tended to push debris around when I was using it with an active bend, while the Shark managed to vacuum up debris I couldn’t get with the Bosch without lifting it and placing it on top of that particular debris (in this case, rogue cat kibble).

Accessory Winner: Dyson

Dyson pulls ahead because the Dyson Gen5 Detect comes with three attachments and two heads. You’ll get a Motorbar head, a Fluffy Optic head, a hair tool, a combination tool, and a dusting and crevice tool that’s actually built into the stick tube. I love that it’s built into the vacuum so that it’s one less separate attachment to carry around, and it makes me more likely to use it.

But Bosch does well in this area, too. You’ll get an upholstery nozzle, a furniture brush, and a crevice nozzle. It’s one more attachment than you’ll get with Shark, and Bosch also includes a wall mount that you can wire the charging cord into for storage and charging, and you can mount two attachments on it. But I will say, I like that Shark includes a simple tote bag to store the attachments in. The rest of my attachments are in plastic bags for each vacuum, and keeping track of attachments is the most annoying part of a cordless vacuum.

Build Winner: Tie

Image may contain Appliance Device Electrical Device Vacuum Cleaner Mace Club and Weapon

Photograph: Nena Farrell

All three of these vacuums have a good build quality, but each one feels like it focuses on something different. Bosch feels the lightest of the three and stands up the easiest on its own, but all three do need something to lean against to stay upright. The Dyson is the worst at this; it also needs a ledge or table wedged under the canister, or it’ll roll forward and tip over. The Bosch has a sleek black look and a colorful LED screen that will show you a picture of carpet or hardwood depending on what mode it’s vacuuming in. The vacuum head itself feels like the lightest plastic of the bunch, though.



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Right-Wing Gun Enthusiasts and Extremists Are Working Overtime to Justify Alex Pretti’s Killing

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Right-Wing Gun Enthusiasts and Extremists Are Working Overtime to Justify Alex Pretti’s Killing


Brandon Herrera, a prominent gun influencer with over 4 million followers on YouTube, said in a video posted this week that while it was unfortunate that Pretti died, ultimately the fault was his own.

“Pretti didn’t deserve to die, but it also wasn’t just a baseless execution,” Herrera said, adding without evidence that Pretti’s purpose was to disrupt ICE operations. “If you’re interfering with arrests and things like that, that’s a crime. If you get in the fucking officer’s way, that will probably be escalated to physical force, whether it’s arresting you or just getting you the fuck out of the way, which then can lead to a tussle, which, if you’re armed, can lead to a fatal shooting.” He described the situation as “lawful but awful.”

Herrera was joined in the video by former police officer and fellow gun influencer Cody Garrett, known online as Donut Operator.

Both men took the opportunity to deride immigrants, with Herrera saying “every news outlet is going to jump onto this because it’s current thing and they’re going to ignore the 12 drunk drivers who killed you know, American citizens yesterday that were all illegals or H-1Bs or whatever.”

Herrera also referenced his “friend” Kyle Rittenhouse, who has become central to much of the debate about the shooting.

On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, traveled from his home in Illinois to a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, brandishing an AR-15-style rifle, claiming he was there to protect local businesses. He killed two people and shot another in the arm that night.

Critics of ICE’s actions in Minneapolis quickly highlighted what they saw as the hypocrisy of the right’s defense of Rittenhouse and attacks on Pretti.

“Kyle Rittenhouse was a conservative hero for walking into a protest actually brandishing a weapon, but this guy who had a legal permit to carry and already had had his gun removed is to some people an instigator, when he was actually going to help a woman,” Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic strategist, said on Fox News this week.

Rittenhouse also waded into the debate, writing on X: “The correct way to approach law enforcement when armed,” above a picture of himself with his hands up in front of police after he killed two people. He added in another post that “ICE messed up.”

The claim that Pretti was to blame was repeated in private Facebook groups run by armed militias, according to data shared with WIRED by the Tech Transparency Project, as well as on extremist Telegram channels.

“I’m sorry for him and his family,” one member of a Facebook group called American Patriots wrote. “My question though, why did he go to these riots armed with a gun and extra magazines if he wasn’t planning on using them?”

Some extremist groups, such as the far-right Boogaloo movement, have been highly critical of the administration’s comments on being armed at a protest.

“To the ‘dont bring a gun to a protest’ crowd, fuck you,” one member of a private Boogaloo group wrote on Facebook this week. “To the fucking turn coats thinking disarming is the answer and dont think it would happen to you as well, fuck you. To the federal government who I’ve watched murder citizens just for saying no to them, fuck you. Shall not be infringed.”



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