Tesla's China-Made EV Sales Jump 36% Year Over Year

Institutional investors and professional traders rely on The Fly to keep up-to-the-second on breaking news in the electric vehicle and clean energy space, as well as which stocks in these sectors that the best analysts on Wall Street are saying to buy and sell.From the hotly-debated high-flier Tesla, Wall Street's newest darling Rivian, traditional-stalwarts turned EV-upstarts GMand Fordto the numerous SPAC-deal makers that have come public in this red-hot space, The Fly has you covered with "Charged," a weekly recap of the top stories and expert calls in the sector.Clickto check out Tesla's recent Media Buzz Sentiment as measured by TipRanks.CHINA-MADE EV SALES:Tesla's China-made EV sales jumped 36% year over year in April, a sixth month of gains, with deliveries of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built at Tesla's Shanghai plant totaling 79,478 units, Reuters' Qiaoyi Li and Ju-min Park.RECALL:Tesla is recalling 218,868 vehicles in the U.S. due to delayed rearview camera images that could increase the risk of a crash, the NHTSA say. The rearview camera display in affected vehicles may be delayed when the car is put into reverse, reducing driver visibility, the NHTSA says. The recall covers certain Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X vehicles.EV STRATEGY:As the global automotive industry retreats from all-electric vehicles after reporting billions of dollars in losses, Fordcontinues to move forward with its next generation of EVs that CEO Jim Farley has described as industry-defining products, CNBC's Michael Wayland. Ford's continued confidence, albeit it at lower and slower capital rates than it previously projected, comes from its "Universal Electric Vehicle," or UEV platform, which the company has developed from a clean-sheet design. Ford's goal for the UEV is to be profitable and cost-competitive with global EV leaders from China and Tesla, the author adds. The first planned product based on the UEV is a roughly $30,000 midsize pickup truck for the U.S. market next year, followed by a family of vehicles underpinned by the platform.FULL SELF-DRIVING SYSTEM:Tesla CEO Elon Musk has indicated the European Union will soon green-light the company's "Full Self-Driving" system, but emails from European regulators show skepticism to the technology and its safety benefits, Marie Mannes and Chris Kirkham of Reuters. Regulators in Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway have all raised concerns over the technology, including its tendency to speed, safety on icy roads, and the driver's ability to circumvent features designed to prevent cell-phone use, Reuters adds, citing a previously unreported email correspondence.R2 SUV PLATFORM:Rivian is advancing production of its lower-cost R2 SUV platform and developing additional variants as it prepares for mass-market expansion, with successful rollout viewed as key to growth amid softer EV demand following U.S. tax credit changes and ongoing affordability pressures, Reuters' Abhirup Roy. "There are other variants of R2, which we haven't shown," CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview with Reuters, when asked about a pickup variant of R2. "What we're building in Georgia allows for different variations," he said.ON THE SIDELINES:Benchmark analyst Mickey Legg downgraded Lucid Groupto Hold from Buy with no price target. A combination of weaker-than-expected deliveries, mixed demand signals, and the suspension of 2026 guidance following a CEO transition materially clouds visibility and the firm believes the risk/reward "has skewed," the analyst tells investors.JPMorgan analyst Jeremy Tonet initiated coverage of Oklowith a Neutral rating and $83 price target. The firm says small modular reactors could capitalize on clean, baseload power needs amid a "paradigm shift" in electricity demand from data center proliferation, manufacturing onshoring, and rising electrification. However, JPMorgan wants to see further successful commercialization execution before gaining more comfort in the shares.BUY FIRST SOLAR:Freedom Broker upgraded First Solarto Buy from Hold with a price target of $260, up from $250, following the Q1 report. The firm believes the Section 232 tariffs could bring upside to First Solar's U.S. business. The tariffs could materially increase domestic demand for First Solar's products, Freedom Broker tells investors in a research note.