The sound of silence is now easier to find in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

That’s thanks to the introduction of all-electric off-road vehicles that, among other perks, promise a quiet, exhaust-free ride through 100 miles of trails in the famously scenic setting.

Minneapolis-based powersports company Polaris recently teamed up with the State of Michigan to establish an EV charging network across trails that traverse four communities in the UP’s Ontonagon County—a project that they’re billing as the first of its kind.

Andrew Chasse, VP of strategy and partnerships at Polaris, told Tech Brew that the manufacturer has been testing electric versions of much of its product portfolio in the last several years.

“We’ve been on a pretty intense journey to learn about what electrification brings to powersports,” he said. “One of the things that we latched onto really early in that process was, our customers had very little interest in electrification just for electrification.”

But Polaris has found that its customers are interested in electrification’s benefits—no exhaust fumes or emissions, fewer maintenance needs, faster acceleration, and a quieter riding experience.

Keep reading here.—JG

The 2024 cybersecurity trends are in. ESG Research and Elastic Security Labs teamed up to give us a clear grasp on how AI is changing the threat landscape. Ready to hear what their surveys and research uncovered?

Tune in to Elastic’s on-demand webinar. Jon Oltsik, Distinguished Analyst and ESG Fellow, and Jake King, Elastic Security Labs Leader and Co-founder of Cmd Security, share the screen to examine today’s most pressing cybersecurity trends. You’ll hear about topics like:

• current and future use cases for AI in cybersecurity
• types of defenses orgs are building to protect against AI-based cyberattacks
• key metrics to measure the effectiveness of generative AI for cybersecurity

Get data-backed information on the changes happening in cybersecurity now—and how to prepare your org for the future.

Register for the webinar today.

The EV market’s recent woes are partly to blame for a slowdown in M&A activity in the automotive industry so far this year—but things may be looking up soon.

That’s according to PwC’s midyear analysis of auto deals.

“In 2024, the auto sector’s M&A activity is slowing due to factors like reduced consumer demand for electric vehicles and higher interest rates,” the report concludes. “This makes it crucial for companies and private equity firms to focus on M&A strategy to redefine their business objectives and bring value to stakeholders.”

Late last year, it started to become clear that automakers in the US had overestimated the demand for EVs, at least in the near term. Consumers, held back by concerns about charging, battery range, affordability, and other factors, pumped the brakes, prompting EV investment delays.

PwC expects things to pick back up next year: “Moving into 2025, we can expect deal activity to be driven by continued investment in electric vehicle assets, infrastructure, and the consolidation of internal combustion engine technologies.”

But first, we’ve gotta get through a slew of key elections happening around the world this fall, including the presidential election in the US.

Keep reading here.—JG

Sunbathers might forget an umbrella, cooler, or sunscreen, but most aren’t leaving their phones behind when they flock to the beach.

According to a new Morning Consult survey commissioned by Verizon, three-quarters of respondents reported using their mobile phones at the beach—for taking photos (87%), for making personal calls and sending texts (72%), or for playing music (66%).

But it’s not all fun under the sun: More than half of the respondents—especially Gen Z and millennials—said they’ve used their phone at the beach for work. Almost 20% of the work-from-beach crowd confessed to doing so without their employers’ knowledge.

All of this confirms what we already knew: We’re more likely to throw our phone into our beach bags than other essentials. Some people are even willing to suffer a sunburn for it.

Morning Consult found that more than a third of respondents would rather forget to use sunscreen than forget their phone at home. That number climbs even higher, to 47%, among the Gen Z crowd.

But wait, there’s more tech you can expect to see on the sand.

Keep reading here.—KG

What’s your dream vacay setting?

your own private island
boppin’ city
sunny beach
cabin in the mountains

Web on wheels. When you’re headed out to your perfect vacation this summer, stay connected with AT&T In-car Wi-Fi. Why? Connected cars unlock tons of features for your travels, from next-level streaming to safety. We teamed up with AT&T to show you exactly why you need to hook up your whip.

Usually, we write about the business of tech. Here, we highlight the *tech* of tech.

The real real: Buying things on Amazon is too easy, too fast, and too convenient. And yet, it’s become a bit of a gamble of late, with the e-commerce behemoth flooded with third-party sellers hawking goods of questionable value and quality.

If you’re a Prime member, you’ve likely gotten burned. (We know we have!) Wired has a very helpful breakdown of tips and tricks to avoid getting fleeced.

ICYMI: Spotify raised its rates for a Premium membership earlier this month, and users (us included!) were…irked. What if you just want to listen to Taylor Swift nonstop and have no interest in audiobooks?

Seems Spotify heard our plea. Last Friday, it debuted its Basic plan, which starts at $10.99 per month, no audiobook streaming. Hot tip: You cannot bump your account from Premium to Basic within the app. You gotta log on to its website. Not ideal, but it’ll save you a few bucks a year if audiobooks aren’t your jam.