Find the soul

Enlarge / People walk out of a Google office building in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 29, 2021. (credit: Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto)

Google is giving employees until January 18 to prove that they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or apply for an exemption, according to a report from CNBC. 

News of the requirement broke late Tuesday, but Google employees have been aware of the policy since December 3, when an internal memo alerted them to the deadline. If employees don’t upload proof of vaccination by then, they’ll be placed on paid administrative leave for 30 days and unpaid personal leave for six months after that. If they still haven’t shown proof of vaccination after seven months, they’ll be fired.

“We expect that almost all roles at Google in the US will fall within the scope of the executive order,” the memo said. “Anyone entering a Google building must be fully vaccinated or have an approved accommodation that allows them to work or come onsite.” 

Enlarge / The single-motor version of the Polestar 2 just achieved a 270-mile range rating from the EPA. (credit: Polestar)

Perhaps the most paradigm-shifting element of electric vehicles—other than their owners being able to wake up every morning to a car with a full battery—is the way automakers are improving the cars over time via over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Cynics might point out that the approach is borrowed from the tech industry’s practice of releasing a “minimally viable product” and then rolling out new features when they’re ready rather than completing everything first and then selling the product. But the practice proved popular enough when Tesla started doing it that it’s now expected in the EV market.

Earlier this summer, Polestar bumped the range of its dual-motor Polestar 2s, increasing the EPA rating from 233 miles (375 km) to 249 miles (400 km). The Polestar 2 can now also precondition its battery if you set a charger as a navigation destination, and Sirius XM satellite radio was added via an OTA update.