Oil Went Vertical, and the EV Trade Got a Fresh Spark

Pain at the pump is back, and a few mid-cap tech names could finally get a cleaner lane.

Author

Noah Zelvis
April 03, 2026

When oil starts acting up, the EV story usually gets dragged back into the spotlight. But the smarter angle is not just betting on carmakers.

It is also about who helps drivers charge faster, who makes electric platforms work better, and who could benefit if buyers start caring a lot more about fuel savings again.

Brent jumped above $108 on April 2 as Middle East tensions kept energy markets on edge, giving the whole EV value chain a timely little nudge.

Tech Insight (Sponsored)

He revived EVs, revolutionized space, and built the biggest satellite network.

But this AI tech could go down in history as the crown jewel of Elon's career.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says, "What Elon and his team has achieved is singular. It's never been done before."

Get the full story here.

Never Miss Our Top Tech Recommendations Again!

We now send our tech picks via text, too, so you’ll get the same tech breakout news without having to open your inbox.

Foundation Models

Microsoft Launches Its Own AI Models For Text, Voice, And Images

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) AI has released three new foundation models that cover transcription, voice generation, and image creation.

MAI-Transcribe-1 converts speech to text across 25 languages and runs significantly faster than Microsoft's existing Azure offering.

MAI-Voice-1 generates audio and lets users create custom voices. MAI-Image-2 handles video generation.

All three are available through Microsoft Foundry, with the transcription and voice models also accessible on MAI Playground.

The models were built by Microsoft's MAI Superintelligence team, a research group formed in late 2025.

Cheaper Than The Competition Is The Pitch

Microsoft is positioning these models as more affordable alternatives to comparable offerings from Google and OpenAI.

In a crowded market where most foundation models compete on benchmarks, Microsoft is betting that cost efficiency will matter just as much to enterprise buyers.

Microsoft AI Is Building Its Own Identity

These releases signal that Microsoft AI is not just a distribution layer for OpenAI anymore.

The team is shipping its own models, running its own playground, and branding everything under a distinct identity focused on practical, human-centered AI.

More models are expected soon across Foundry and directly inside Microsoft products.

Microsoft is making it clear that its AI future does not depend on any single partner — even one it has invested billions in.

Enterprise Software

Google Vids Gets Prompt-Driven Avatars And YouTube Export

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has added a batch of new features to Vids, its AI-powered video editor.

The headline update lets users direct avatars through natural language prompts — telling them to interact with a product, pick up a prop, or act out a scene.

Character consistency is maintained across outputs despite each generation's dynamic nature.

Users can also customize avatars by adjusting appearance, changing apparel, and generating new backgrounds through text prompts.

Google is turning what started as a simple video creation tool into something closer to a virtual production studio.

Veo 3.1 And YouTube Export Join The Mix

Google is bringing its Veo 3.1 video generation model into Vids, letting users create eight-second clips inside the editor.

Free users get 10 generations per month, while AI Ultra subscribers can generate up to 1,000 Veo videos monthly.

A new Chrome extension also adds screen recording with audio and video capture.

The biggest workflow improvement might be the simplest — users can now export finished videos directly to YouTube.

Vids Is Quietly Becoming A Full Creative Suite

Google first unveiled Vids in 2024 as an enterprise content tool and has been stacking features ever since.

AI avatars arrived last year, music generation through Lyria 3 came last month, and now prompt-driven direction and video generation round out the package.

For enterprise teams producing internal content at scale, the pitch is getting harder to ignore.

Opportunity Alert (Sponsored)

Oil prices are on the rise, putting the energy sector back in the spotlight.

Large banks have raised their crude outlooks, and investors are reexamining which companies could benefit most if supply risks persist.

In a new report, Zacks highlights three oil stocks standing out in the current market backdrop.

Automation

Salesforce Wants Slackbot To Be The AI Employee You Never Hired

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has unveiled 30 new AI features for Slack, headlined by a major upgrade to Slackbot that turns it into a proper AI agent.

The most notable addition is reusable AI skills — predefined tasks that users create once and apply across different scenarios and contexts.

A simple command like "create a budget for this event" triggers Slackbot to pull relevant information from Slack channels and connected apps, build an actionable plan, and automatically schedule a meeting with the right people based on their roles.

Slackbot comes with a built-in skill library, but users can also create custom versions.

It Now Connects To Everything

Slackbot now functions as a Model Context Protocol client, meaning it can connect to and coordinate with external tools and services.

That includes Agentforce, Salesforce's AI agent platform, allowing Slackbot to route work and questions across the enterprise without human intervention.

The bot can also transcribe and summarize meetings in real time.

Miss something important because you zoned out for two minutes? Ask Slackbot for a recap, including your assigned action items. We have all been there.

Slackbot Follows You Outside Of Slack Now

The most ambitious update is that Slackbot can now monitor desktop activity and draw on context from deals, conversations, calendars, and work habits to make proactive suggestions.

It can draft follow-ups and flag critical tasks before you forget about them.

Slackbot is evolving from a simple notification tool into an always-on AI coworker that knows your workflow better than you do.

Poll: How do you feel about your debt situation right now?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Recent Tech Movers

EVgo (NASDAQ: EVGO)

The Gas Price Wingman

EVgo gets more interesting when gas prices climb because public charging suddenly feels less like a nice extra and more like part of the decision.

If more drivers start revisiting EV ownership math, a name like this can benefit without needing to build a single vehicle. That is a much cleaner story than hoping one automaker nails pricing, supply, and demand all at once.

The latest numbers gave the company something real to work with.

EVgo reported record fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with revenue up 75% year over year to $118 million in the quarter, charging network revenue at a record $64 million, and full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $410 million to $470 million.

It also ended 2025 with more than 5,100 charging stalls operating, which means this is at least starting to look like a business with actual scale instead of an investor deck with nice fonts.

Allegro MicroSystems (NASDAQ: ALGM)

The Quiet Guts Of The Trade

Allegro is what makes this theme more fun than just chasing EV headlines. It sells the kind of parts that sit underneath electrification trends without demanding center stage.

Its sensors and power chips help with drivetrain efficiency, thermal systems, and all the behind-the-scenes work that makes modern EV platforms run smoothly.

That low-drama setup has shown up in the numbers. In its fiscal third quarter, sales rose 29% year over year to $229 million, automotive revenue climbed 28%, and e-Mobility grew 46%.

That gives you exposure to EV demand without having to make a grand prediction about which badge wins the next consumer beauty contest.

If higher oil prices push shoppers back toward electric models, companies like this can quietly ride along.

QuantumScape (NYSE: QS)

Science Project, But Slightly Less So

QuantumScape is still speculative, still bumpy, and still the kind of stock that can make your blood pressure do cardio. But compared with the old days, there is at least more hardware showing up around the story.

That matters if investors start warming up again to the idea that the next leg of EV adoption will need better batteries, not just cheaper ads and price cuts.

The company said it met its 2025 goals, shipped Cobra separator-process-based QSE-5 B-sample cells, expanded its PowerCo relationship, added two major auto OEM customers, and launched its Eagle pilot production line in February.

None of that guarantees commercial victory any time soon. But it does make the company feel a bit more grounded than it used to, which is not a bad place to start for a speculative battery name.

New Access (Sponsored)

While President Trump officially earns $400,000 per year, records show he’s collected up to $250,000 per month from another source.

Until recently, most Americans had no access to this type of investment.

But a new shift — tied to Executive Order 14330 — has started to open the door.

Now, investors interested in early-stage and disruptive opportunities are taking a closer look.

See how to access it

The Long Pick

Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN)

The EV Name With A Second Act

Rivian is the most interesting name in this group because it gives you more than one way to win. Yes, it is still an EV maker, and yes, that comes with all the usual headaches.

But if higher oil prices start making consumers more open to electric vehicles again, Rivian has a chance to benefit just as its story is broadening beyond premium adventure trucks.

The big swing factor is the R2. Reuters reported in February that Rivian expects 2026 deliveries to jump 53%, helped by the rollout of its smaller, more affordable R2 SUV. That is the kind of product shift the company needed.

A lower-priced vehicle gives Rivian a better shot at reaching buyers who like the brand but do not want to pay luxury-truck prices. When gas is getting expensive again, that pitch gets easier.

There is also a real technology angle here, which is why the stock works for this newsletter.

Rivian’s software and electrical architecture partnership with Volkswagen cleared a key milestone in late March, keeping another $1 billion investment tranche on track as part of a broader $5.8 billion deal.

That matters because it turns Rivian into more than just a company trying to sell trucks and SUVs.

It starts to look a bit more like a platform builder with valuable software and systems that legacy automakers actually want.

The risk, of course, is that Rivian is still very much in prove-it mode. It reported gross profit for 2025 and has made real progress on cost control, but this is not a mature cash machine yet.

The R2 launch still has to go well. Demand still has to hold up. And policy changes around tariffs and EV incentives have made the whole category trickier.

So this is not a sleepy compounder. It is a higher-upside name that may finally have better timing than it did a year ago.

Actionable Take

If you want the cleaner version of this trade, EVgo gives you the charging angle without carmaker drama. Allegro is the steadier under-the-hood play.

QuantumScape is the spicy one for people who can handle noise.

And Rivian is the most complete story here because it combines a more affordable next vehicle with a growing software angle just as fuel costs are making EV ownership look a little more attractive again.

Oil does not need to stay wild forever for this group to catch a bid. It just needs to keep reminding drivers that gas-powered loyalty gets expensive fast.

Everything Else

  • 🛰️ Globalstar popped after a report said Amazon may be sniffing around, which is usually all Wall Street needs to start acting like a wedding is already booked.

  • ₿ Franklin Templeton is pushing deeper into crypto by buying a digital-assets shop, because apparently active management now wants a hardware wallet too.

  • 🏭 Intel gave investors one less thing to panic about after signaling it still wants skin in the Ireland game, even with the chip world still looking like a very expensive group project.

  • 🤖 Wipro named company veteran Nagendra Bandaru to lead its newly created AI segment, while the head of a major Americas unit also stepped down, giving the company a fresh AI face and a bit of management reshuffling at the same time. 

  • 🧸 Hasbro is investigating a cybersecurity incident and took some systems offline, which is never the kind of surprise box opening investors want to see. 

That's our coverage for today; thanks for reading! Reply to this email with feedback or any tech stocks you want me to check out.

Best Regards,
—Noah Zelvis
Tech Stock Insider