With Congress potentially poised to recharge a $7,500 federal tax credit to push the sale of more EVs, new buyers may need to prepare for some early headaches — recalls.

Why it matters: Electric vehicles are more likely to have defects than traditional gas cars, according to an Axios analysis of industry data. And quality setbacks could undermine their path to replacing internal combustion engine cars, Nathan writes.

State of play: EVs represented a disproportionate amount of automotive recalls from 2017 through the first half of 2022, collectively making up about 0.9% of recall incidents and 1% of total vehicles involved, according to data compiled by recalls manager Sedgwick at the request of Axios.

• During that period, EVs represented an average of no more than about 0.4% of vehicles on the road, based on the most conservative estimates.

Between the lines: What's driving the issue? EVs are so much different than traditional cars and they have so many new features, Sedgwick executive Wayne Mitchell tells Axios.

• “Anytime you have that new technology, you’re going to have new issues that pop up,” Mitchell says.
• New features on EVs often include technology like high-tech infotainment systems, fancy door handles and pseudo-autonomous driving systems.

What they're saying: “Right now people are willing to compromise,” Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury tells Axios. “I think there’s some level of acceptance that you’re driving a test bed.”

The bottom line: EVs are just getting off the ground, and that involves some growing pains in terms of quality.

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Demand for communicators is expected to outpace other occupations over the next 10 years, Axios Communicators author Eleanor Hawkins reports.

• Employment in media and communications fields will grow at an estimated 14% compared to about a 6%–10% average for other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State of play: Job postings for media and communication roles are currently 42% higher than they were pre-pandemic, according to an Indeed Hiring Lab spokesperson.

Go deeper and sign up for Eleanor's new weekly newsletter on communications trends.

🌮 Unilever-owned Klondike may be reversing its wildly unpopular decision to kill the Choco Taco. (WSJ)

🏠 Mortgage rates fell 41 basis points since Wednesday to 5.13%, as investors rushed to bonds on gloomy economic data. (CNBC)

More Uber drivers in the U.S. will start to see their fares and routes before accepting rides, Uber said today as part of a larger announcement, Hope writes.

Details: Upfront Fares, as Uber calls the feature, began to roll out earlier this year.

• Another newer feature shows drivers a list of other trip requests nearby that they can accept.

Yes, but: The customer impact is yet unclear.

• The risk of rider and trip discrimination, for example, could increase if drivers decide they want to avoid certain neighborhoods.
• In earlier experiments, Uber found the features harmful to its business.
• Axios has reached out to Uber for comment.

The big picture: The company has tried to improve driver benefits — now more crucial than ever as it seeks to deliver anything to anyone — in the face of increased competition for gig workers.

Go deeper.

Apple Music and Spotify dedicated much of their day to celebrating Beyoncé's new album, Hope writes.

• Apple's streaming service featured "Renaissance" prominently on the Browse page of its app.
• Spotify gave Beyoncé prime real estate on its web service and started a listening party at midnight on Twitter.

Why it matters: It's been six years since her last solo album, "Lemonade," which made her the highest-paid musician in the world that year.

• But notably, publishing fees, sales and streams contributed to only 12% of what she made ($62.1 million), according to Billboard data. The majority came from touring.

"It is best for me to move on and I’m staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career.”