Alex Lauer

Alex Lauer is the features editor at InsideHook. Since joining the company in 2016, he’s covered a wide range of topics, including cars, the environment, books and business. His reporting broke stories on the rise of Bookshop (the anti-Amazon online bookseller), the fall of Best Made Company (and sale to Duluth Trading) and the false promises of a supposedly “environmentally-friendly” NFT initiative. His hands-on methods — driving in a Sherp (of Kanye West fame) in northern Minnesota and idling in the electric Ford Mustang Mach-E for 12 hours in the middle of winter — offer a reliable and unique perspective on popular issues. Previously, he wrote for City Pages in the Twin Cities after graduating from the University of Minnesota. After starting at IH in New York City, he now lives in Minneapolis, MN. Follow him on Instagram: @alexlauer.

All Articles From Alex Lauer
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stands in front of a line of Model Y vehicles during the opening of the EV company’s German factory Giga Berlin on March 22, 2022.

From WWII Bombs to Snakes: The Hurdles Tesla Cleared for Its German Factory

Tesla’s first European plant is officially open, after many unexpected delays

A driver using the Mercedes-Benz Drive Pilot system, driver-assistance tech that has achieved SAE Level 3 autonomy. Here's why it's better than Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

One Automaker Is Finally Accepting Responsibility for Its Semi-Autonomous Cars, And It’s Not Tesla

The Mercedes Drive Pilot system, aiming to reach the U.S. this year, would be the first to achieve a level of real self-driving

A Starbucks employee holding a tray of four Starbucks holiday cups. In March 2022 the company announced new reusable initiatives, not that it was eliminating disposable, single-use cups.

No, Starbucks Is Not Getting Rid of Its Iconic Disposable Cups

And yet the coffee giant is moving in a planet-friendly direction

Hans Rahn and Dirk Hacker of BMW show off the upcoming M3 Touring, as station wagon version of the sport sedan based off a concept of the E34 M3 from 2000.

This Holy Grail BMW Has Been Over 20 Years in the Making

A Touring version of the M3 is coming soon, and Americans are trying everything to get their hands on it

A Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle at Gecitkale Airport in Northern Cyprus in 2019. The Ukrainian military has been using the drones effectively against Russia in 2022.

Ukraine Fending Off Russia With Weapons Reminiscent of WWI

Vladimir Putin has the larger military, but Volodymyr Zelensky’s army is using an "easy target" drone to devastating effect

The Rivian R1T, an electric pickup truck, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities called the EV maker "a bad episode out of the Twilight Zone" after the stock price crashed following a lower production estimate for 2022.

How Rivian Went From Tesla Killer to “Bad Episode Out of the Twilight Zone”

The honeymoon period is over for the EV startup. Now comes the hard part.

The new Volkswagen ID. Buzz in Candy White and Energetic Orange. The electric van, based on the iconic VW Microbus, was finally unveiled in March 2022.

VW's Electric Bus Was Worth the Wait, But Americans Have More Waiting to Do

The ID. Buzz, an EV update on the iconic Microbus, was finally unveiled this week

A grid of three photos showing Travel Edge CEO Jeff Willner and his group of explorers joining him on the DefenderX expedition from London to New York. Here we see the group's two Land Rover Defenders driving through Russia before the war with Ukraine began.

What It Was Like Driving Across Russia Weeks Before the War

"There wasn't a single person we talked to who thought for one second that there'd be tanks rolling across the border to Ukraine"

The first Amazon Books brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, Washington pictured in November 4, 2015. As of March 2022, Amazon announced it is closing all of its physical bookstores.

Amazon, Notorious Bookstore Killer, Kills Off All Its Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores

The company said it's pivoting to other store concepts, but their failure here is their own fault

Two lounge chairs and a sofa from Design Within Reach, which has just opened its Semiannual Sale offering furniture discounts in March 2022

Five Furniture Deals to Score at Design Within Reach’s Semiannual Sale

Find big discounts on modern lounge chairs, sofas, lamps and more

The Wallace & Barnes men's blanket-lined denim jacket shown closed and opened. The spring jacket is currently on sale at J.Crew in March 2022.

What's Better Than a Regular Denim Jacket? This Blanket-Lined Denim Jacket.

Take 34% off the J.Crew layer and swap it in for your winter parka

A deforested area of the Amazon rainforest in Lábrea, Brazil. A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lays out how warming temperatures are causing more destruction than expected and how governments around the world are lacking their response to the climate crisis.

Think Climate Action Is Costly? Inaction Will Cost Much More.

Climate change is already worse than expected and the global response is coming up far short, according to a new IPCC report

A men's short-sleeve Western shirt, denim jacket and long-sleeve Western shirt, all from the new Indigo Collection by Huckberry and Taylor Stitch

Huckberry and Taylor Stitch Join Forces for the Indigo Collection

Two of our favorite menswear brands cooked up a new collection, and they didn’t disappoint

A pile of aprons from Hedley & Bennett on a yellow background. The stylish apron company is throwing a Mystery Box sale in February 2022.

Hedley & Bennett Has Once Again Opened Its Mystery Box Sale

You need a solid apron in your kitchen. Now’s your chance to get the best for less.

The new Super 3, from England's Morgan Motor Company. The three-wheeler is seen here with two passengers being driven on the sand.

Morgan Updates Its Three-Wheeler But Thankfully Keeps the Pure Insanity

The new Super 3 may just be the most fun you can have on three wheels

The Spotify Car Thing, a new smart player for vehicles from the streaming platform. We reviewed and tested the device to see if it's worth buying.

Review: The Spotify Car Thing Is a Fun Little Device With One Big Blind Spot

Great design, slick functionality, but a bit myopic