Category: Tesla

It looks like your run-of-the-mill underground parking garage

By Andrew J. Hawkins 

The first passenger station in the “Vegas Loop” network of vehicle tunnels that’s being built by Elon Musk’s Boring Company was revealed Thursday. The station is situated underneath Resorts World Las Vegas, the first in what is expected to be 55 stops along 29 miles of tunnels. 

The Boring Company already operates a small version of this “Teslas in Tunnels” system underneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, which opened in early 2021 and involves two 0.8-mile tunnels. Afterward, Musk’s startup proposed a massive citywide expansion that was eventually approved by Clark County officials last year. The system uses human-controlled Model X and Y vehicles to transport passengers, despite Musk’s previous statements about using sleds to carry cars through the tunnels.

DUBBED THE VEGAS LOOP, THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW PASSENGERS TO HITCH RIDES IN TESLAS TO AND FROM PLACES LIKE THE HOTEL CASINOS ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP.

Dubbed the Vegas Loop, the system will allow passengers to hitch rides in Teslas to and from places like the hotel casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, the city’s new football stadium, the Las Vegas Convention Center, and McCarran International Airport. The Resorts World casino station is the first station opened. The company recently received unanimous approval to expand its Vegas Loop project to include stops at landmarks like the Stratosphere and Fremont Street.

“Today marks a monumental moment not only for our resort, but for Las Vegas,” said Scott Sibella, president of Resorts World Las Vegas, in a statement. “Our passenger station will make a visit to our resort from the Las Vegas Convention Center easier than ever, and eventually connect us to key destinations throughout the city.” 

Continue reading… “Elon Musk’s ‘Teslas in Tunnels’ Las Vegas project is still happening, and here’s the first station”

Shifting smaller vehicles like the Model 3 and Y from 400 volts to 800 volts would make zero economic sense, Tesla execs say. 

By: Dan Mihalascu

Tesla’s Q1 2022 earnings call revealed plenty of positive updates from a financial and manufacturing perspective, and even when it comes to new products, with Elon Musk confirming that the dedicated robotaxi will enter production in 2024.

On the product side of things, the webcast’s Q&A session included a question on why Tesla avoids adopting an 800-volt architecture for its vehicles.

As it turns out, the EV maker is considering running some of its EVs on 800 volts, namely the Cybertruck and Semi. Why not more models, seeing as Tesla rivals such as the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and others use 800-volt architectures, not to mention the Lucid Air which runs on 900 volts?

Well, Tesla believes that the benefits of switching to 800 volts are massively outweighed by the overall cost of doing so. Tesla SVP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering, Andrew Baglino, noted that there is little incentive for the company to shift smaller vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y on an 800-volt architecture.

Continue reading… “Tesla Considering 800-Volt Architecture For Cybertruck And Semi”

By Fred Lambert

Elon Musk announced that Tesla is going to build a new futuristic-looking electric vehicle as a “dedicated robotaxi” – though there’s no clear timeline for the new vehicle.

At Tesla’s Cyber Rodeo event tonight, Gigafactory Texas was the real star of the show.

CEO Elon Musk made clear that Tesla’s focus in the short term and in 2022 specifically is to scale operations to increase production capacity, and Giga Texas is going to be critical to make that happen.

But the CEO still made sure to get people excited about upcoming new products and said that 2023 is going to be the year for new vehicles with the Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, and new Roadster all entering production next year.

Musk even announced a new vehicle at the event: a dedicated robotaxi.

Continue reading… “Tesla is going to make a new futuristic-looking electric vehicle as a ‘dedicated robotaxi’”

By MATT MCNULTY

• Elon Musk is pushing for a massive 6.2-mile underground tunnel to ferry Tesla vehicles and their passengers in the traffic-clogged area of North Miami Beach 
• Musk’s Boring Company are currently considering the Hard Rock Stadium and Florida International University’s Biscayne campus as hosts for the transit tunnel 
• The ‘rough’ estimated cost for the project sits at between $180 million and $220 million
• It is expected to be completed in a 36-month construction time frame, according to Boring 
• The concept is already in effect in Las Vegas, where 1.7-mile track allows for Teslas to cruise beneath the city’s convention center at top speeds of 40 mph
• The next step in the process is to submit an interim agreement before city officials on March 15, according to city manager Chris Lagerbloom 

Elon Musk is pushing to build a massive 6.2-mile underground tunnel to ferry Tesla vehicles and their passengers in the traffic-clogged area of North Miami Beach.

Musk’s Boring Company are currently considering the Hard Rock Stadium and Florida International University’s Biscayne campus as hosts for the proposed transit tunnel, which will run underneath Miami-Dade, according to the Miami Herald.

Continue reading… “Elon Musk pushes to build 6.2-mile underground tunnel for Tesla vehicles to ferry passengers under traffic-clogged North Miami Beach”

A James Bond-inspired concept will allow Elon Musk’s Cybertruck to be driven on water.

The Cybercat idea is designed to quickly transform Tesla’s vehicle into an all-electric high performance amphibious catamaran.

It sees the addition of electric outboard motors, pontoons, and optional hydrofoils in the Foiler model, which fold or collapse into parts to be stored in the vehicle.

They can then be installed “by a single person in less time than it takes to launch a boat.”

Elon Musk has previously said the Cybertruck design “influenced partly by The Spy Who Loved Me”, and even bought the 1976 Lotus Espirit featured in the film.

Now Cybercat creator Anthony Diamond believes that taking the vehicle onto the water will “pay homage to this passion.”

He explains, “We believe that with more than 1.3 million Cybertruck reservations, the market potential for Cybercat is immense and total gross margins comparable to those generated from the Tesla Model S and X vehicle lines combined are achievable.”

The Cybercat has estimated pricing of between $22,900 and $32,900, while the Foiler would market at $35,400 to $42,900.

Continue reading… “New Concept Lets Elon Musk’s Cybertruck Drive on Water”

You can’t get the Cyberquad yet, but your kids can!

By Stan Schroeder

Remember when Elon Musk promised a Tesla ATV called Cyberquad? Well, the actual Cyberquad isn’t quite here, but Tesla quietly launched something similar: the Cyberquad for Kids (yes, that’s the official name). 

The small, four-wheel ATV has a lithium-ion battery that gives it 15 miles of range and a top speed of 10 mph. It has a full steel frame, cushioned seat, adjustable suspension, rear disc brakes, and LED light bars on the front.

Visually, the Cyberquad for Kids looks pretty cool, and is probably a good indication of what the Cyberquad for grown-ups is going to look like when it finally launches (presumably alongside the upcoming Cybertruck). Tesla says it’s suitable for kids age 8 and up, with the maximum weight capacity being 150 lbs.

Continue reading… “Tesla launches $1,900 Cyberquad for Kids”

By Maria Merano

Tesla Giga Texas will produce the Cyberquad, the ATV that debuted alongside the Cybertruck. The Cyberquad gained popularity after its appearance during the Cybertruck unveiling, even appearing in one of Travis Scott’s music videos. 

“So we’re definitely making the Cybertruck here,” reaffirmed Elon Musk at the recent Annual Shareholders Meeting, referring to Giga Texas. “And so probably the ATV, too,” he added. 

When he talked about Tesla’s ATV, Musk was referring to the Cyberquad. The Tesla CEO provided a few details about the upcoming all-electric recreational vehicle. Musk took particular note with regards to the ATV’s safety, stating that since ATVs are inherently dangerous vehicles, Tesla would ensure that the Cyberquad is as safe as possible. 

Continue reading… “Tesla Giga Texas to produce the safest ATV in the market alongside the Cybertruck”

Elon Musk has been promising the FSD package to Tesla buyers for at least six months.

Tesla is poised to introduce the Full Self-Driving package, also called FSD package, to its cars this week. The beta version of the software has already been pushed out to selected users. Tesla owners who have already paid for the controversial software can request for FSD Beta software and will be granted access based on their driving behaviour.

“Beta button will request permission to assess driving behavior using the Tesla insurance calculator. If driving behavior is good for 7 days, beta access will be granted.” Elon Musk replied to a Twitter user.

Although Tesla has characterised even the newest version of FSD Beta features as a Level 2 drivers assistance system, videos posted by testers show cars driving on streets without any human intervention. 

Elon Musk has been promising the FSD package to Tesla buyers for at least six months. “Build 8.3 of FSD should be done QA testing by end of next week, so that’s roughly when download button should show up [SIC],” said Musk in March.

Continue reading… “Elon Musk promises to add a Full Self-Driving button to Tesla cars – ET Auto”

The Tesla Bot will be designed to perform dangerous and boring tasks for humans.

By M. Moon

Tesla is building a humanoid robot simply called the Tesla Bot, Elon Musk has revealed at the automaker’s (and, perhaps, soon-to-be-robotmaker’s) AI Day event. It’s intended to be friendly, he said, and be slow and weak enough that you can outrun and overpower it — you know, just in case the robot uprising does happen in the future. 

The Tesla Bot will run on an artificial intelligence system, not unlike the company’s Autopilot technology for its vehicles. It will be designed to do various dangerous and repetitive tasks for humans and navigate our world without having to be fed step-by-step instructions. Musk said it should be able to follow simple commands, like “Please pick up that bolt and attach it to the car with that wrench.” It should also be able to get groceries for owners and perform other menial tasks.

Continue reading… “Tesla is working on an AI-powered humanoid robot”

D1 deliver 362 TeraFLOPs of power

By Aleksandar Kostovic

Artificial intelligence (AI) has seen a broad adoption over the past couple of years. At Tesla, who as many know is a company that works on electric and autonomous vehicles, AI has a massive value to every aspect of the company’s work. To speed up the AI software workloads, Tesla has today presented its D1 Dojo custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for AI training.

There are currently many companies building ASICs for AI workloads. Everyone from countless number of start-ups, all the way to big players like Amazon, Baidu, Intel and NVIDIA. However, not everyone gets the formula right and not everyone can satisfy each workload perfectly. That is the reason why Tesla opted to develop its own ASIC for AI training purposes.

Continue reading… “Tesla Packs 50 Billion Transistors Onto D1 Dojo Chip Designed to Conquer Artificial Intelligence Training”