Former Tesla VP, Colin Campbell joins Redwood Materials
Not a Tesla App
In a world often overshadowed by the larger-than-life presence of CEO Elon Musk, Tesla's success has been cultivated by an incredibly talented team of engineers, visionaries, and leaders. One of these key players, Colin Campbell, has announced his departure from the company after a remarkable 17-year tenure.
A Remarkable Journey
Starting with Tesla in 2006, Campbell rose from Traction Inverter Electrical Engineer to Vice President of Powertrain Engineering. His impactful journey is a testament to Tesla's emphasis on innovation and dedication, which has led the company from a small startup with an ambitious dream to a global leader in electric vehicles.
Perhaps best remembered for his announcement during Tesla's Investor Day in March that the next-generation powertrain would use zero rare earths (video below), Campbell's revelation sent ripples through the industry. His comments led to a plunge in the stocks of rare earth miners from China, signaling Tesla's unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.
More Than Musk
Campbell's departure comes just two weeks after Tesla's CFO, Zach Kirkhorn, stepped down, emphasizing the importance of the entire team at Tesla. The company's growth and success isn't solely the product of Musk's vision; it results from dedicated professionals like Campbell and Kirkhorn, who embody Tesla's mission and values.
Colin Campbell's move to Redwood Materials, a company focusing on recycling lithium-ion batteries and creating a circular supply chain for electric vehicles, is less of a farewell and more of a continuation of a shared mission. Redwood was founded by JB Straubel, Tesla's co-founder and former CTO, who also recently returned to Tesla's Board of Directors, a connection that strengthens the bond between the two companies.
In a heartfelt post on LinkedIn, Campbell expressed his joy and privilege in working at Tesla and his fulfillment in making a global impact across many industries. Joining Redwood as Chief Technology Officer, he will still be focused on electrification, further enriching the collaborative environment between Tesla and Redwood.
Legacy and Future Collaboration
The continuous talent migration within the electric vehicle ecosystem reaffirms Tesla's far-reaching influence. While losing a seasoned executive might seem concerning, it is also an opportunity to recognize the company's depth and breadth of expertise. Tesla is not just about Elon Musk; it's about a collective effort, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of a sustainable future.
Campbell's time at Tesla may have ended, but his influence, legacy, and connection to the Tesla family continue. His move to Redwood Materials is more than a career transition; it's a strategic alignment that might hint at exciting collaborations shortly. In a constantly evolving industry, the community of pioneers like Campbell ensures that the drive toward clean energy remains unstoppable.
Campbell's journey from a budding engineer to a change-making executive exemplifies this spirit, reminding us that Tesla's magic results from many hands, hearts, and minds. His departure is a new beginning, not an end, and we look forward to seeing his continued impact on clean energy and electrification.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Tesla news, upcoming features and software updates.
For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.
Price Increase
The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.
The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series.
The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.
Free Lifetime Supercharging
For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.
There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.
We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.
Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.
Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.
Optimus is Blind
Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer.
Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.
Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips.
What’s Next?
Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.
Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.
There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.
We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.
![Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/optimus/optimus_fall.jpg/59ea0e3082db081e7473a1f0da1ed31c/optimus_fall.jpg)
![Tesla Updates Santa Mode & Rainbow Road to Use Ambient Lighting and Updates SteamOS [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/tesla-screen/ambient-lighting-santa-mode-rainbow.webp/bd6dd7459fc8963516a33efd3bd54466/ambient-lighting-santa-mode-rainbow.jpg)
![Tesla Builds Cybertruck Tunnel While Production Lines Pause [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/2024/cybertruck-tunnel.webp/822a2c10124f46fe13e0d45cefdd9d33/cybertruck-tunnel.jpg)
