Tesla Begins Gathering Data Near WB Studio for Robotaxi Event

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Tesla has begun extensive data collection in the WB Studio area over the last 4 days, according to Tesla hardware hacker @greentheonly. This comes just a day after news broke that Tesla intends to host their upcoming Robotaxi event at WB Studios, a city-like area with more than 110 acres of land, roads, and buildings.

Data Gathering

Tesla is gathering additional data in this area as vehicles drive around since most of the area is open to the public. Tesla could be gathering or confirming data to build composite maps, including everything from stop signs, intersections, and construction to bumps in the road to change suspension heights on the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck for additional comfort. While pre-mapped data may be frowned upon by some, it could be the equivalent of someone driving on a familiar road instead of one they’ve never driven on. Confidence and safety levels are usually increased the more familiar you are with the area. The same holds for autonomous vehicles, the more information they have on upcoming intersections and road types, the better they can perform.

This new data-gathering initiative in the WB Studio area is likely to facilitate the “learned experience” that Tesla’s FSD model builds over time in normal locations. The WB Studio area, including set pieces, filming areas, and residential areas likely aren’t highly frequented by Tesla vehicles, this is something that Tesla is doing with the intent of hosting the Robotaxi demos next month.

Previously, Tesla said that areas don’t need to be mapped by its vehicles, but once they are mapped, decision-making and route pre-processing improve. This is likely all being done to provide the safest, simplest, and cleanest experience to the attendees of the event.

Other Locations

Tesla is also gathering information throughout parts of San Francisco, the Bay Area, and areas like the Tesla Diner in Hollywood (updated photos). It seems that Tesla intends to introduce its future Robotaxi service in California first, before expanding outwards. Deep data collection like this isn’t unusual, but, interestingly, Tesla is doing it very intentionally.

For now, it may be that the initial Robotaxi rollout, whenever it does happen – will be geofenced to specific areas as Tesla works on the Robotaxi-specific pieces of FSD.

Event Sign-up

So far, we haven’t heard any news of how Tesla will distribute tickets for their Robotaxi event. They could use their referral system like they have in the past, or they may pick shareholders randomly. We should find out more soon as the event approaches.

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Tesla Increases Price of Model S; Starts Offering Free Lifetime Supercharging

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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.

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Tesla’s Optimus Robot Learns to Walk Without Vision [VIDEO]

Optimus Falls - but catches itself!

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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.

Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024

A Look Behind the Curtain

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.

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