Tesla lists Robo-taxi as now being in development

By Kevin Armstrong
Tesla lists the Robo-Taxi as being in development
Tesla lists the Robo-Taxi as being in development
KBB

Tesla's Q2 earnings presentation listed products in production and development, and interesting enough, Robo-Taxi appears on the last line as being 'in development.'

Elon Musk publicly discussed the idea of a fully autonomous vehicle at the Giga Texas opening in April. Two weeks later, he briefly talked about Robo-Taxi in his 2022 first-quarter earnings call .

The product was not mentioned during this quarter's earnings call, but Robo-Taxi could not be missed in the report to investors.

In April, Elon Musk said, “But it’s fundamentally optimized to achieve the lowest fully considered cost per mile or cost per kilometer, accounting for everything. And so it’s, I think, going to be a very powerful product.” Musk says his vision of Robo-Taxi is a fully autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, and he thinks it could be coming soon. “Where we aspire to reach volume production of that in 2024. So, I think that really will be a massive driver of Tesla’s growth.”

Tesla lists the Robo-Taxi as being in development
Tesla lists the Robo-Taxi as being in development
Tesla

Of course, for Robo-Taxi to succeed, Full Self Driving (FSD) will have to be completely functional, which is closer to reality, according to the CEO. “We have now deployed our FSD beta with city streets driving capability to over 100,000 owners.

They are very happy with the capability of the system, and we will continue to improve it every week.” Musk says Tesla has now driven more than 35 million miles with the beta FSD. He believes that is more miles than all other vehicle manufacturers combined, “so, that mileage is growing exponentially.” said Musk.

The in-development project explains recent comments Musk made to the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley interview (interview below).

Elon said FSD is the difference between the company being worth a lot or not very much. “Autonomy is a monumental breakthrough,” said Musk.

He also spoke candidly about FSD, “the sheer amount of work required to do this boggles the mind.” Musk admitted FSD is a bigger challenge than he originally predicted, “I’ve seen a lot of tough technology problems and solving real-world AI such that a car can drive itself is one of the hardest problems I’ve ever seen. It is way harder than I originally thought, by far.”

Even admitting how complex and challenging FSD is, Musk is still confident that it will be fully operational this year. If that happens, Robo-Taxis will be hailed soon as well.

Spectacular Tesla Light Show Dazzles to the Tunes of Academy Award-Winning 'Naatu Naatu' [Video]

By Kevin Armstrong
Hundreds of Tesla cars synced to the Indian blockbuster film RRR's award-winning song 'Naatu Naatu'
Hundreds of Tesla cars synced to the Indian blockbuster film RRR's award-winning song 'Naatu Naatu'
Vamsi Koppuravuri/YouTube

Tesla owners recently came together in New Jersey for an incredible display of technology and art. Hundreds of Tesla cars synced to the Indian blockbuster film RRR's award-winning song "Naatu Naatu" to create an unforgettable light show. The energizing event showcased Tesla's upgraded light show feature, part of the Christmas update.

The Twitter account for the movie, @RRRMovie, posted a video, which can be viewed below, of the mesmerizing light show. Elon Musk responded with two heart emojis. After Tesla retweeted the unique video, @RRRMovie replied by expressing their love for Elon Musk. "Naatu Naatu," composed by M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose, became the first-ever song from an Indian film to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Try the Synced Light Show

A recent update allows owners to schedule their light shows up to 10 minutes in advance or even create multi-car orchestras by starting them simultaneously. This feature can be accessed by tapping the Application Launcher > Toybox. The update also allows Tesla owners to activate the light show using their smartphone app, making it more convenient and fun for those who use the feature as part of their exterior decorations.

The New Jersey event displayed the innovative capabilities of Tesla vehicles and highlighted the growing influence of Indian cinema worldwide. As more Tesla owners come together for events like this, we can expect to see even more mesmerizing light shows in the future, celebrating the convergence of technology and the arts.

Tesla continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with its electric vehicles. Features like the light show demonstrate that the company is committed to creating an experience beyond driving a car.

Some additional light shows are viewable below.

Defending Tesla's CEO Elon Musk: Senator Josh Hawley and Joe Rogan Respond to Critics

By Kevin Armstrong
Senator Josh Hawley defends Elon Musk
Senator Josh Hawley defends Elon Musk
Fox News

Prominent figures such as Senator Josh Hawley and media personality Joe Rogan have come to the defense of Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk. Both spoke against the negative public perception and criticism while highlighting the importance of free speech. While Rogan spoke about the unfair treatment of Musk by members of the media, Hawley went after one — on his own show.

Senator Calls out Reporter

St. Louis’ KSDK News political editor Max Maxwell set up a recorded segment with the republican senator. While crews were getting the technical aspects sorted out, Hawley confronted Maxwell about his anti-Elon Musk tweets, which the Senator described as "vitriolic." The senator read one of Maxwell's tweets aloud, calling Musk's supporters "bootlickers." Hawley questioned Maxwell's intentions and expressed concern about the journalist's use of a public platform to attack people he disagreed with.

Maxwell explained that his tweet was a moment of frustration and defended his comments as satire, protected under the First Amendment. But it got more awkward as the reporter suggested he was drinking at the time of the tweets. Hawley emphasized that journalists like Maxwell have a lot of access, making their public comments particularly influential and potentially concerning.

Rogan to the Rescue

In another instance of public defense, popular podcaster Joe Rogan discussed the shifting public perception of Elon Musk on his show. According to Rogan, any narrative about Musk's political ideology is baseless. He questioned why people have gone from viewing Musk as a savior who brought about electric cars and reusable rockets to someone who is an "alt-right piece of shit." Rogan argued that the resistance against Musk and the publicity campaign against him have been fascinating to watch.

“The narrative has spread through progressive people where they'll just say it now,” Rogan continued. “It’s like they've reached the memo, the memo’s got to them… I hear people I know like, ‘Oh, Elon's just so crazy. Something happened to him. He went nuts, and he’s a right-winger now… They just have this narrative that reaches them as a signal. Like, ‘Elon bad now.’”

Senator Hawley and Joe Rogan's reactions to the criticism against Elon Musk and his supporters emphasize the importance of free speech and raise questions about the fairness of the media's treatment of the world's richest person. As public figures continue to engage in these discussions, it remains to be seen how perceptions of Musk will evolve in the future and how his tweets will impact Tesla.

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