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Tesla Supercharger V3 station with 62 stalls in Santa Monica gains approval despite objections

Credit: Tesla

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Tesla’s largest Supercharger V3 station to date has taken a definitive step forward, with the Santa Monica Planning Commission approving the 62-stall rapid-charging facility in a 5-2 vote. The approval came following three hours of discussions and questions, which included some interesting points against the Supercharger V3 site. 

The 62-stall Supercharger V3 station, located at 1401 Santa Monica Boulevard, would feature two lots split in the middle by an alley. The west lot of the station will include 36 Supercharger V3 stalls, while its east side will house the remaining 26. The project will also include solar arrays on the west lot, battery storage units, and a restroom that is accessed by a code. 

What was rather remarkable was that the Santa Monica Planning Commission took about three hours discussing the proposed rapid charging facility’s advantages and disadvantages. Several officials expressed their opposition to the Supercharger V3 station, and their reasons were unprecedented, at least to some degree. 

Among the concerns brought up was the possible fan noise from the Supercharger stations and how it may disturb local residents in the area. Other commissioners expressed their concern about Tesla drivers charging at night who may play their “radios” very loudly and wake up people nearby. In this light, some commissioners asked why Tesla engineers could not use their tech to geofence the charging location to limit the vehicles’ “radio” volume. It was also hinted that Tesla contribute funds to help the city address its housing shortage. 

Other concerns against the proposed facility involved the fact that the Supercharger V3 station may attract the homeless to the site, likely due to its restroom. There were also concerns about the number of stalls in the Supercharger, with one commissioner asking why Tesla couldn’t just build fewer stalls and have EV owners make appointments. Commissioner Ellis Raskin, for his part, suggested that the Supercharger V3 station was a project for the rich. “You all know I’m an environmentalist, but I’m not in support. This (project) supports the rich,” Raskin said. 

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Despite all these concerns and opposition, the Santa Monica Planning Commission nevertheless approved the 62-stall Tesla Supercharger V3 station, which would be one of the company’s biggest V3 sites to date. A good reason for this may very well be the efforts of Tesla employees Noelani Derrickson and Nadir Hossain, both of whom addressed the Planning Commissions’ concerns with the utmost patience and respect. Tesla owner Robert Rosenbloom, who listened in on the full three-hour session, remarked that ultimately, the commissioners’ opposition to the Supercharger V3 site was quite strange considering that Santa Monica is a reasonably progressive city with strong support for environmentalism, with the city even allowing electric vehicles with an HOV sticker to park on city streets without paying into parking meters. 

Watch the Santa Monica Planning Commission’s vote on the proposed 62-stall Tesla Supercharger V3 station below. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla is ramping up its hiring for the Cybercab production team

As can be seen on Tesla’s Careers website, three new Cybercab-related positions are currently available at Giga Texas.

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Credit: @serobinsonjr/X

Tesla appears to be ramping up its Cybercab team at Giga Texas. As per recent observations by the Tesla community, three new job listings on the automaker’s Careers site suggest that the company is starting to add more critical personnel for the autonomous two-seater’s production.

New Cybercab jobs

As can be seen on Tesla’s Careers website, three new Cybercab-related positions are currently available. Tesla is looking for a Metrology Technician, who will work on the Cybercab’s Quality team; an Equipment Engineer who will work on the Cybercab’s Plastics team; and a Tool & Die Supervisor, who will work in the Injection Molding team.  

All three positions are based in Austin, Texas, which is quite unsurprising as Giga Texas is the only facility today that has the capability to produce the vehicle. The Cybercab’s production is quite different compared to Tesla’s other vehicles, as it is the first car that would be produced using the company’s “Unboxed” process. 

Credit: Tesla

Unlike any car that’s produced before

Elon Musk has previously said the Cybercab will be Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle, targeting an annual rate of 2 million units. He also mentioned that the vehicle’s manufacturing line will not resemble an automotive production line at all. Instead, it would resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line, which should pave the way for one Cybercab to be produced every few seconds.

“If you’ve seen the design of the Cybercab line, it doesn’t look like a normal car manufacturing line. It looks like a really high-speed consumer electronics line. In fact, the line will move so fast that actually people can’t even get close to it. I think it’ll be able to produce a car ultimately in less than 5 seconds,” Musk stated during Tesla’s All-Hands meeting earlier this year.

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Elon Musk: Grok 5 now has a 10% chance of becoming world’s first AGI

If his prediction comes to pass, xAI could very well become yet another world-changing company from Elon Musk. 

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Credit: xAI/X

Elon Musk has shared his most optimistic forecast about Grok 5’s capabilities yet. In a recent post on X, Musk stated that he now believes that the upcoming update to xAI’s large language model has a 10% chance of achieving artificial general intelligence. 

If his prediction comes to pass, xAI could very well become yet another world-changing company from Elon Musk. 

Musk’s previous Grok 5 estimate 

Just last month, Elon Musk estimated that xAI might have a chance at achieving artificial general intelligence with Grok 5. Musk’s comments at the time already made headlines, considering that no company in the world today has achieved AGI yet, though numerous AI startups today are actively pursuing artificial general intelligence.

In a recent post on X, Musk noted that his “estimate of the probability of Grok 5 achieving AGI is now at 10% and rising.” In another post, he also noted that “Grok 5 will be AGI or something indistinguishable from AGI.” Grok 5 is yet to be released, though Musk’s comments about the update are definitely setting expectations.

AGI will be world changing

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) refers to an AI system that is capable of matching or surpassing human-level intelligence across tasks such as thinking, reasoning, and other domains by a notable margin, as noted in a previous report from Benzinga. With AGI achieved, industries from robotics to manufacturing would likely see a notable boost.

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As per a report from the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), AGI could eventually pave the way for artificial super intelligence (ASI), which would be more intelligent than AGI and likely more intelligent than all of humanity combined. 

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Tesla Model Y L becomes China’s 4th best-selling mid-to-large SUV in its first month of sales

Tesla Model Y L was able to sell 8,221 units domestically in September.

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Credit: Tesla China

The Tesla Model Y L has only started deliveries last month, but it is already making its presence known in China’s mid-to-large SUV segment. As per data aggregated by Tesla watchers in China, the Model Y L has quickly risen as one of the country’s best-selling large SUVs just weeks into its first deliveries.

The momentum of the Model Y L has been so notable that it ended up being China’s fourth best-selling mid-to-large SUV in September.

Tesla Model Y L September sales

As per data compiled by Yiche, the Tesla Model Y L was able to sell 8,221 units domestically in September. This places it in fourth place in China’s rankings for best-selling large SUVs, just below the Leapmotor C16, the Li Auto L6, and the Xiaomi YU7, which sold 8,312, 11,827, and 22,244 units in September, respectively.

A look at the prices of China’s top four mid-to-large SUVs would show that the Model Y L is one of the pricier vehicles among the four. The Xiaomi YU7’s inclusion in the list is also quite interesting as the all-electric crossover primarily competes with the five-seat Model Y, not the Model Y L. Needless to say, the price difference between the Model Y L and the Xiaomi YU7 is quite substantial.

Just getting started

The Tesla Model Y L only started deliveries sometime in September. Following its launch in August, the Model Y L received positive reviews from professional reviewers, with many praising the vehicle’s spacious cabin and its reasonable price. It did not take long before the Model Y L was sold out for October, and later, November as well. Considering that the Model Y L now has an estimated delivery date of December 2025 for new orders, it seems safe to assume that every unit built by Giga Shanghai this quarter will be sold to consumers.

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The Model Y L has the makings of a best-seller. With a spacious second row that features two captain seats with retractable armrests, as well as a third row that could accommodate regular-sized adults, the Model Y L is a true family hauler. Combined with its starting price of $47,566 before options, the extended wheelbase all-electric crossover SUV does seem to have the makings of a best-seller.

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