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Tesla files lawsuit against well-loved accessory maker over safety concerns
Tesla has filed a lawsuit against EVject, an aftermarket safety escape connector maker that’s received wide acclaim and appreciation from the electric vehicle community. In its complaint, Tesla claimed that the escape connector poses a high safety risk, and it has harmed Tesla’s brand.
Tesla operates the most expansive electric vehicle charging network in North America. Such a wide coverage means that some of these Supercharger sites are built in isolated places that may not necessarily be the safest at night. As per EVject, drivers could find themselves at risk during emergencies because Teslas cannot be driven away without the Supercharger plug being disconnected.
So glad to give you a new option to get away!
"My shadiest SC was in Shreveport, LA. I was the only one charging in the back of an abandoned mall parking lot with what seemed to be a drug deal going on about 100' away." from @sperlarky2116 on YT
Thanks @ItsKimJava
for all… pic.twitter.com/DlehkiRqOr— EVject (@EVjectOfficial) July 27, 2024
As per the product’s official website, the EVject device allows drivers to disconnect and drive away from a Supercharger without leaving their cabin. The connector’s breakaway feature also helps keep a Tesla’s charge port and the Supercharger plug from getting damaged during a getaway. EVject has thus become widely appreciated by EV owners, especially women and young drivers, some of whom have noted that some late night Supercharging sessions have made them feel unsafe.
Tesla, however, argued in its lawsuit that EVject is falsely marketing its product as safe, but the product’s lack of overtemperature protection creates a safety risk. As per Tesla’s lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California:
Thank you @teslaownersSV and @SjvTesla for another epic @theXtakeover. Already excited for next year! pic.twitter.com/WXd9cs1hlM— EVject (@EVjectOfficial) July 29, 2024
“In the event of an over-temperature condition in the Connector, the lack of overtemperature protection creates a safety risk. Testing of high-current simulated charging through the Connector, utilized in conjunction with a Tesla Supercharger cable and Tesla EV charge port, demonstrated that surface temperatures of the Connector may reach as high as 100C, after 30 minutes of charging at 420 ADC.
“During an over-temperature event, a user of the Connector may be burned during (or following) charging by touching or grabbing the Connector. Additionally, the high temperature present in the Connector poses a risk of fire and ignition of other combustible materials in the charger cable, the vehicle connected to the Connector, and the Supercharger infrastructure,” Tesla noted.
We’ve already been working with several police departments and have already provided them EVject units for their EVs.— EVject (@EVjectOfficial) July 30, 2024
Tesla’s lawsuit against EVject has been received with polarizing reactions from the electric vehicle community. Some who support the EV maker’s legal action have noted on social media that EVject’s product pitch creates fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Supporters of the aftermarket escape connector, however, have argued that instead of suing EVject, Tesla should instead work with the aftermarket accessory maker to make sure that its product is safe.
Tesla, after all, has made a reputation for being an automaker that puts safety above all else. It would then be quite out of character for Tesla to throw down a product that helps protect drivers–especially one that does not have an alternative from the official Tesla Shop.
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Elon Musk
Tesla Phone? Not quite, but close: analyst
For years, there have been images and videos across social media platforms that have reminded me of when I was a 15-year-old kid teased by “Xbox 720” videos on YouTube. These videos are of the supposed “Tesla Phone” that Elon Musk was secretly developing in between leading Tesla with its electric cars and SpaceX with its reusable rockets.
Would you buy a Tesla phone ? pic.twitter.com/aaTwvvIJit
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 6, 2023
Although Musk has put those rumors to bed several times, it was never completely out of the realm that he could get involved in cell phones in some capacity. Think outside the box and more macro-level, though. Instead of reinventing the computer, Musk reinvented connectivity by developing Starlink with SpaceX.
It could be something similar, TD Cowen analyst Gregory Williams said in a note last week, where he hinted SpaceX could be gathering some steam to acquire T-Mobile.
Williams said it would be the “clear choice” for SpaceX if it decided to go through with a network acquisition. He also suggested AT&T.
The move would be possible through selling more of its own stock, which would help SpaceX raise the money to purchase T-Mobile, which would cost roughly $300 billion. It could be one of the moves SpaceX makes post-IPO in terms of an acquisition: it already acquired Cursor AI for $60 billion.
Other analysts, like Dan Ives of Wedbush, believe SpaceX and Tesla will eventually merge into one anyway, and that conglomeration could come as soon as this year, some have said.
The implications of SpaceX purchasing T-Mobile are massive. A combined entity would create a truly ubiquitous network: T-Mobile’s terrestrial 5G towers and Starlink’s growing constellation of Direct-to-Cell satellites. This would essentially eliminate dead zones across the U.S. and potentially globally.
SpaceX would instantly become a full-scale facilities-based carrier with satellite differentiation; a huge advantage. This would pressure AT&T and Verizon heavily.
There are also concerns like a potential reduction in long-term competition, and of course, a deal of that size would face intense scrutiny from government agencies.
The strategic fit is compelling due to the existing Starlink–T-Mobile partnership and complementary technologies (space + terrestrial). It could create a dominant integrated communications player. However, the regulatory, financial, and execution hurdles are enormous — this remains highly speculative with no indication SpaceX is actively pursuing it right now.
News
Tesla reveals huge Cybercab detail in new guide for First Responders
Tesla revealed a major new Cybercab detail in a guide it released for First Responders, showing new territory in its beliefs and intentions for the ride-hailing-focused vehicle that entered production in April.
The First Responders Guide is released to give fire departments, paramedics, and other emergency personnel the proper guidance on what to do in the event of an accident, entrapment, or other situation that would require immediate attention.
On one of the pages of the First Responders Guide, Tesla revealed a stark detail about the Cybercab, which could help personnel enter the vehicle more easily in case of an emergency.
Tesla Cybercab has one important piece that AI4 cars might need for FSD
It shows Tesla has no intention of releasing any Cybercab units that were initially proposed for ride-hailing services for the general public with any manual controls, meaning a steering wheel or pedals:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or acceleration and brake pedals.”
New official Cybercab documentation from Tesla:
“A Cybercab equipped with steering wheel, brake pedal, and an acceleration pedal is typically an engineering or test vehicle, and operates at SAE Level 2 autonomy. Cybercab is not typically equipped with a steering wheel or… https://t.co/P6ut1mZyzr pic.twitter.com/yq6skl9s2J
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 27, 2026
This is a major development for those who continue to believe Tesla planned to release the Cybercab with any sort of manual controls so that passengers could take over if needed. However, when Tesla started manufacturing production versions of the Cybercab in Giga Texas earlier this year, they were spotted without a steering wheel or pedals.
It essentially confirms the company has no intentions of bringing manual controls to the car’s production versions. Some have argued that the likelihood of Tesla having something
There still are some Cybercab units out there with a steering wheel and pedals, and as Tesla said, these cars are engineering or test vehicles, which have Safety Monitors on board to help the car out of a precarious situation or emergency.
News
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ Release Notes: new capabilities and features
Tesla released the Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ suite to owners of Hardware 3 or AI3 vehicles today, adding several new features to the vehicles that were once believed to be capable of unsupervised self-driving.
Now, Tesla has released this modified suite to older Tesla vehicles, adding plenty of new features and capabilities.
Here are the full release notes for the suite:
- Distilled the intelligence from HW4 V14 into HW3. This allows HW3 to directly learn how to handle scenarios using HW4 V14 as a guide. This process unlocks the improvements that have been made to HW4 including Reinforcement Learning (RL) and offline models for HW3.
- Improved both proactive and reactive responsiveness across a wide variety of categories including navigation handling, merges and forks, pedestrian interactions, traffic lights, and vehicle cut-in scenarios.
- Improved general comfort in nominal scenarios through fewer false slowdowns, smoother steering and more consistent lane centering.
- Introduced parking, unparking, and reversing capabilities.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, or at the Curbside.
- Speed Profiles are now available at all times, to further customize driving style preference.
These improvements, according to Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, help distill the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute configurations of AI3.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ for older cars finally gets released
He added:
“It includes destination options and speed profiles on city roads, but more importantly significantly improved safety. We hope you’ll enjoy it, once the build ships wide.”
FSD v14 Lite is now rolling out to AI3 early-access customers. Based on the feedback, will rollout to more customers over the next few weeks.
This build distills the driving behavior from AI4’s v14 series into both the camera and compute config of AI3. It includes destination…
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 29, 2026
Tesla will continue to roll out the v14 Lite suite more widely in the coming weeks, the company said.