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Audi debuts e-tron GT: 293 mile range, 155 MPH top speed, 590 HP, $99,900 starting price

Audi e-tron GT (Credit: Audi)

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German automaker Audi has unveiled its newest all-electric vehicle: the e-Tron GT. The e-tron offers between 269 and 293 miles of WLTP-estimated range with several different variants, a top speed of 155 MPH, and a 3.3 second 0-62 MPH time. The new e-tron will start at $99,000.

Audi unveiled the e-tron during a live event on February 9th, detailing the exterior and interior design, as well as the vehicle’s specifications and performance figures. The e-tron GT aims to bring world-class performance to an all-electric platform as Audi begins to transition to a more broad offering of EVs for the future, with plans to offer more than 30 cars by 2025. Audi says 20 of these cars will be fully-electric.

Audi e-tron GT: the embodiment of Audi

The introduction of the e-tron GT “perfectly embodies Audi’s innovative and pioneering spirit,” Hildegard Wortman, Member of the Board of Management of Audi AG for Sales and Marketing, said. The e-tron will offer four-wheel steering, along with torque vectoring for improved handling.

With range offerings between 269 and 293 miles (433 and 472 kilometers), the e-tron will offer plenty of driving range for travelers far and wide. Additionally, Audi stated that the vehicle’s 95 kWh battery pack would have the ability to charge from 0 to 80% in less than 23 minutes when plugged into a 700kW station. Audi focused heavily on aerodynamics to complement the range ratings, and stated the vehicle has a .24 drag coefficient.

Audi e-tron RS GT: the most powerful Audi ever

Audi’s premier, top of the line GT variant will be the RS. Its 0-60 MPH in 3.1 seconds is lightning fast and will compete with some of the quickest electric cars in the world. Additionally, a top speed of 155 MPH gives it a face-melting maximum rate of travel, although it will rarely be reached by the traditional driver.

Niko Rosberg, a former Formula One World Champion noted that the RS GT’s performance was one of a kind. The four-wheel steering system combined with the performance specifications offered one of the most unique driving experiences from a production car he’s ever experienced. Rosberg spoke highly of the GT’s performance variant, adding that it was unbelievable to drive an all-electric powertrain with the power, acceleration, and speed that was reminiscent of his F1 days.

Sustainable interior materials for unmatched environmental consciousness

One of the main focuses of Audi moving forward is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the vehicle’s life cycle. This begins with the manufacturing process, which Audi detailed in its goals to be CO2 neutral by 2025. The e-tron GT’s manufacturing facility is fully-powered by renewable energy, making the production process Earth-friendly.

Additionally, Audi looked to use sustainable materials within its interior. One focus was to eliminate waste within the vehicle by using sustainably-sourced materials that could be recycled when the car reaches the end of its cycle. The seats within the e-tron GT use around 99% of zero-waste materials, making it one of the most sustainable interiors in the automotive market.

The 2022 Audi e-tron GT starts at $99,900 plus destination fees, which haven’t been defined by the automaker yet. The RS e-tron GT will be $139,900, Autoblog says. The car is expected to begin sales later this summer.

Audi’s full unveiling of the e-tron GT is available below.

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https://youtu.be/StkkIdBY5r0

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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SpaceX achieves incredible milestone with Starlink program

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Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX has achieved an incredible milestone by launching its 11,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.

This accomplishment occurred during the Starlink Group 17-50 mission, which lifted off on August 19 at 04:01 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

A Falcon 9 rocket carried 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on this flight, successfully deploying them into low Earth orbit approximately one hour after liftoff. The first stage booster, identified as B1097 on its twelfth flight, landed successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.

According to tracking data compiled around that date, this deployment brought the total number of Starlink satellites in orbit to just over 11,000.

The Starlink program began with test satellites known as Tintin A and B, launched on February 22, 2018. The first operational batch of 60 Starlink satellites followed on May 24, 2019, when a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Those initial satellites marked the start of a rapid expansion that has continued for more than seven years.

SpaceX has conducted hundreds of dedicated Starlink missions since then, routinely launching batches of 20 to 30 satellites at a time using reusable Falcon 9 rockets. By mid-2026, the company had already surpassed 12,000 total satellites launched across all versions, with continuous replacements for units that deorbit as designed to manage space debris.

Looking ahead, SpaceX continues to expand the Starlink constellation to enhance global broadband coverage, capacity, and speed. The network already serves millions of users across more than 160 countries and supports applications ranging from residential internet to maritime, aviation, and emergency services.

Future plans center on next-generation hardware, including larger V3 satellites capable of delivering substantially higher throughput, which require the increased payload capacity of the Starship vehicle currently under development and testing.

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In July, SpaceX submitted an application to the Federal Communications Commission seeking authority for a Gen3 constellation of up to 100,000 satellites. These spacecraft would operate in very low Earth orbit shells at altitudes near 325 kilometers and 475 kilometers. The filing requests use of existing Ku, Ka, V, and E band spectrum along with new greenfield W and D band frequencies between 92 and 275 GHz.

SpaceX states that the expanded system aims to deliver multi-gigabit symmetrical broadband to consumers, enterprises, governments, and billions of AI-powered devices worldwide while handling a majority of global internet traffic. Approval and subsequent deployment would depend on regulatory review and the operational readiness of Starship for high-volume launches.

This ambitious scale reflects SpaceX’s ongoing commitment to providing ubiquitous high-speed connectivity from space.

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Tesla is opening Cybercab rides to a select few

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has opened a new sweepstakes to allow the public to be among the first to take an initial ride in a Cybercab. This all-electric, steering-wheel-less, pedal-less vehicle is the centerpiece of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi.

There are two ways Tesla fans can get to Austin to take part in the first public rides of the Cybercab: by riding on the Robotaxi platform by August 23, or by mailing a very specific entry to their Headquarters at Gigafactory Texas.

Tesla announced the latter portion of the sweepstakes last night:

Tesla will give one entry into the sweepstakes if you mail a 3″ by 5″ piece of paper with your full name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and date of birth to their address:

Tesla, Robotaxi Sweeps Event

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1 Tesla Road,

Austin, TX 78725

There is a limit of one entry per stamped envelope. You can send as many as you’d like, but they must be in separate envelopes.

The company’s unique strategy to give people the opportunity to ride in a Cybercab before pretty much anyone else outside of the company is a hilarious but spot-on representation of how Tesla operates. In classic fashion, they had the perfect response to the event:

Cybercab will launch later this month, it appears, especially as it plans to announce the winners of the sweepstakes on August 25. The car has already been operating internally, as employees have been able to utilize the Cybercab for rides in some capacity, something it announced earlier this month.

Tesla weirdly confirms Cybercab employee rides, a huge milestone

Moving forward, the big goal is to get Cybercab out on the roads and integrated into the public Robotaxi fleet, one that will pick up real-world ride-hailers and give them a ride from Point A to Point B.

No matter which way you cut it, it appears Tesla is close to putting a vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals on the road to help people travel autonomously.

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You can ride along with us in our first Cybercab ride from the We, Robot event in October 2024. The video is embedded below:

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Tesla reveals plans for Robotaxi charging hub in Austin

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.

Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.

Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.

Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:

There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.

This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.

These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.

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Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.

Tesla Cybercab launch preparations have begun

Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.

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