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Audi e-tron navigation system provides detailed petrol information to drivers (UPDATE)

(Credit: Audi)

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It appears that while the Audi e-tron is a solid-built all-electric SUV with a premium price to match, the German automaker might have neglected to adjust some of the vehicle’s finer details. Take the e-tron’s navigation system, for example, which was recently observed to have a very interesting, and notably humorous feature: it gives drivers useful information about nearby petrol stations and current gas prices.

The e-tron, similar to other electric vehicles such as Tesla’s electric cars, uses its navigation to help drivers find rest stops and charging spots during trips. This is incredibly important for electric vehicles, particularly SUVs like the e-tron that only have a rather limited 204 miles of range per charge as per the vehicle’s EPA rating. Tesla’s electric cars perform this feature flawlessly, with vehicles laying out a route for drivers that clearly indicates where charging services are available.

https://twitter.com/Elektro_Robin/status/1149631885728858116?s=20

As noted by drivers who shared images of the e-tron’s navigation in action, the all-electric SUV’s infotainment screen displays information about petrol stations on a selected route. The information is quite detailed too, as it includes the current price of petrol in selected locations. Images shared by Robin Engelhardt, for one, showed that the SUV had information about diesel prices in the area.

While humorous, the bug in the e-tron’s current navigation is likely due to the fact that the all-electric SUV’s infotainment system is taken from other vehicles in the company’s lineup. The e-tron melds well with Audi’s other vehicles in the way that its design theme is very similar to the company’s internal combustion cars. As such, components like the e-tron’s infotainment system are likely used for gas-powered vehicles as well.

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The gas stations and diesel price information on the e-tron’s navigation system are likely the result of an honest oversight from Audi, and it is one that could be addressed through a software update. Nevertheless, the quirk does highlight a notable lack of attention to detail on the carmaker’s part. Audi is a premium brand, and the e-tron is not a vehicle that is designed for the mass market. At prices that are closer to the Tesla Model X than the Model 3, consumers purchasing the e-tron would likely expect a car that was meticulously tuned as an electric vehicle. Having a navigation system that is optimized for petrol stations does not help much in this sense.

This is especially notable considering that the e-tron continues to receive glowing reviews from organizations such as Consumer Reports, whose reviewers actually listed the vehicle’s infotainment system as a strong point of the all-electric SUV. Consumer Reports has warmly received the e-tron, even describing the vehicle’s deliberate acceleration as a more of an “elegant pull away.” That said, the e-tron remains a pretty solid vehicle, as revealed by its stellar safety ratings from the IIHS, which recently gave the SUV a Top Safety Pick+ rating.

Update: An Audi spokesperson has reached out to us with regards to the e-tron’s Navigation quirk. Following is the carmaker’s statement:

The Audi MMI navigation system is designed to aid in everyday situations, including finding stops along the way of any given journey. Oftentimes, that means stopping at gas stations where drivers and passengers can stop for breaks or food. While the Audi e-tron is fully electric, these conveniences go a long way toward helping our customers, and displaying gas prices can be turned off in the MMI’s sub-menus. Additionally, the Audi e-tron comes with an up-to-date roster of available charging stations throughout the U.S. and elsewhere in its navigation to support long-distance driving.

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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 ends Full Self-Driving purchase option in the U.S.

In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has officially ended the option to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright, a move that was announced for the United States market in January by CEO Elon Musk.

The driver assistance suite is now exclusively available in the U.S. as a subscription, which is currently priced at $99 per month.

Tesla moved away from the outright purchase option in an effort to move more people to the subscription program, but there are concerns over its current price and the potential for it to rise.

In January, Musk announced that Tesla would remove the ability to purchase the suite outright for $8,000. This would give the vehicle Full Self-Driving for its entire lifespan, but Tesla intended to move away from it, for several reasons, one being that a tranche in the CEO’s pay package requires 10 million active subscriptions of FSD.

Although Tesla moved back the deadline in other countries, it has now taken effect in the U.S. on Sunday morning. Tesla updated its website to reflect this:

There are still some concerns regarding its price, as $99 per month is not where many consumers are hoping to see the subscription price stay.

Musk has said that as capabilities improve, the price will go up, but it seems unlikely that 10 million drivers will want to pay an extra $100 every month for the capability, even if it is extremely useful.

Instead, many owners and fans of the company are calling for Tesla to offer a different type of pricing platform. This includes a tiered-system that would let owners pick and choose the features they would want for varying prices, or even a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual pricing option, which would incentivize longer-term purchasing.

Although Musk and other Tesla are aware of FSD’s capabilities and state is is worth much more than its current price, there could be some merit in the idea of offering a price for Supervised FSD and another price for Unsupervised FSD when it becomes available.

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Musk bankers looking to trim xAI debt after SpaceX merger: report

xAI has built up $18 billion in debt over the past few years, with some of this being attributed to the purchase of social media platform Twitter (now X) and the creation of the AI development company. A new financing deal would help trim some of the financial burden that is currently present ahead of the plan to take SpaceX public sometime this year.

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk’s bankers are looking to trim the debt that xAI has taken on over the past few years, following the company’s merger with SpaceX, a new report from Bloomberg says.

xAI has built up $18 billion in debt over the past few years, with some of this being attributed to the purchase of social media platform Twitter (now X) and the creation of the AI development company. Bankers are trying to create some kind of financing plan that would trim “some of the heavy interest costs” that come with the debt.

The financing deal would help trim some of the financial burden that is currently present ahead of the plan to take SpaceX public sometime this year. Musk has essentially confirmed that SpaceX would be heading toward an IPO last month.

SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms

The report indicates that Morgan Stanley is expected to take the leading role in any financing plan, citing people familiar with the matter. Morgan Stanley, along with Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase & Co., are all expected to be in the lineup of banks leading SpaceX’s potential IPO.

Since Musk acquired X, he has also had what Bloomberg says is a “mixed track record with debt markets.” Since purchasing X a few years ago with a $12.5 billion financing package, X pays “tens of millions in interest payments every month.”

That debt is held by Bank of America, Barclays, Mitsubishi, UFJ Financial, BNP Paribas SA, Mizuho, and Société Générale SA.

X merged with xAI last March, which brought the valuation to $45 billion, including the debt.

SpaceX announced the merger with xAI earlier this month, a major move in Musk’s plan to alleviate Earth of necessary data centers and replace them with orbital options that will be lower cost:

“In the long term, space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale. To harness even a millionth of our Sun’s energy would require over a million times more energy than our civilization currently uses! The only logical solution, therefore, is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space. I mean, space is called “space” for a reason.”

The merger has many advantages, but one of the most crucial is that it positions the now-merged companies to fund broader goals, fueled by revenue from the Starlink expansion, potential IPO, and AI-driven applications that could accelerate the development of lunar bases.

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Tesla pushes Full Self-Driving outright purchasing option back in one market

Tesla announced last month that it would eliminate the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving software outright, instead opting for a subscription-only program, which will require users to pay monthly.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has pushed the opportunity to purchase the Full Self-Driving suite outright in one market: Australia.

The date remains February 14 in North America, but Tesla has pushed the date back to March 31, 2026, in Australia.

Tesla announced last month that it would eliminate the ability to purchase the Full Self-Driving software outright, instead opting for a subscription-only program, which will require users to pay monthly.

If you have already purchased the suite outright, you will not be required to subscribe once again, but once the outright purchase option is gone, drivers will be required to pay the monthly fee.

The reason for the adjustment is likely due to the short period of time the Full Self-Driving suite has been available in the country. In North America, it has been available for years.

Tesla hits major milestone with Full Self-Driving subscriptions

However, Tesla just launched it just last year in Australia.

Full Self-Driving is currently available in seven countries: the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.

The company has worked extensively for the past few years to launch the suite in Europe. It has not made it quite yet, but Tesla hopes to get it launched by the end of this year.

In North America, Tesla is only giving customers one more day to buy the suite outright before they will be committed to the subscription-based option for good.

The price is expected to go up as the capabilities improve, but there are no indications as to when Tesla will be doing that, nor what type of offering it plans to roll out for owners.

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