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Automakers will focus on self-driving technology at CES 2017
The 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas opens to the public on January 5 but will be preceded by press and preview days on January 3 and 4. This year’s show will span across 2.5 million square feet of floor space spread across multiple venues and feature 3,800 exhibitors.
“One of the big themes is going to be connectivity,” Jeff Joseph, senior vice president for communications and strategic relationships at the Consumer Technology Association, which hosts CES. “For example, Internet of Things, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, voice-activated communication with things like Alexa and Google Home and higher-value content – 4K-produced content that you can move from device to device.”
Faraday Future
In the past few years, more and more car companies and automotive suppliers have used CES to showcase their technological prowess, particularly in the area of self-driving cars. Faraday Future says it will reveal its first production car via a live stream beginning at 6:00 pm on January 3. The all electric vehicle appears to be a crossover SUV based on teaser videos the company has released ahead of the show.
Hyundai Ioniq
Hyundai says it will be providing show goers rides in its new Ioniq equipped with autonomous driving technology. In a preview earlier this year, C/Net RoadShow reporter Antuan Goodwin found the self driving Ioniq competent if a little boring. The car never exceeds the speed limit, for instance, and deals with pedestrians and turns within city limits with painfully slow precision.
Chrysler Pacifica
Chrysler is expected to introduce a battery electric version of its Pacifica minivan at CES 2017. The car is not expected to be available for sale before 2018 and little is known at this time about battery size, range, or other specifications. Chrysler has just started selling a plug-in hybrid version of the Pacifica in the US. 100 of those cars have been modified at a separate facility in Detroit to use Google’s self driving technology. Google has recently announced that it is no longer considering manufacturing its own self-driving car.
Honda NeuV
Honda will bring a “box on wheels” concept electric car to the Las Vegas show. Called the NeuV, the car can recognize the occupants’ mood and adjust lighting, visual displays, and driving characteristics to match. It will also showcase vehicle to vehicle communication systems designed to speed the flow of traffic in congested urban areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XMA6YAh5c
Rinspeed
Not to be outdone in the goofiness department, Rinspeed will present its highly unusual and totally unique Oasis concept. The car is intended to answer the question, “What will drivers and passengers do with their time when self driving cars become the norm?” One answer, says Rinspeed, is an onboard garden that occupants can tend to while under way.
MobilEye
MobilEye, Tesla’s former partner for autonomous driving systems, has linked up with Delphi, a major component supplier to the automotive industry, to create a self driving platform that will be marketed to various car makers. The two companies will offer show visitors a 6.3 mile long test drive of their Centralized Sensing Localization and Planning (CSLP) automated driving system. It won’t be production ready until 2019, but the two companies insist it is “the first turnkey, fully integrated automated driving solution with an industry-leading perception system and computing platform.”
https://vimeo.com/193388153
Keynote speakers at CES 2017 will include Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who will talk about “the latest in artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, VR, and gaming.” Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan, is also scheduled to give a keynote address.
CES is about more than automobiles. New advances in televisions, smartphones, and personal assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo will be featured as well as advances in gaming and virtual reality technology. No one could see, touch, and experience everything that every exhibitor will bring to the show.
We will attempt to keep you informed about new technologies that will apply to the automotive and mobility industries, beginning with the first press conferences next Tuesday, January 3. Like us on Facebook and get a behind the scenes look from CES 2017.
SpaceX announced today that it would expand its launch capabilities into a new U.S. state: Louisiana.
Today, SpaceX, in conjunction with the Louisiana Economic Development Office, said that it will establish a new launch facility, which it will call Starbase, Louisiana. It will be located near Vermilion Parish, supporting thousands of launches each year, at least eventually.
CEO Elon Musk commented by stating, “Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!”
Starbase Louisiana will ultimately have over a dozen launch towers, enabling more than 30 Starship flights per day and making it the biggest launch site on Earth!
SpaceX makes sci-fi real. https://t.co/C7Ht0U12ba
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2026
The expansion is SpaceX’s latest move to push its launch cadence to be more frequent than ever. SpaceX said that Starbase, Louisiana, will be built to “support thousands of Starship flights a year,” with the first coming in 2029.
SpaceX announced the new facility in partnership with the Louisiana Economic Development Office as it will bring a major influx of jobs and investments into the area. Currently, it will produce more than 3,000 new jobs in Louisiana, and SpaceX plans to invest at least $100 billion into the entire facility, ensuring that many jobs are created as a result.
Environmental Responsibility
SpaceX acknowledges the impact launches could have on marshlands, local wildlife, and water sources. Here’s how the company plans to help with the issues in Vermilion Parish:
- Restoring the Shoreline: “In Vermilion Parish, the shoreline is eroding between 3.3 and 23 feet per year. We’re partnering with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act projects, including Gulf shoreline protection breakwaters designed to reduce wave energy and slow loss along the Gulf edge.”
- Rebuilding the Marshlands: “In working with the state, we’re planning thousands of acres of marsh creation using beneficial-use placement of dredged material and offshore sediment sources. Restoration will also include interior marsh bank stabilization and rebuilding marsh in remnant canals. These projects can reconnect fragmented wetlands, restore natural buffers against storms, and return habitat that has been lost to erosion and historic canalization.”
- Preserving Coastal Wildlife: “Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat. At existing launch sites, waterfowl and other birds continue to use nearby habitat during operations. Working with wildlife agencies, landowners, and conservation groups, SpaceX will support monitoring and management so this habitat stays productive and hunting, fishing, birding, and other recreational activities that are part of this coast’s culture can continue.”
SpaceX shares rose about 2.5 percent on the news.
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Tesla Cybertruck trims saw a big price change, at least on two of the three available to consumers, as demand for the all-electric pickup appears to be increasing.
Tesla bumped up its Base All-Wheel-Drive trim level up to $74,990 from $69,990 and the Premium All-Wheel-Drive configuration from $79,990 to $84,990. The Cyberbeast price remains unchanged at $99,990.
🚨 Cybertruck prices went up as Tesla bumped them 7%
– Tesla Cybertruck AWD is now $74,990
– Tesla Cybertruck Premium AWD now $84,990
– Tesla Cyberbeast now $99,990 https://t.co/MYJbaw56GL— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 25, 2026
Despite questions of demand for the truck, Tesla is bumping its two least expensive trims up $5,000 to signal that there are plenty of buyers. Although SpaceX has been buying Tesla Cybertruck units to utilize as company vehicles, it is no secret that the Cybertruck is among the most sought-after Tesla models out there.
The issue has always been pricing, at least for the most part. When Tesla initially launched the Cybertruck AWD at $59,990 a few months back, the company stated that price would remain intact for just ten days due to the influx of orders it received.
Cybertruck Sales: Is It the Product or Pricing?
Depending on who you ask, you will likely hear one of two explanations for relatively low Cybertruck sales: either the product itself or the pricing.
Yes, this is the best-selling all-electric pickup on the market. However, there are people who simply hate the look of it, which I understand, but do not agree with. Look is totally subjective, and I love the look of the Cybertruck.
Some people will not buy the Cybertruck because of the look, but I am under the impression that sales would be much better if this truck were priced lower; something that might not be possible considering Tesla’s need to make money on its products. When it was unveiled in 2019, its most expensive trim level was $69,990. Now, the cheapest trim level is more expensive than that.
I would be in a Cybertruck if it were more affordable. I LOVE my Model Y, but Cybertruck is the best vehicle Tesla makes, and it’s not particularly close. Even in the base model, the steer-by-wire, the space, storage, and performance make it more desirable than the Model Y to me. I cannot be the only Tesla owner without a Cybertruck who feels this way.
If you’re interested in buying a Tesla vehicle, use my referral link.
Energy
Tesla Semi factory is getting a celebration nobody expected
Tesla will inaugurate its Nevada Semi factory September 24, five months after production quietly began ramping.
Tesla says it will officially inaugurate its new Semi factory in Nevada next month. The Tesla Semi account posted the announcement on X, sharing a graphic titled “Semi Rollout” with a date of September 24. No further details were given about the format of the event or who would attend.
While Tesla’s dedicated Semi plant in Sparks, adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada, opened back in April, with the first trucks rolling off the high volume line on April 29, the timing for the factory inauguration comes at a surprise. The ribbon cutting event five months into production is a break from how Tesla has usually handled its other factories, where the first truck or car off the line typically served as the milestone moment.
Inauguration of new Semi factory in Nevada next month pic.twitter.com/a8kAlxrOOn
— Tesla Semi (@tesla_semi) August 24, 2026
The 1.7 million square foot factory was built as part of a $3.6 billion expansion Tesla announced in early 2023, and it shares a site with the battery cell lines that feed the Semi’s structural pack, a decision meant to remove the supply bottleneck that delayed the truck for years. The plant is designed for 50,000 trucks a year at full ramp. Semi program director Dan Priestley has said production “is now ramping” rather than claiming it has reached scale.
Nine years passed between the Semi’s 2017 unveiling and this stage of production, with the truck slipping from an original 2019 target through hand built pilot units for PepsiCo and a slow build out of the Nevada plant. An inauguration event now gives Tesla a stage to talk up that ramp and reset expectations for how many trucks it can begin delivering at scale.
The September date also lines up with the Semi’s next milestone. Tesla confirmed the truck is heading to Europe with a full unveiling at the IAA Transportation trade show in Hannover, Germany, running September 15 through 20. Between the Nevada event and the Hannover reveal, Tesla has roughly a week and a half in September to make the case that the Semi is now a truck being built and sold on two continents rather than tested in a handful of fleets.
SpaceX announces new Starbase for ‘thousands of Starship launches annually’
Tesla just made Cybertruck more expensive
