News
The Boring Co.’s information session will be livestreamed, says Elon Musk
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Elon Musk confirmed that The Boring Company’s upcoming information session in Los Angeles, CA on Thursday would be livestreamed online. The update came as Musk was providing details about SpaceX’s planned Earth-to-Earth transport system, which would be using Boring Co. tunnels and Hyperloop technology when transporting people from city centers to spaceports at sea.
Following his update on SpaceX’s Earth-to-Earth BFR transportation, Musk issued an open invitation to the Boring Company’s upcoming information session on Thursday, which is set to be held at the Leo Baeck Temple in 1300 N Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA at 7:00 p.m. PST. Musk noted that The Boring Company would be presenting and taking questions about its tunneling plans for Los Angeles.
Musk’s update on the Boring Co.’s information session prompted hundreds of responses from his followers on Twitter, several of whom inquired if the town hall meeting will be livestreamed online. Responding to one of his Twitter followers, Musk confirmed with a simple “Yes.”
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2018
The Boring Company’s upcoming information session in LA could comes at an opportune time. Just recently, the tunneling startup and its recently-granted exemption from environmental review met strong opposition from two neighborhood groups in the LA area. The two groups — the Brentwood Residents Coalition and the Sunset Coalition — recently filed a lawsuit alleging that the local government violated state law when it exempted the Boring Company’s 2.7-mile proof-of-concept tunnel under Sepulveda Boulevard from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
In a recent Instagram post, Musk revealed that a Boring Company tunnel is nearly complete, and once final regulatory approvals are completed, the tunneling startup would begin offering free rides to the public. Musk also reiterated The Boring Co.’s commitment to pedestrians, stating that when the tunnels are fully operational, the system “will always give priority to pods for pedestrians and cyclists” at a cost less than the price of a bus ticket.
Last December, The Boring Company filed for a tax exclusion to the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority. The documents revealed that the Boring Company would be using a special type of concrete for its tunnels. The documents also outlined the startup’s plans of building a batch plant and carousel system to manufacture and transport concrete rings, which will be used to line the company’s projects.
The Boring Company is only a year old, but it is already taking definitive strides in the transportation industry. The tunneling startup, for one, has already outlasted two of its rival bidders in the proposed, high-profile downtown Chicago-O’Hare transport system. The Boring Company also finished a funding round recently, with an SEC filing revealing that the tunneling startup has raised $113 million in equity.
Watch the livestream of the Boring Company’s information session below.
Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Elon Musk
Tesla locks in Elon Musk’s top problem solver as it enters its most ambitious era
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla has granted Senior Vice President of Automotive Tom Zhu more than 520,000 stock options, tying a significant portion of his compensation to the company’s long-term performance.
The generous equity award was disclosed by the electric vehicle maker in a recent regulatory filing.
Tesla secures top talent
According to a Form 4 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Tom Zhu received 520,021 stock options with an exercise price of $435.80 per share. Since the award will not fully vest until March 5, 2031, Zhu must remain at Tesla for more than five years to realize the award’s full benefit.
Considering that Tesla shares are currently trading at around the $445 to $450 per share level, Zhu will really only see gains in his equity award if Tesla’s stock price sees a notable rise over the years, as noted in a Sina Finance report.
Still, even at today’s prices, Zhu’s stock award is already worth over $230 million. If Tesla reaches the market cap targets set forth in Elon Musk’s 2025 CEO Performance Award, Zhu would become a billionaire from this equity award alone.
Tesla’s problem solver
Zhu joined Tesla in April 2014 and initially led the company’s Supercharger rollout in China. Later that year, he assumed the leadership of Tesla’s China business, where he played a central role in Tesla’s localization efforts, including expanding retail and service networks, and later, overseeing the development of Gigafactory Shanghai.
Zhu’s efforts helped transform China into one of Tesla’s most important markets and production hubs. In 2023, Tesla promoted Zhu to Senior Vice President of Automotive, placing him among the company’s core global executives and expanding his influence beyond China. He has since garnered a reputation as the company’s problem solver, being tapped by Elon Musk to help ramp Giga Texas’s vehicle production.
With this in mind, Tesla’s recent filing seems to suggest that the company is locking in its top talent as it enters its newest, most ambitious era to date. As could be seen in the targets of Elon Musk’s 2025 pay package, Tesla is now aiming to be the world’s largest company by market cap, and it is aiming to achieve production levels that are unheard of. Zhu’s talents would definitely be of use in this stage of the company’s growth.
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
