Connect with us

News

No, Elon Musk did not “launch new attack” GM or President Biden.

Credit: Tesla/YouTube

Published

on

No, Elon Musk did not “launch new attack” on General Motors (GM) or President Biden yesterday, as The Street recently reported. I thought I would clear this up here since it was my own tweet and Elon Musk’s response to my tweet might have somehow gotten misinterpreted.

According to the article, “Tesla’s CEO is resentful and never misses an opportunity to attack Detroit auto giant GM.”

The article also said that Elon Musk doesn’t want to promote the brands of his rivals and that GM is his favorite target. It, in my opinion, painted GM as the victim and Elon Musk as a bully. So I’d like to clear up some things and share what actually happened.

Elon Musk Didn’t “Launch New Attack” On Anyone

Yesterday, I shared a tweet by Sawyer Merrit with my own comment. I tagged both President Biden and Elon Musk. You can see the tweet below. This was and still is my opinion on GM’s decision to invest $1 billion into Mexico for an EV factory instead of investing those funds into American jobs.

Advertisement
-

As you can see for yourself, Elon Musk did not mention GM or President Biden. He mentioned Tesla and his reference was to Tesla being named the most American-made car by Cars.com.

GM’s Commitment To Mexico

I shared my thoughts about GM’s move to invest $1 billion in Mexico for an EV plant in this article. And there’s more. GM shared a statement on its Mexico media site where the company’s President and CEO, Francisco Garza said (translated by Google into English):

“We are very proud to contribute to the materialization of GM’s Vision of Zero Collisions, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion, contributing to the manufacture of electric vehicles.”

“We trust that the necessary economic conditions will be met so that eventually the Complex can increase the workforce for one more shift in some operations. We are grateful to the Federal Government and the Government of Coahuila for promoting this investment. This is great news to continue celebrating GM’s more than 85 years in Mexico and show our commitment to the country.”

American Jobs Vs Mexican Jobs

It seems that my theory in the tweet that Elon Musk responded to could be correct. I saw this earlier this morning.:

@WholeMarsBlog shared screenshots of the salaries at the GM plant in Mexico where the new Chevy Blazer EV will be made. The starting pay for Operations is MX$91,950 per year which translates to $4,475.78  per year. There are other salaries with similarly low numbers.

In comparison, GlassDoor shows that technician salaries at GM average out at $63,166 annually. So,  it seems that GM will be saving some serious money by outsourcing some of these jobs to Mexico.

My 2.5¢

Clearly, GM is trying to save money. And GM CEO, Mary Barra,  recently expressed her confidence that GM can beat Tesla. You can draw your own conclusions from these two scenarios.

I do think that using Elon Musk to paint GM as a victim while downplaying its decision to make its Chevy Blazer EV in Mexico instead of the U.S. is really shady. And using my own tweet to do so as well. No, Elon Musk didn’t “launch new attack” on President Biden or GM. No one attacked them.

I just shared my own opinion on the matter and he pointed out which brand was the most American-made car.

Advertisement
-

Johnna Crider is a Baton Rouge writer covering Tesla, Elon Musk, EVs, and clean energy & supports Tesla's mission. Johnna also interviewed Elon Musk and you can listen here

Advertisement
Comments

News

Tesla Roadster is available for order once again following brief hold

Published

on

(Credit: luxunsheep/Instagram)

Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed next-generation Roadster, asking buyers for a $50,000 deposit just days before an October 1 reveal event in Waco, Texas. The move revives a reservation process first launched in 2017 and later paused when Tesla pulled pricing from its website in 2021.

The reservation page requires an immediate $5,000 credit-card payment, described as fully refundable, followed by a $45,000 wire transfer due within 10 days, which is identical to what was expected previously. Reservations are not considered final until the wire clears.

The structure matches the 2017 terms Tesla used when it first collected deposits after unveiling a prototype. Tesla has not published a confirmed retail price or production start date on the order page.

The October 1 event is scheduled in Waco, about 90 minutes north of Tesla’s Austin headquarters and near SpaceX’s McGregor rocket test site. Tesla sent invitations to existing reservation holders and posted a “Go for launch” teaser on September 12.

Advertisement
-

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established a temporary flight restriction over the McGregor area from September 18 through October 2, consistent with plans for a demonstration involving SpaceX-designed cold-gas thrusters. Elon Musk has previously described the optional package as enabling extreme acceleration or brief hovering. Tesla has said the event will include pricing, specifications, and production targets.

The second-generation Roadster was first shown in November 2017 during Tesla’s Semi launch. Musk promised production in 2020, with claimed performance of 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, more than 250 mph top speed, and roughly 620 miles of range.

Those targets have slipped repeatedly.

Tesla later pointed to 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025-2026 before indicating production would not begin until 2027 or 2028 at Gigafactory Texas. Design work has continued, with reports of a sharper, Cybertruck-influenced look replacing the original curvy prototype.

Original reservation holders who paid $50,000 in 2017, or $250,000 for the Founders Series, have waited nearly nine years without a production car. Some high-profile customers canceled. Tesla’s decision to reopen orders now, after previously shutting them down, tests whether new buyers will commit substantial funds before seeing a finalized production vehicle. The October 1 event is intended to answer remaining questions about what those buyers will actually receive and when.

Advertisement
-
Continue Reading

News

Tesla Full Self-Driving expands to another European country

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is heading to Czechia after the Czech Ministry of Transport recognised the Dutch RDW’s provisional type approval, making the country the seventh EU member state to clear the system for public roads. Tesla Europe announced on 21 September 2026 that “FSD Supervised is now approved in Czechia” and that rollout “will begin soon.”

The decision marks a notable reversal. Earlier in 2026, Prague had declined to automatically recognise the Netherlands’ April approval, citing concerns over speed-limit compliance, traffic-sign recognition and driver-attention monitoring, and arguing that a coordinated EU approach was preferable. Officials said months of expert review, talks with Tesla and other member states, and real-world data from countries already using the system resolved those issues.

“Safety remains the top priority,” the ministry stated.

FSD Supervised remains a Level 2 driver-assistance system: the driver must stay engaged and is legally responsible. Eligible vehicles need AI4, the company’s most up-to-date hardware version. Tesla is expected to push the feature over the air in the coming days, following the pattern seen after earlier national approvals.

Advertisement
-

Europe’s rollout began when Dutch regulator RDW issued a provisional EU type approval on 10 April 2026 after extensive testing. Mutual recognition then produced a rapid cascade: Lithuania (20 May), Estonia (29 May), Denmark (9 June), Belgium (10 June) and Slovenia (7 September). Czechia now completes that list of seven.

The approvals cover only a modest share of the EU population, but they add political weight ahead of a 6 October vote by the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles. A qualified majority, at least 15 of 27 member states representing 65 percent of the EU population, could open the remaining markets, including large ones such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain that have so far preferred to wait for a bloc-wide decision.

For Czech Tesla owners, the immediate prize is access to the same supervised highway and city driving already available in the other six countries. For Tesla, each new market generates additional European driving data and strengthens the case that FSD Supervised can operate safely under the continent’s varied road rules. The Czech approval is therefore both a local milestone and another incremental step toward a wider European launch.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla Roadster event requires restricted airspace, and the FAA obliges

Published

on

Credit: @BLKMDL3/Twitter

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a Temporary Flight Restriction over SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, rocket development and test facility, a move widely viewed as preparation for Tesla’s October 1 Roadster reveal. The restriction took effect September 18 and runs through October 2.

NOTAM FDC 6/3825 covers a 1.5-nautical-mile radius around the site near Waco and extends from the surface to 10,000 feet above ground level. The FAA cited hazards under 14 CFR 91.137(a)(3) and barred aircraft and drones from the zone. Tesla’s invitation to reservation holders already placed the event in Waco, about 20 minutes from McGregor, making the timing and location more than coincidental.

What stands out is the altitude. Typical recent TFRs at McGregor for engine static fires and component tests have used far lower ceilings, often around 2,000 feet. Raising the limit to 10,000 feet is unusually high even compared with some Starbase restrictions and signals operations that go beyond a standard ground-level engine test.

That extra airspace has fueled speculation about the long-promised SpaceX Package for the Roadster. Elon Musk has described cold-gas thrusters that could deliver sub-one-second 0-60 times and, more dramatically, brief lift-off. Reports earlier this year indicated Tesla planned a remote-controlled demonstration at McGregor in which the car would leave the ground with no one inside; spectators kept hundreds of yards away because of the noise.

Advertisement
-

The 10,000-foot envelope would give operators a large safety buffer even if the vehicle only hovers a short distance.

Tesla has not confirmed a flight demo. The company has only used the phrase “Go for launch” and posted a teaser image of the car on what looks like a launch pad. The TFR itself mentions only hazards. Still, closing airspace this high and this close to the reveal date strongly suggests the event will include more than a static display.

Whether the Roadster actually hovers on October 1 remains to be seen. What is certain is that the FAA has cleared a large vertical slice of Texas sky for whatever Tesla and SpaceX intend to show. Reservation holders heading to Waco will be among the first to find out if the car can do more than drive.

Continue Reading