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.
Teslas are the most made-in-USA vehicles
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2022
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.
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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.:
Salaries at the GM plant in Mexico where the Chevy Blazer EV will be made start at just $4,492 a year. $GM pic.twitter.com/G9ZSWy3WGv
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) July 20, 2022
@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.
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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.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
