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Elon Musk’s ‘Monty Python’ tower knight keeps watch over Boring Co’s TBM preparations

(Photo: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati)

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6 years ago

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Over five months since The Boring Company held an opening party for its test tunnel in Hawthorne, CA, Elon Musk’s Monty Python-style watchtower is standing strong, and so is its occupant. Based on recent photographs taken of the site, the cleverly-built watchtower’s resident knight is still present, a lone guard watching over the Boring Company’s nearby lot and SpaceX’s headquarters.

Teslarati photographer Pauline Acalin recently paid a visit to The Boring Company’s Hawthorne site, where she was able to get some detailed shots of the ironclad sentry on his post. Pauline’s images show that the watchtower is weathering the elements pretty well, and the pre-made Boring Brick-laid sections used in the structure appear almost the same as they did during the test tunnel’s opening party. This is quite impressive, considering that the Monty Python-style watchtower was constructed in an incredibly quick manner last December.

Elon Musk’s ‘Monty Python’ watchtower remains occupied. (Photo: Pauline Acalin/Teslarati)

The Boring Company watchtower knight is a reference to one of Elon Musk’s favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is widely regarded as one of the funniest movies ever made. During one of the film’s most memorable segments, a sharp-tongued French knight decided to give King Arthur and his knights a tongue-lashing for the ages. Played by actor John Cleese, the knight, as well as his creative insults, live on today, thanks to the prevalence of memes in the internet.

Apart from the watchtower knight’s continued guard duty, The Boring Company’s Hawthorne site is also seeing some notable activity. Teslarati photographer Tom Cross was able to capture several images of one of the tunneling startup’s lots in the area, which just happens to be a location where a tunnel boring machine (TBM) is being prepared.

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The Boring Company works on a tunnel boring machine. (Photo: Tom Cross/Teslarati)

The new tunnel boring machine is particularly noticeable due to its striking white paint. Several workers could be seen working on different sections of the TBM, though some sections of the machine placed around the lot still require some painting work. It should be noted that the TBM being prepared on the site appears very similar to Godot, the same machine used by the company to build its test tunnel. Nevertheless, Elon Musk’s previous references to its next-generation TBM, Line-Storm, triggers some speculations about the nature of the tunneling machine that Tom photographed in The Boring Company’s lot.

Teslarati has reached out to The Boring Company about this, and will update this piece once a response from the tunneling startup is received.

The Boring Company recently received a contract from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to build a Loop System for the LVCA’s campus. The project, which will be comprised of two tunnels that will each be less than a mile long, is expected to be completed quickly. In a statement on Twitter, Elon Musk noted that the Las Vegas Loop System would likely be operational by the end of the year.

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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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Cybertruck

Tesla clears the air on Cybertruck ‘deactivation’ video that is obviously fake

Tesla has cleared the air on the viral video, stating it is fake.

Published

7 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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Credit: Cybertruck | X

Tesla has cleared the air regarding a video that has been circulating, where the owner claims his Cybertruck was “deactivated” by the company while he was driving.

The video was shared on X and showed a driver pulled over on the side of the road, claiming his Cybertruck had been deactivated by Tesla in the middle of traffic. It is very obviously fake to those who know the company, but these kinds of things have a tendency to pick up steam.

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The video shows a screen that says:

“Tesla Cybertruck De-Activated. Critical Issue Detected | Contact Customer Service, Comply with Cease & Desist to Re-Activate. Update Failed, Return to Dealer.”

The same person who posted the video also shared an image of what appears to be a Cease and Desist letter from Tesla, but it is also likely fake:

The company finally responded to the video on Monday afternoon, stating that the video is, in fact, fake, reiterating that it will not disable vehicles remotely for any reason.

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It is a shame that these types of things happen, especially as people are prone to believe anything they see on the internet. As there is so much misinformation circulating surrounding Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, it is no surprise that someone would leverage the situation for their own benefit.

If that Cease and Desist letter is not real, perhaps the next one might be. These types of things can truly cause damage to a company’s reputation, and someone getting an idea that Tesla would remotely deactivate a car could prevent them from buying one.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk is stepping up for Tesla Service in a big way

Elon Musk has stepped up to resolve a handful of customer issues regarding vehicle service.

Published

9 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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tesla service
Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk is stepping up to help customers in a big way, especially when they are having issues with Tesla’s Service.

Perhaps one of the biggest advantages Tesla owners have is access to Musk through X, his social media platform. Over the years, we’ve seen Tesla add features, refine its cars’ performance, and more, all through asking Musk directly through a post.

Now, Musk is stepping up in another way by resolving a few Service complaints that customers had.

The first occurred last week when a recall on a Tesla battery was not honored by Service. The company sought $30,000 for a replacement and labor, which was not right. Musk responded that he would personally investigate the matter. The vehicle was fixed at no cost as it was a recall, and was ready for pickup the next day.

It also revealed a new strategy Tesla is using to combat service communication issues:

Tesla creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service

The next occurred with a Cybertruck owner who was in Japan. Their car was parked at an airport in the U.S. and had lost a vast majority of its state of charge, leaving them just fifty miles of range at the time.

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Musk reached out to the owner and said Service will take care of the car and will investigate the cause of the battery drain:

There are not too many companies out there where the CEO will get involved with individual issues like these. It’s pretty exclusive to Tesla, as Musk has commonly stepped up to resolve complaints with vehicles or to confront features that some owners might find useful.

Service has been a weak point of the company for some time, but it has worked to refine and resolve customer complaints by building more Service Centers across the world that can handle these issues.

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when

Anyone will be able to request a Tesla Robotaxi in September, Elon Musk said this morning.

Published

11 hours ago

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August 11, 2025

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Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer | X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company’s Robotaxi platform is opening to the public, and he even gave a timeline for when anyone will be able to access one for a ride.

Tesla’s Robotaxi platform launched to a small group on June 22 in Austin, Texas. The company has continued to expand the number of riders and its geofence over the past month and a half.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

Additionally, it launched rides in the Bay Area of California, but it differs slightly, as the Texas Robotaxi platform does not utilize a Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat. In California, the monitor sits in the driver’s seat.

As the geofence, service areas, and testing populations expand, Tesla fans are awaiting their elusive emails that enable their ability to use the Robotaxi platform. It now seems that the email will come soon, as Musk said Tesla will open up public access to Robotaxi next month:

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Tesla has been prioritizing safety over anything else with the launch of the Robotaxi platform, which is why it has been slow to push invitations to new riders. It is confident in the abilities of the platform and its Full Self-Driving suite, which has been proven with data.

However, even a single accident could set Tesla back years in terms of its development of self-driving cars. It is not a risk it is willing to take.

Musk said during the recent Q2 Earnings Call:

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“We need to make sure it works when the vehicles are fully under our control. It’s kind of one step at a time here. We don’t want to jump the gun. As I said, we’re being paranoid about safety. But I guess next year is I’d say confidently next year. I’m not sure when next year, but confidently next year, people would be able to add or subtract their car to the Tesla, Inc. fleet.”

As the platform will expand in Austin and the Bay Area for anyone, Tesla still continues to reiterate that Robotaxi will be available for everyone sometime next year, as Musk said in the quote above.

Things will continue to improve over time, and Tesla will likely expand its geofence in both regions in the coming weeks. It has already done that in Austin twice, with about a doubling in size occurring both times.

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