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Elon Musk reveals Tesla Master Plan Part 2: Solar, Pickup and Ride Share
It took a littler longer than promised, but the Tesla Master Plan Part 2 has finally been revealed. Here is the short version:
- Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage
- Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments
- Develop a self-driving capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning
- Enable your car to make money for you when you aren’t using it
The first objective is no surprise. Last month, Tesla submitted an offer to buy SolarCity for $2.8 billion in Tesla stock. This week, the url teslamotors.com began redirecting to tesla.com as part of the company’s branding strategy to be less of a motor company and become more of a brand and energy company. Here’s how Musk explains it.
“Create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world. One ordering experience, one installation, one service contact, one phone app.
The second part of the plan includes Tesla heavy duty trucks and new forms of urban transportation with high passenger density. “We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate.
“With the advent of autonomy, it will probably make sense to shrink the size of buses and transition the role of bus driver to that of fleet manager. [The bus] would also take people all the way to their destination. Fixed summon buttons at existing bus stops would serve those who don’t have a phone. Design accommodates wheelchairs, strollers and bikes.”
Objective 3 is all about reducing the annual carnage on the highways. “We expect that worldwide regulatory approval will require something on the order of 6 billion miles (10 billion km). Current fleet learning is happening at just over 3 million miles (5 million km) per day.”
-->Musk takes some care to explain why the current version of Autopilot is called beta. “It is called beta in order to decrease complacency and indicate that it will continue to improve (Autopilot is always off by default). Once we get to the point where Autopilot is approximately 10 times safer than the US vehicle average, the beta label will be removed.”
Despite calls to disable Autopilot by Consumer Reports and others, Musk makes it clear he will stay the course. Here’s why: “I should add a note here to explain why Tesla is deploying partial autonomy now, rather than waiting until some point in the future. The most important reason is that, when used correctly, it is already significantly safer than a person driving by themselves and it would therefore be morally reprehensible (emphasis added) to delay release simply for fear of bad press or some mercantile calculation of legal liability.”
Finally, Musk says car owners typically use their cars less than 10% of the time. Once fully autonomous driving is perfected, they will be able to share their car with others, generating income that can partially offset the costs of ownership. “In cities where demand exceeds the supply of customer-owned cars, Tesla will operate its own fleet, ensuring you can always hail a ride from us no matter where you are.”
There it is in a nutshell. A bold new plan to take the original not-so-secret plan and extend upon it. Musk restates and reinforces the underlying purpose for everything the company does. “The point of all this was, and remains, accelerating the advent of sustainable energy, so that we can imagine far into the future and life is still good. That’s what “sustainable” means. It’s not some silly, hippy thing — it matters for everyone.
“By definition, we must at some point achieve a sustainable energy economy or we will run out of fossil fuels to burn and civilization will collapse. Given that we must get off fossil fuels anyway and that virtually all scientists agree that dramatically increasing atmospheric and oceanic carbon levels is insane, the faster we achieve sustainability, the better.”
-->Amen, Elon.
See Tesla’s Master Plan, Part Deux in its entirety.
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Tesla Cybertruck welcomed with open arms in South Korea
The event featured interactive demos, a light show with the full Tesla lineup, and announcements including FSD Supervised’s planned rollout to Cybertruck by the end of 2025.
Tesla Korea handed over its first 30 Cybertrucks to owners on Thursday during a ceremonial event at the Cultural Reserve Base in Seoul, marking the all-electric pickup truck’s official debut outside North America.
The event featured interactive demos, a light show with the full Tesla lineup, and announcements including FSD Supervised’s planned rollout to Cybertruck by the end of 2025.
A historic delivery event
The November 27 event transformed a former oil reserve warehouse into a symbolic launchpad for electric mobility. Attended by 30 new owners, the event included hands-on activities such as hammer-strike durability tests, accessory sales, a lucky draw, and group photos. It culminated in a synchronized light show featuring the 30 Cybertrucks alongside Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y vehicles, which drew cheers from attendees.
Yvonne Chan, Tesla APAC Regional Director, joined as a special guest to celebrate the delivery milestone. Tesla Korea President Seo Young-deuk was also in attendance, and shared his optimism for the company’s momentum in the country.
“Korea is currently the third-largest market for Tesla sales worldwide, and this year, for the first time, it has achieved the No. 1 spot in imported car brand sales volume, Tesla Korea is growing at an incredibly rapid pace,” he said. “To repay this love from our customers, Tesla plans to continue investing in the Korean market and enhancing the customer experience.”
-->FSD Supervised launches in Korea
Seo announced the official introduction of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Korea, with Cybertrucks slated for inclusion by the end of 2025, which promoted applause from the event’s attendees. With even the Cybertruck expected to receive FSD this year, Tesla Korea’s fleet could very well become the country’s most advanced vehicles overnight.
Infrastructure growth remains a priority to support Tesla Korea’s expanding fleet. Tesla Korea’s Supercharger network currently includes 166 sites with 1,133 stalls, with V4 units planned for nationwide highway rest areas to boost long-distance travel. The company also operates seven stores and 15 service centers, though plans are underway to double both by 2027. A new store in Incheon’s Songdo district is scheduled to open by December 2025, enhancing accessibility for western Seoul-area customers.
Seo concluded, “Through all-encompassing investments spanning products, charging infrastructure, and service networks, Tesla Korea will deliver the most refined electric vehicle experience to Korean customers.”
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Tesla China delivery centers packed as Q4 2025 enters its final month
Fresh photos from delivery centers in the country show rows upon rows of Model Ys and Model 3s.
Tesla’s delivery centers in China are filled with vehicles as the company ramps up for its final push in Q4 2025. Fresh photos from delivery centers in the country show rows upon rows of Model Ys and Model 3s, signaling strong end-of-quarter momentum.
A delivery push for Q4 2025
A recent aerial shot from a Tesla delivery center in China captures the company’s efforts to deliver as many vehicles as possible as the year comes to a close. As could be seen in the image, which was posted by on X by Tesla enthusiast Nic Cruz Patane, the facility was filled with numerous Model Y and Model 3 units, each vehicle seemingly ready to be handed over to customers.
Echoing the scene, another post, reportedly from two weeks prior, showed a similar scene in a Shanghai location, which was packed with Model Y units. X user Roberto Nores shared the photo, noting that the image also shows multiple Model Y Ls, a six-seat extended wheelbase version of the popular all-electric crossover.
Towards a strong Q4 finish
China remains Tesla’s volume powerhouse, accounting for a good portion of the company’s global deliveries in recent quarters. That being said, reports did emerge in early November stating that the company only reached 26,006 retail sales during October, as noted in a CNEV Post report. The reasons for this remain to be seen, though a focus on exports could have been a contributing factor.
Tesla China does seem to be hinting at some momentum this November. Just recently, Tesla watchers observed that the order page for the Model Y in China shows a message informing customers that those who wish to guarantee delivery by the end of the year should purchase an inventory unit. This was despite the Model Y RWD and Model Y L showing an estimated delivery timeline of 4-8 weeks, and the Model Y Long Range RWD and Model Y Long Range AWD showing 4-13 weeks.
-->Elon Musk
SpaceX’s Starship FL launch site will witness scenes once reserved for sci-fi films
A Starship that launches from the Florida site could touch down on the same site years later.
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has released its Final Environmental Impact Statement for SpaceX’s efforts to launch and land Starship and its Super Heavy booster at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s SLC-37.
According to the Impact Statement, Starship could launch up to 76 times per year on the site, with Super Heavy boosters returning within minutes of liftoff and Starship upper stages landing back on the same pad in a timeframe that was once only possible in sci-fi movies.
Booster in Minutes, Ship in (possibly) years
The EIS explicitly referenced a never-before-seen operational concept: Super Heavy boosters will launch, reach orbit, and be caught by the tower chopsticks roughly seven minutes after liftoff. Meanwhile, the Starship upper stage will complete its mission, whether a short orbital test, lunar landing, or a multi-year Mars cargo run, and return to the exact same SLC-37 pad upon mission completion.
“The Super Heavy booster landings would occur within a few minutes of launch, while the Starship landings would occur upon completion of the Starship missions, which could last hours or years,” the EIS read.
This means a Starship that departs the Florida site in, say, 2027, could touch down on the same site in 2030 or later, right beside a brand-new stack preparing for its own journey, as noted in a Talk Of Titusville report. The 214-page document treats these multi-year round trips as standard procedure, effectively turning the location into one of the world’s first true interplanetary spaceports.
-->Noise and emissions flagged but deemed manageable
While the project received a clean bill of health overall, the EIS identified two areas requiring ongoing mitigation. Sonic booms from Super Heavy booster and Starship returns will cause significant community annoyance” particularly during nighttime operations, though structural damage is not expected. Nitrogen oxide emissions during launches will also exceed federal de minimis thresholds, prompting an adaptive management plan with real-time monitoring.
Other impacts, such as traffic, wildlife (including southeastern beach mouse and Florida scrub-jay), wetlands, and historic sites, were deemed manageable under existing permits and mitigation strategies. The Air Force is expected to issue its Record of Decision within weeks, followed by FAA concurrence, setting the stage for rapid redevelopment of the former site into a dual-tower Starship complex.
SpaceX Starship Environmental Impact Statement by Simon Alvarez
Tesla Cybertruck welcomed with open arms in South Korea
Tesla China delivery centers packed as Q4 2025 enters its final month
