News
Medtronic opens up about Elon Musk and SpaceX’s role in fight against COVID-19
Earlier this year, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that SpaceX would be working with medical device firm Medtronic to help the company produce its most advanced ventilators, which are pivotal in the battle against the pandemic. Details about the two companies’ collaboration have been quite slim since then, with Musk simply noting that SpaceX was producing valves for Medtronic.
In a recent post, Medtronic opted to share some key insights about its work with Elon Musk and his private space enterprise. The medical device maker’s story highlighted the value of Musk’s Silicon Valley-style approach to his companies, which emphasizes quick innovation that’s directed towards the development of real-world, practical solutions in the shortest time possible.
Medtronic’s Puritan Bennett 980 Ventilator Series is the company’s most advanced ventilator. It allows patients to breathe naturally through a series of innovative breath delivery technologies. It’s also fitted with a unique ventilator assistance feature that allows the machine to continue delivering ventilatory support even in the event of certain system failures. The flagship machine is built in Medtronic’s facility in Galway, Ireland, and it has become a staple in numerous hospitals.
In a typical year, Medtronic’s Galway plant could produce about 7,500 valves for its flagship ventilator. But with COVID-19 spreading across the globe, the need for ventilators increased rapidly and significantly. Medtronic promptly increased the production of its ventilators, and by mid-March, the Galway plant had raised its output by 40%. But it was not enough. Building ventilators is a complex process, after all, and the machines require advanced components that are difficult to manufacture.
One of these components is a proportional solenoid (PSOL) valve, a highly complex piece of machinery that controls the flow of air and oxygen inside the machine. The PSOL valve consists of over 50 parts, and each must be manufactured with surgical precision, with some components having tolerances as thin as a strand of hair. Medtronic’s most advanced ventilator used three of these PSOL valves per unit, and as noted by Medtronic Engineer Matt Phillips, the medical device firm was pretty much at a loss about how it could meet the increasing demand for its products.
And then Elon Musk called, and he came with a unique, interesting proposal.
Musk’s private space firm, SpaceX, which made its mark in the industry with its reusable rockets and its Crew Dragon spacecraft, offered to make PSOL valves for Medtronic. SpaceX proved to be the perfect partner for the medical device maker, as it already had a division that designs and manufactures valves for its rockets. The private space enterprise’s engineers were top-notch, and they had the technical expertise to stand up to the challenge. And with that, the two companies’ collaboration began.
In a display of its quick, Silicon Valley-style approach to problem-solving, SpaceX did not waste any time. COVID-19 was not letting up, and neither was Elon Musk’s private space enterprise. SpaceX promptly converted part of its rocket factory in Hawthorne, California to produce PSOL valves with the help of Medtronic employees. To maximize mobility and speed, the team even built a PSOL valve manufacturing line on carts. Ultimately, the SpaceX and Medtronic team achieved in months what might have otherwise taken years.
“They literally turned a rocket production area into a ventilator valve manufacturing facility almost overnight,” Phillips said.
As noted by the Medtronics engineer, SpaceX did not scrimp on its talent, with some of the engineers who worked on the Crew Dragon capsule working on the Medtronic project. Quality control was extremely high, with the valves produced at the SpaceX site undergoing rigorous testing before being shipped to Galway.
“We had their best technicians. We had their best engineers. Some of the people working on this project are the very people who just launched the first private commercial crew to the International Space Station. They brought the same kind of energy to this project that they brought to putting astronauts into space,” Phillips noted.
“When it comes down to it, these ventilators are going to save lives,” Phillips said. “So every component has to be perfect. There is no room for error, which is why we put these valves through such an intensive testing protocol,” the Medtronic engineer added.
Thanks in no small part to the quick initiative of the SpaceX team, the medical equipment company now has the capability to produce 9,000 PSOL valves for Medtronic’s flagship ventilator over the next 8 to 10 weeks. That’s about the same amount of valves that Medtronic’s Galway plant produced in 2019. The Galway facility, for its part, could now operate at five times the volume of its pre-pandemic operations.
“I have never seen anything like this in my life… This project certainly changed the way I look at production, partnership, and innovation. I know that, with the right focus and the right energy, we can take what we learned from this project and apply it to other challenges that come our way,” Phillips remarked.
News
Tesla gives HW3 owners another massive update
It was an “at last” moment for HW 3 owners, who have waited for an update on the capabilities of their vehicles for some time. After CEO Elon Musk finally admitted last week that the HW3 vehicles would not be capable of unsupervised FSD, it appears Tesla is bringing a new, more transparent tone to those owners.
Tesla is giving Hardware 3 vehicle owners another massive update, the second major communication the company has given to those drivers after what seemed like years of being left out to dry.
The company, which plans to launch a Full Self-Driving version 14 iteration that is compatible with these cars, which have older chips, is now planning to expand the rollout of the v14 Lite offering to other markets, it said on X.
Tesla said:
“Following future rollout of FSD V14 Lite for HW3 vehicles in the US, we plan on expanding V14 Lite to additional international markets. This update ensures that HW3 vehicle owners will continue to benefit from ongoing software updates. Since international rollout is subject to several factors (completion of technical verification, regional adaptation & relevant regulatory approvals), we can’t provide definitive dates at the moment, but will provide updates on a rolling basis.”
This announcement comes at a critical time for HW3 owners, many of whom purchased Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability years ago with promises of ongoing support and future-proofing.
Following future rollout of FSD V14 Lite for HW3 vehicles in the US, we plan on expanding V14 Lite to additional international markets.
This update ensures that HW3 vehicle owners will continue to benefit from ongoing software updates.
Since international rollout is subject to…
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 29, 2026
HW3, introduced in 2019, powers vehicles from roughly 2019 to early 2023 models. While newer AI4 hardware has advanced rapidly, HW3 owners have felt increasingly left behind, with their last major update stuck around version 12.6 since early 2025.
It was an “at last” moment for HW 3 owners, who have waited for an update on the capabilities of their vehicles for some time. After CEO Elon Musk finally admitted last week that the HW3 vehicles would not be capable of unsupervised FSD, it appears Tesla is bringing a new, more transparent tone to those owners.
V14 Lite represents a significant optimization effort. Tesla has confirmed it will bring many core features of the full V14 release, currently running on more powerful hardware, to the more constrained HW3 platform.
Expected capabilities include improved handling of complex urban scenarios, better reverse driving, enhanced parking features, and smoother overall autonomy, albeit in a “lite” form tailored to HW3’s compute limits. Tesla’s head of Autopilot, Ashok Elluswamy, noted during the Q1 2026 earnings call that the update is targeted for late June in the U.S.
Tesla is releasing a modified version of FSD v14 for Hardware 3 owners: here’s when
The international expansion is particularly meaningful for owners in Europe, Asia, Australia, and other regions where FSD rollout has lagged due to regulatory hurdles.
Tesla emphasized that timing remains fluid, dependent on “technical verification, regional adaptation & relevant regulatory approvals.” No firm dates were provided, but the company pledged rolling updates as milestones are achieved.
This move addresses growing concerns that Tesla might abandon legacy hardware. With the recent admission that its capabilities are limited and not capable of Tesla’s grand autonomy ambitions, owners are finally in the light of truth, with more honesty being put forth as the company navigates this chapter.
For Tesla, keeping HW3 relevant strengthens customer loyalty and protects the value of older vehicles. It also buys time as the company pushes toward broader regulatory approvals and unsupervised autonomy on newer platforms.
While V14 Lite isn’t the full unsupervised experience once promised, it delivers tangible improvements and signals that HW3 owners are not being forgotten.
As Tesla continues its rapid AI and autonomy evolution, this update underscores a key principle: software can breathe new life into existing hardware. For tens of thousands of HW3 drivers worldwide, V14 Lite could mark the beginning of a renewed era of confidence in their vehicles.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk
SpaceX has given Elon Musk the goal to put one million people on Mars.
SpaceX’s board approved a compensation plan for Elon Musk that ties his pay directly to colonizing Mars and building data centers in outer space. The details surfaced this week after Reuters reviewed SpaceX’s confidential registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, making it one of the first concrete looks inside the company’s financials ahead of a public offering.
The pay package will reportedly award Musk 200 million super-voting restricted shares if the company hits a market valuation milestone, with the most ambitious targets going further. To unlock the full award, SpaceX would need to reach a $7.5 trillion valuation and help establish a permanent human settlement on Mars with at least one million residents. Additional incentives are tied to developing space-based computing infrastructure capable of delivering at least 100 terawatts of processing power.
SpaceX wins its first MARS contract but it comes with a catch
Long before SpaceX filed anything with the SEC, Elon Musk had already spent years framing Mars colonization as an insurance policy against human extinction. The philosophy traces back to at least 2001, when Musk first began researching Mars missions independently, before SpaceX even existed. By 2002 he had founded the company with Mars as the stated long-term goal.
In a 2017 presentation at the International Astronautical Congress, Musk outlined the specific vision that still underpins SpaceX’s architecture today. He described a self-sustaining city on Mars requiring roughly one million people to become viable, the same number now written into his compensation package.
SpaceX’s Starship, still in active development, was designed from the ground up to support the eventual colonization of Mars. Musk has stated publicly that getting the cost per ton to Mars below $100,000 is necessary to make mass migration economically feasible. Everything from Starship’s payload capacity to its full reusability targets flows from that single constraint. One can say that Musk’s latest compensation package has put a formal valuation on Mars for the first time.
SpaceX is targeting an IPO around June 28, Musk’s birthday, at a valuation of approximately $1.75 trillion. Between the Mars rover contract, the Golden Dome software group, Space Force satellite launches, and now a pay structure built around interplanetary colonization, SpaceX has become the single most consequential contractor in American space and defense. The IPO will put a public price tag on all of it for the first time.
Earlier this week, we wrote a story on how Tesla is launching a new Supercharging Queue system to mitigate problems between drivers when there is a wait to charge.
Rather than potentially having people end up in a physical conflict, Tesla’s approach is to determine who is next to charge based on geographic data.
Tesla launches solution to end Supercharger fights once and for all
But some companies, notably Tesla’s biggest rival in China, BYD, are taking a different approach, focusing on charging speeds rather than how they will manage delays.
BYD’s approach, especially with its tests of ultra-fast “Flash Charging” technology, is to eliminate the length of a charging session. At the heart of this strategy is BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery paired with 1,500-kW Flash Chargers.
Real-world FLASH Charging in action.
⚡ 10% → 70% in 5 minutes
⚡ 10% → 97% in 9 minutesIntroducing BYD’s 2nd Generation Blade Battery + FLASH Charging Technology.
20,000 stations will bring faster, safer, and smarter EV charging across China by the end of 2026. pic.twitter.com/uzQC8q1xGf
— BYD (@BYDCompany) March 9, 2026
Unveiled earlier this year, the system charges compatible vehicles from 10 percent to 70 percent state of charge in just five minutes and from 10 percent to 97 percent in nine minutes.
Real-world demonstrations on models like the Yangwang U7 and Denza Z9 GT have shown the tech delivering roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) of range in just five minutes. This would essentially match or beat the time it takes to fill a gas tank.
Sometimes, gas pumps get congested, and there are lines. You rarely see conflicts at pumps because filling up a tank rarely takes more than five minutes.
Tesla’s fastest Supercharger build currently is the v4, which can deliver up to 325 kW for Cybertruck and 250 kW for other models, but there are “true” sites that are capable of up to 500 kW. This enables speeds of up to 1,000 miles per hour, or 1,400 miles for 350 kW-capable vehicles.
The breakthrough stems from BYD’s vertically integrated ecosystem: a new 1,000-volt architecture, 10C charging rates, and proprietary silicon-carbide chips that minimize internal resistance while protecting battery health.
The company plans to install 20,000 Flash Charging stations across China by the end of 2026, with thousands already operational and global expansion eyed for Europe and beyond later this year.
Early rollout targets popular models, including upgrades to high-volume sellers like the Seal and Sealion series, bringing five-minute charging to mainstream prices around 100,000 yuan (about $14,000).
This approach contrasts sharply with Tesla’s software solution. Tesla’s Virtual Queue uses geofencing and the app to assign turns at crowded sites, addressing driver disputes and idle time. It’s a clever fix for today’s network realities.
Yet, BYD’s philosophy is simpler: make charging so fast that waits barely exist. A five-minute stop becomes as convenient as a gas-station visit, reducing station dwell time, easing grid strain, and lowering range anxiety for long trips.
For consumers, the difference is potentially tangible. They’ll spend more time driving and less time parked. It is just another way Tesla and BYD are pushing one another to improve the overall experience of EV ownership.
Tesla gives HW3 owners another massive update
SpaceX Board has set a Mars bonus for Elon Musk
