Anyone who has followed Tesla for an extended period of time would know that CEO Elon Musk says a lot of aspirational things about the electric vehicle maker’s products. Some of them initially sound implausible when initially mentioned, but Tesla has also developed a tendency to actually release features that Musk teased, regardless of how strange they might be.
Arguably, one of the craziest things that Musk has stated about the Cybertruck was the fact that the vehicle would be able to serve briefly as a boat. The CEO even noted that the Cybertruck should be able to “cross rivers, lakes, and even seas that aren’t too choppy.” Musk floated the idea of an electric propeller mounted on the Cybertruck’s tow hitch as well as wheel hubs that generate thrust.
Needs be able to get from Starbase to South Padre Island, which requires crossing the channel— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2022
“Boat Mode” did not make it to the Cybertruck’s production version, at least for now. The vehicle, however, did get delivered with a special water-wading feature nonetheless. As the first units of the Cybertruck were handed to consumers, electric vehicle watchers quickly noticed that the all-electric pickup truck had a feature called “Wade Mode,” which pressurizes the battery pack to help the Cybertruck drive through water.
Granted, this is not the same as the “Boat Mode” that Musk had promised in the past, but it is notable. But as per a recent comment on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, it would seem like “Wade Mode” may just be the tip of the iceberg. As per Elon Musk, Tesla would eventually “offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.”
What’s more, Musk noted that the upgrade would mostly just be an upgrade for the Cybertruck’s door seals.
We are going to offer a mod package that enables Cybertruck to traverse at least 100m of water as a boat.
Mostly just need to upgrade cabin door seals.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 19, 2023
While it would be easy to criticize Musk once more for announcing yet another upcoming feature for the Cybertruck, it would be pertinent to look at his statement closer. The fact that Musk noted that the Cybertruck’s “Boat Mode” package would allow the vehicle to traverse “at least 100m of water as a boat” suggests that the feature, if or when it gets released, would be quite usable.
Elon Musk has noted in the past that the Cybertruck’s Boat Mode demonstration would involve the vehicle crossing the channel between Starbase to South Padre Island. That’s a distance of about 477 meters (about 1500 feet), as per community estimates. If the Cybertruck actually pulls off such a feat, it would be both insane and impressive at the same time.
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Elon Musk
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court has ordered the closure of an investigation involving Elon Musk and social media platform X. The inquiry had been pending for about two years and examined whether the platform was used to coordinate attacks against members of the judiciary.
The decision was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes following a recommendation from Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet.
According to a report from Agencia Brasil, the investigation conducted by the Federal Police did not find evidence that X deliberately attempted to attack the judiciary or circumvent court orders.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet concluded that the irregularities identified during the probe did not indicate fraudulent intent.
Justice Moraes accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and ruled that the investigation should be closed. Under the ruling, the case will remain closed unless new evidence emerges.
The inquiry stemmed from concerns that content on X may have enabled online attacks against Supreme Court justices or violated rulings requiring the suspension of certain accounts under investigation.
Justice Moraes had previously taken several enforcement actions related to the platform during the broader dispute involving social media regulation in Brazil.
These included ordering a nationwide block of the platform, freezing Starlink accounts, and imposing fines on X totaling about $5.2 million. Authorities also froze financial assets linked to X and SpaceX through Starlink to collect unpaid penalties and seized roughly $3.3 million from the companies’ accounts.
Moraes also imposed daily fines of up to R$5 million, about $920,000, for alleged evasion of the X ban and established penalties of R$50,000 per day for VPN users who attempted to bypass the restriction.
Brazil remains an important market for X, with roughly 17 million users, making it one of the platform’s larger user bases globally.
The country is also a major market for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, which has surpassed one million subscribers in Brazil.
Elon Musk
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Amazon after the company opposed SpaceX’s proposal to launch a large satellite constellation that could function as an orbital data center network.
Carr made the remarks in a post on social media platform X.
Amazon recently urged the FCC to reject SpaceX’s application to deploy a constellation of up to 1 million low Earth orbit satellites that could serve as artificial intelligence data centers in space.
The company described the proposal as a “lofty ambition rather than a real plan,” arguing that SpaceX had not provided sufficient details about how the system would operate.
Carr responded by pointing to Amazon’s own satellite deployment progress.
“Amazon should focus on the fact that it will fall roughly 1,000 satellites short of meeting its upcoming deployment milestone, rather than spending their time and resources filing petitions against companies that are putting thousands of satellites in orbit,” Carr wrote on X.
Amazon has declined to comment on the statement.
Amazon has been working to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite network, which is intended to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service. The company has invested more than $10 billion in the program and has launched more than 200 satellites since April of last year.
Amazon has also asked the FCC for a 24-month extension, until July 2028, to meet a requirement to deploy roughly 1,600 satellites by July 2026, as noted in a CNBC report.
SpaceX’s Starlink network currently has nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit and serves roughly 10 million customers. The FCC has also authorized SpaceX to deploy 7,500 additional satellites as the company continues expanding its global satellite internet network.
Energy
Tesla Energy gains UK license to sell electricity to homes and businesses
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
Tesla Energy has received a license to supply electricity in the United Kingdom, opening the door for the company to serve homes and businesses in the country.
The license was granted to Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd. by UK energy regulator Ofgem after a seven-month review process.
According to Ofgem, the license took effect at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday and applies to Great Britain.
The approval allows Tesla’s energy business to sell electricity directly to customers in the region, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
Tesla has already expanded similar services in the United States. In Texas, the company offers electricity plans that allow Tesla owners to charge their vehicles at a lower cost while also feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
Tesla already has a sizable presence in the UK market. According to price comparison website U-switch, there are more than 250,000 Tesla electric vehicles in the country and thousands of Tesla home energy storage systems.
Ofgem also noted that Tesla Motors Ltd., a separate entity incorporated in England and Wales, received an electricity generation license in June 2020.
The new UK license arrives as Tesla continues expanding its global energy business.
Last year, Tesla Energy retained the top position in the global battery energy storage system (BESS) integrator market for the second consecutive year. According to Wood Mackenzie’s latest rankings, Tesla held about 15% of global market share in 2024.
The company also maintained a dominant position in North America, where it captured roughly 39% market share in the region.
At the same time, competition in the energy storage sector is increasing. Chinese companies such as Sungrow have been expanding their presence globally, particularly in Europe.
Brazil Supreme Court orders Elon Musk and X investigation closed
FCC chair criticizes Amazon over opposition to SpaceX satellite plan
