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Singapore minister dismisses Elon Musk and Tesla, states hydrogen is ‘cleaner’ option
Elon Musk might command notable admiration and respect from countries such as China, but it appears that Singapore does not feel the same way about the Tesla CEO. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Singapore’s minister for environment and water resources Masagos Zulkifli issued a brusque rebuttal to Musk’s statement on May 2018, which involved the CEO stating that the island nation was “unwelcome” to electric cars.
When asked by the news agency about his response to Musk’s previous comments, Zulkifli noted that the CEO wants to produce a “lifestyle,” and that is simply something that Singapore prefers to do. Instead, the island nation is looking for proper solutions to address the climate crisis, such as investing in mass transportation. “What Elon Musk wants to produce is a lifestyle. We are not interested in a lifestyle. We are interested in proper solutions that will address climate problems,” he said.
Musk’s tweets about Singapore came as a response to an electric vehicle enthusiast who inquired when Tesla will make its presence felt in the city-state. In a response on Twitter, Musk explained that Tesla had tried to enter the island nation, but Singapore’s government was “not supportive of electric vehicles.” It should be noted that Singapore is incredibly restrictive to ownerships of single-occupancy vehicles, both electric and those powered by the internal combustion engine.
Instead, the city has invested heavily in mass transit systems, with trains and buses covering much of the island’s 720 square kilometers (280 square miles). Yet, despite this, Zulkifli maintained that Singapore is uniquely positioned to embrace a zero-emissions fleet. “If there’s any country which can convert from petrol cars to 100% EVs, it will be Singapore,” he said.
Interestingly, Zulkifli noted that he believes hydrogen-powered vehicles are a better long-term solution than all-electric cars as a means to decarbonize transportation. As noted in a Bloomberg report, the Singapore minister explained that is due to the carbon footprint of battery-electric vehicles, which come mainly from mining the materials required to produce batteries and the challenges for their disposal.
These concerns might prove unfounded in the long run, especially since companies like Tesla are working to optimize the materials used in its vehicle’s batteries, including an initiative to completely remove cobalt from its battery cells. Companies such as Rivian and Jaguar have also started programs to repurpose vehicle batteries after they are no longer optimal for use, converting them into energy storage devices that can be used for homes and remote areas.
Singapore welcomed its first charging point at a petrol station earlier this month, as per the Royal Dutch Shell Plc, and nine more are expected to open by October. This, if any, is a way to address a recent study which showed that about 52% of Singaporeans are deterred from purchasing an electric car because they believe there are not enough places to charge their vehicles (a valid concern considering that most of the island nation’s population do not have personal garages). “Just choosing a parking spot is already problematic. And now you want to say who gets the charging point. We do not have the solution yet,” Zulkifli said.
Elon Musk
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge.”
The Woodlands Township, Texas, has formally entered The Boring Company’s tunneling sweepstakes.
The township’s board unanimously approved an application to The Boring Company’s “Tunnel Vision Challenge,” which offers up to one mile of tunnel construction at no cost to a selected community.
The Woodlands’ proposal, dubbed “The Current,” features two parallel 12-foot-diameter tunnels beneath the Town Center corridor near The Waterway. Teslas would shuttle passengers between Waterway Square, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Town Green Park and nearby hotels during concerts and large-scale events, as noted in a Chron report.
Township officials framed the tunnel as a solution for the township’s traffic congestion issues. The Pavilion alone hosts more than 60 shows each year and can accommodate crowds of up to 16,500, often straining Lake Robbins Drive and surrounding intersections.
“We know we have traffic impacts and pedestrian movement challenges, especially in the Town Center area,” Chris Nunes, chief operating officer of The Woodlands Township, stated during the meeting.
“The Current” mirrors the Loop system operating beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, where Tesla vehicles transport passengers through underground tunnels between venues and resorts.
The Boring Company issued its request for proposals (RFP) in mid-January, inviting cities and districts to pitch local uses for its tunneling technology. The Woodlands must submit its application by Feb. 23, though no timeline has been provided for when a winning community will be announced.
Nunes confirmed that the board has authorized a submission for “The Current’s” proposal, though he emphasized that the project is still in its preliminary stages.
“The Woodlands Township Board of Directors has authorized staff to submit an application to The Boring Company, which has issued an RFP for communities interested in leveraging their technology to address community challenges,” he said in a statement.
“The Board believes that an underground tunnel would provide a safe and efficient means to transport people to and from various high-use community amenities in our Town Center.”
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Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall.
The Tesla Model Y has been named 2026 Drive Car of the Year overall winner, taking the top honor after being judged as the vehicle that “moves the game forward the most for Australian new car buyers.”
The Model Y is already Australia’s best-selling EV in 2025 and the tenth best-selling vehicle overall, but the vehicle’s Juniper update strengthened its case with new ownership benefits and expanded software capability.
Drive’s overall award compares category winners and looks at which model most significantly advances the local new car market. In 2026, judges pointed to the Model Y’s five-year warranty and the availability of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) as a monthly subscription as key differentiators.
Priced from AU$58,900 before on-road costs, the all-electric crossover SUV offers a lot of value compared to similarly sized petrol and hybrid rivals. The ability to access Tesla’s Supercharger network across Australia also reduces friction for buyers moving to EV ownership.
Owners can add FSD (Supervised) for AU$149 per month. While it still requires driver oversight, the system expands the vehicle’s advanced driver-assistance capabilities and reflects Tesla’s software-first approach.
“The default choice for a reason. The Tesla Model Y makes the transition to electric both effortless and rewarding,” Drive wrote.
The 2025 Model Y facelift also sharpened the vehicle’s exterior, highlighted by a distinctive rear light bar that gives the crossover SUV a more modern road presence.
Drive described the Model Y as a benchmark for combining practicality, efficiency and technology at an accessible price point. With eligibility for federal Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions through novated leasing, its value proposition has improved for numerous buyers.
For 2026, the Model Y’s combination of range efficiency, charging access and software capability proved decisive. Ultimately, the award all but cements the Model Y’s position as one of the most influential vehicles in Australia’s evolving new-car market today.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates rapid Starship V3 timeline with next launch in sight
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.”
Elon Musk has confirmed that Starship will fly again next month, reiterating SpaceX’s aggressive timeline for the first launch of its Starship V3 rocket.
Musk shared the update in a brief post on X, writing, “Starship flies again next month.” The CEO’s post was accompanied by a video of Starship’s Super Heavy booster being successfully caught by a launch tower in Starbase, Texas.
The timeline is notable. In late January, Musk stated that Starship’s next flight, Flight 12, was expected in about six weeks. This placed the expected mission date sometime in March. That estimate aligned with SpaceX’s earlier statement that Starship’s 12th flight test “remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.”
If the vehicle does indeed fly next month, it would mark the debut of Starship V3, the upgraded platform expected to feature the rocket’s new Raptor V3 engines.
Raptor V3 is designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. Starship V3 itself is expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars.
Starship V3 is widely viewed as the version that transitions the program from experimental testing to true operational scaling. Previous iterations have completed multiple integrated flight tests, with mixed outcomes but steady progress. Expectations are high that SpaceX is now working on Starship’s refinement.
An aggressive launch schedule supports several priorities at once. It advances Starlink’s next-generation satellite deployment, supports NASA’s lunar ambitions under Artemis, and keeps SpaceX on track for its longer-term Moon and Mars objectives.
Texas township wants The Boring Company to build it a Loop system
Tesla Model Y wins 2026 Drive Car of the Year award in Australia
