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SpaceX/Tesla’s Hyperloop pod will attempt to reach 1/2 speed of sound
Elon Musk recently announced that a speed test for the upgraded SpaceX Hyperloop pod would be conducted soon. This time around, Musk said that the goal would be to accelerate to half the speed of sound and stop within ~1.2 km.
Musk’s updates came late Saturday on Twitter. Expanding on a tweet he posted last August about the SpaceX Hyperloop pusher pod, Musk candidly stated that the new goal for the upcoming speed test would be “kinda nutty.” Accelerating from a standstill to a blazing 383.7 mph (half the speed of sound) in around 1.2 km, after all, is a pretty challenging endeavor.
Despite the risks, however, Musk lightly joked that the upgraded Hyperloop pod’s speed test would be exciting nonetheless.
“This is kinda nutty for such a short distance, so could easily end up being shredded metal, but exciting either way,” Musk tweeted.
This is kinda nutty for such a short distance, so could easily end up being shredded metal, but exciting either way
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 8, 2018
During a post on Instagram last year, Musk said that the SpaceX team decided to see how fast the pusher pod could go on its own, considering that the machine had mostly been used to push some of the pods of the competing student teams. According to Musk, the Hyperloop pusher pod was able to hit 220 mph before things started heating up. Thus, if the machine could dash to half the speed of sound this time around, it would be a notable accomplishment.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BYckipugds5/
The upcoming speed test of the upgraded SpaceX Hyperloop pusher pod comes as the 2018 Hyperloop Pod Competition draws nearer. The 2018 competition, which is set to take place on July 22, 2018, will see teams of students from across the globe compete in a contest to see which could come up with the best design for a Hyperloop pod. According to SpaceX’s page for the competition, teams this year will be focusing on one particular metric — maximum speed.
Over the past couple of years, WARR Hyperloop, a team from the Technical University of Munich, has managed to win the competition. Last year, the students built a lightweight pod that was propelled with a 50 kW electric motor and connected to polyurethane wheels. During the contest, WARR Hyperloop’s 190-lb machine was able to hit 202 mph, blowing away its two toughest competitors — Paradigm Hyperloop and SwissLoop.
WARR Hyperloop is preparing to defend their title for this year’s competition. According to the group’s official website, the WARR Hyperloop team for 2018 will be comprised of 45 members from 16 different countries. A brand new pod is also under development.
As we noted in a previous report, Elon Musk’s Hyperloop idea has inspired Dubai to commit to the project. Just recently, a full-scale prototype model of a Hyperloop One passenger pod was unveiled in Dubai’s City Walk Mall. The 8.7-meter-long, 3.3-meter-diameter pod featured various plush amenities, including BMW-designed seats, generous legroom, and a lighting scheme that would not look out of place in a sci-fi movie.
Dubai’s Hyperloop system is expected to start operations as early as 2020, with the ultra-high-speed transport system connecting key cities in the region, such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Watch a recap of the 2017 Hyperloop Pod Competition below.
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Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
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Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
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This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
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Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
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Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car
