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SpaceX/Tesla’s Hyperloop pod will attempt to reach 1/2 speed of sound

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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.

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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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYckipugds5/

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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.

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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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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk hints Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily

“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet,” Musk said.

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Credit: Grok

Elon Musk recently hinted that he believes Tesla investors will be rewarded heavily if they continue to hold onto their shares, and he reiterated that in a new interview that the company released on its social accounts this week.

Musk is one of the most successful CEOs in the modern era and has mammothed competitors on the Forbes Net Worth List over the past year as his holdings in his various companies have continued to swell.

Tesla investors, especially those who have been holding shares for several years, have also felt substantial gains in their portfolios. Over the past five years, the stock is up over 78 percent. Since February 2019, nearly seven years ago to the day, the stock is up over 1,800 percent.

Musk said in the interview:

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“Hold onto your Tesla stock. It’s going to be worth a lot, I think. That’s my bet.”

It’s no secret Musk has been extremely bullish on his own companies, but Tesla in particular, because it is publicly traded.

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However, the company has so many amazing projects that have an opportunity to revolutionize their respective industries. There is certainly a path to major growth on Wall Street for Tesla through its various future projects, including Optimus, Cybercab, Semi, and Unsupervised FSD.

  • Optimus (Tesla’s humanoid robot): Musk has discussed its potential for tasks like childcare, walking dogs, or assisting elderly parents, positioning it as a massive long-term driver of company value.
  • Cybercab (Tesla’s robotaxi/autonomous ride-hailing vehicle): a fully autonomous vehicle geared specifically for Tesla’s ride-sharing ambitions.
  • Semi (Tesla’s electric truck, with mentions of expansion, like in Europe): brings Tesla into the commercial logistics sector.
  • Unsupervised FSD (Full Self-Driving software achieving full autonomy without human supervision): turns every Tesla owner’s vehicle into a fully-autonomous vehicle upon release

These projects specifically are some of the highest-growth pillars Tesla has ever attempted to develop, especially in Musk’s eyes, as he has said Optimus will be the best-selling product of all-time.

Many analysts agree, but the bullish ones, like Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, are perhaps the one who believes Tesla has incredible potential on Wall Street, predicting a $2,600 price target for 2030, but this is not even including Optimus.

She told Bloomberg last March that she believes that the project will present a potential additive if Tesla can scale faster than anticipated.

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Cybertruck

Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.

The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.

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Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.

That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.

Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says

Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.

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It features:

  • Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
  • Powered tonneau cover
  • Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
  • Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
  • Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
  • Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
  • 6’ x 4’ composite bed
  • Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
  • Powered frunk

Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt

Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.

Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.

In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. 

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“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified. 

His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.

SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable. 

Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. 

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The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars. 

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