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Exclusive interview: Former Tesla exec launches 800 hp electric boat; says it’s an extension of Tesla’s mission
Former Tesla Head of Global Manufacturing, Jonathan Vo, is launching the R30, a 30-foot all-electric power boat with 800 horsepower, dual motors, and solar charging. In 2022, he founded Blue Innovations Group (BIG), which focuses on the manufacturing of all-electric boats and sustainable marine technologies.
BIG plans to manufacture its products at its facility in Pinellas Park, Florida, and will demonstrate its technology at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will take place from January 5th through the 8th of next year.
Teslarati spoke with Vo, who said his mission was an extension of Tesla’s mission. He said that the R30 was designed to be versatile and comfortable for the whole family. He explained that based on the frequency of how boats are used, it is designed to be “a truly sustainable energy power boat.”
“The R30 is a fully electric sustainable boat with a large solar system on it with up to 2.7-kilowatt–you’re probably going to have a pretty decent amount of charge if not full,” Vo said.
He added it was designed for the work-life balance for the entire family. “You can have privacy, office capabilities, and activities on and off the boat, such as fishing and diving.”
“We designed the boat to encompass the entire family dynamic.”
Teslarati asked Vo what inspired him to go into electric boats. He noted that while at Tesla, he didn’t know much about cars and that it was a learning experience and a success for his career.
Vo’s background before joining Tesla was in semiconductor, solar, and aerospace. A friend working at Tesla invited him to work.
“It was out of curiosity and helping a friend that I came to Tesla. I didn’t know anything about cars. I actually came to Tesla to work on batteries. I ended up moving to cars.”
“It turned out pretty good. To me, in my career, I have two choices. Either a success experience or a learning experience, and Tesla was one of those special ones that were both successful and learning”
Vo noted that when he began working at Tesla, some of his peers kind of joked since electric cars weren’t too familiar during that time. He added that Tesla’s impact on EVs was huge on the industry and changed how people think about the automotive industry.
“Not just automotive but the new level of expectations of what the car should do. Before Tesla, we didn’t talk about autonomous driving or about over-the-air connecting or software. Tesla raised the expectation.”
It was his work at Tesla that inspired him to take that same outlook on electric boats.
“Electric cars make a lot of sense, and electric boats are a no-brainer. Boats are ten times less efficient than cars.”
He added that boats have a higher maintenance cost than cars and his background at Tesla inspired him to eliminate this problem from the boating industry.
“If we can make the boat reliable and eliminate the cost of repairs and fuel consumption, it’s a no-brainer.”
He added that, eventually, more humans would turn to boats as the population grows. The earth is 70% water, so it makes sense to solve this problem.
“I think it’s just a matter of time before we will have to move to water, and we need to make sure if we move to that, that the solution is sustainable and ready for it. I think that is what makes our mission critical. It’s important to do that. And we have the skill set and experience to enable that.”
Disclosure: Johnna is a $TSLA shareholder and believes in Tesla’s mission.
Your feedback is welcome. If you have any comments or concerns or see a typo, you can email me at johnna@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter at @JohnnaCrider1.
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Elon Musk
Tesla removes Autopilot as standard, receives criticism online
The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders.
Tesla removed its basic Autopilot package as a standard feature in the United States. The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders, and shifts the company’s strategy towards paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
Tesla removes Autopilot
As per observations from the electric vehicle community on social media, Tesla no longer lists Autopilot as standard in its vehicles in the U.S. This suggests that features such as lane-centering and Autosteer have been removed as standard equipment. Previously, most Tesla vehicles came with Autopilot by default, which offers Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer.
The change resulted in backlash from some Tesla owners and EV observers, particularly as competing automakers, including mainstream players like Toyota, offer features like lane-centering as standard on many models, including budget vehicles.
That being said, the removal of Autopilot suggests that Tesla is concentrating its autonomy roadmap around FSD subscriptions rather than bundled driver-assistance features. It would be interesting to see how Tesla manages its vehicles’ standard safety features, as it seems out of character for Tesla to make its cars less safe over time.
Musk announces FSD price increases
Following the Autopilot changes, Elon Musk stated on X that Tesla is planning to raise subscription prices for FSD as its capabilities improve. In a post on X, Musk stated that the current $99-per-month price for supervised FSD would increase over time, especially as the system itself becomes more robust.
“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (Unsupervised FSD),” Musk wrote.
At the time of his recent post, Tesla still offers FSD as a one-time purchase for $8,000, but Elon Musk has confirmed that this option will be discontinued on February 14, leaving subscriptions as the only way to access the system.
Tesla has initiated Cybertruck deliveries in a new region for the first time, as the all-electric pickup has officially made its way to the United Arab Emirates, marking the newest territory to receive the polarizing truck.
Tesla launched orders for the Cybertruck in the Middle East back in September 2025, just months after the company confirmed that it planned to launch the pickup in the region, which happened in April.
I took a Tesla Cybertruck weekend Demo Drive – Here’s what I learned
By early October, Tesla launched the Cybertruck configurator in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with pricing starting at around AED 404,900, or about $110,000 for the Dual Motor configuration.
This decision positioned the Gulf states as key early international markets, and Tesla was hoping to get the Cybertruck outside of North America for the first time, as it has still been tough to launch in other popular EV markets, like Europe and Asia.
By late 2025, Tesla had pushed delivery timelines slightly and aimed for an early 2026 delivery launch in the Middle East. The first official customer deliveries started this month, and a notable handover event occurred in Dubai’s Al Marmoom desert area, featuring a light and fire show.
Around 63 Cybertrucks made their way to customers during the event:
First @cybertruck deliveries in the UAE 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/sN2rAxppUA
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) January 22, 2026
As of this month, the Cybertruck still remains available for configuration on Tesla’s websites for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Middle Eastern countries like Jordan and Israel. Deliveries are rolling out progressively, with the UAE leading as the first to see hands-on customer events.
In other markets, most notably Europe, there are still plenty of regulatory hurdles that Tesla is hoping to work through, but they may never be resolved. The issues come from the unique design features that conflict with the European Union’s (EU) stringent safety standards.
These standards include pedestrian protection regulations, which require vehicles to minimize injury risks in collisions. However, the Cybertruck features sharp edges and an ultra-hard stainless steel exoskeleton, and its rigid structure is seen as non-compliant with the EU’s list of preferred designs.
The vehicle’s gross weight is also above the 3.5-tonne threshold for standard vehicles, which has prompted Tesla to consider a more compact design. However, the company’s focus on autonomy and Robotaxi has likely pushed that out of the realm of possibility.
For now, Tesla will work with the governments that want it to succeed in their region, and the Middle East has been a great partner to the company with the launch of the Cybertruck.
Tesla has officially launched public Robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without a Safety Monitor in the vehicle, marking the first time the company has removed anyone from the vehicle other than the rider.
The Safety Monitor has been present in Tesla Robotaxis in Austin since its launch last June, maintaining safety for passengers and other vehicles, and was placed in the passenger’s seat.
Tesla planned to remove the Safety Monitor at the end of 2025, but it was not quite ready to do so. Now, in January, riders are officially reporting that they are able to hail a ride from a Model Y Robotaxi without anyone in the vehicle:
I am in a robotaxi without safety monitor pic.twitter.com/fzHu385oIb
— TSLA99T (@Tsla99T) January 22, 2026
Tesla started testing this internally late last year and had several employees show that they were riding in the vehicle without anyone else there to intervene in case of an emergency.
Tesla has now expanded that program to the public. It is not active in the entire fleet, but there are a “few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors,” Ashok Elluswamy said:
Robotaxi rides without any safety monitors are now publicly available in Austin.
Starting with a few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors, and the ratio will increase over time. https://t.co/ShMpZjefwB
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) January 22, 2026
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
The Robotaxi program also operates in the California Bay Area, where the fleet is much larger, but Safety Monitors are placed in the driver’s seat and utilize Full Self-Driving, so it is essentially the same as an Uber driver using a Tesla with FSD.
In Austin, the removal of Safety Monitors marks a substantial achievement for Tesla moving forward. Now that it has enough confidence to remove Safety Monitors from Robotaxis altogether, there are nearly unlimited options for the company in terms of expansion.
While it is hoping to launch the ride-hailing service in more cities across the U.S. this year, this is a much larger development than expansion, at least for now, as it is the first time it is performing driverless rides in Robotaxi anywhere in the world for the public to enjoy.
Tesla removes Autopilot as standard, receives criticism online
Tesla begins Cybertruck deliveries in a new region for the first time
