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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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The in-car Tesla Theater is among the most unique features available within the cars. When charging, parked, camping, or just hanging out, vehicle occupants can access a variety of streaming platforms on the large center screen, helping keep them entertained during downtime.
However, the Theater might be getting plenty more streaming platforms, something that owners have requested for some time.
Tesla owners recently discovered that visiting Apple TV in the vehicle browser can launch a fullscreen interface that looks and behaves like a dedicated application rather than an ordinary webpage:
Today I learned that if you go to Apple TV in the Tesla browser, it will open up an actual Apple TV app, fully functional. Not just the site.
Apparently there are more apps than just the few that show on the apps page. pic.twitter.com/os1Ypfm4JR
— Jason W (@jmwilt21) August 20, 2026
The experience drops the usual address bar and browser chrome, presenting catalogs, continue watching rows, and playback controls in the same window Tesla Theater already uses for its listed services. Independent testers soon found similar treatment for HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Disney+, and Prime Video when those sites are opened from the car browser.
This shift is a plausible early signal that Tesla is widening Theater support without a formal software note. Theater has long been a set of web views rather than native applications, so recognizing extra domains and stripping the browser frame is a small server-side change that can expand the catalog quickly.
Owners still lack permanent Theater icons for the newly recognized services, and video remains limited to Park, yet the smoother launch is a meaningful step toward a broader lounge while charging.
Tesla Theater arrived with software version 10 in September 2019. The first video services were Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu, available only while parked and originally tied to WiFi. Spotify arrived in the same era as music rather than Theater video. Disney+ joined officially in July 2021 with the 2021.24 update, giving owners another major catalog on the center screen. Twitch and TikTok later appeared among the default Theater tiles, and Tesla Tutorials remained a persistent educational tile.
Not every addition stayed put. In December 2023, a Holiday software build removed the Disney+ tile for many United States owners after a public dispute involving advertising on X. Hulu stayed visible even though Disney owned it. Visiting disneyplus.com in the browser often restored the tile, which suggested the removal was a recognition list change rather than a complete block. Owners have also reported occasional blank Theater grids after updates, usually fixed by language toggles, resets, or later firmware.
Tesla axes Disney+ from vehicles with Musk-Iger rivalry, but there’s a workaround
Code archives from 2024 listed many unused source names, including Apple TV and Prime Video, that never became official icons, which now looks like groundwork for the current fullscreen browser behavior.
Now that this hint toward an expanded Theater experience has been recognized, Tesla could follow through with these additional shortcuts as a sign that more streaming platforms are available in Teslas than ever before.
Tesla recently received its largest order for the all-electric Semi from Einride, a Swedish transport service, for 500 units, a groundbreaking invoice to receive before the first deliveries begin.
Even more remarkable, Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli said in a recent interview that he expects his company to take delivery of all 500 — the entire order — before the end of 2027. He even expects to have 75 Tesla Semi units in the Einride fleet before the end of this year.
🚨 Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli on the Tesla Semi partnership:
“If we start with the Amazon announcement that we did earlier this year, that was on the back of having gone through a proving period together with them and proving out our technology. Then we took that next step in… pic.twitter.com/oazkXjwoig
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 28, 2026
Charli said the Tesla partnership was part of a broader push, along with its earlier partnership with Amazon. Einride is assisting Amazon with the use of its Saga AI platform, which helps eliminate questions about budgeting and forecasting for logistics companies.
The Semi, as well as Tesla’s production and subsequent delivery of the units to Einride, will help the company “to have a good supply of vehicles that we can deploy on the [Saga AI] platform,” Charli said. “Tesla is also a relationship we’ve had for a while, and as the Tesla Semi deliveries are firming up, we decided to do a larger commitment to that and deploy that on our platform.”
In its initial announcement, Einride said it anticipated taking delivery of the trucks over the next two years, but now it appears the company is expecting all 500 units within the next 16 months.
Built at a dedicated factory in Sparks, Nevada, the Tesla Semi has been perhaps the biggest and most intensive testing process the company has ever had for a single vehicle model. For the past several years, Tesla has been working with many companies, most notably Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, to gain knowledge on the performance on regional routes.
Tesla plans to launch the Semi officially on September 24, five months after production started ramping.
Additionally, drivers have said they are happy about the Semi’s performance and that its numerous safety and productivity features have made their jobs and routes much easier.
Tesla Cybercab is using a unique strategy for picking up the correct rider, which is a crucial part of ride-hailing to ensure people end up in the right place and are charged the correct price.
Cybercab will utilize an RGB strip in its front light bar that will illuminate in a variety of different colors to mark itself.
This identifying mark will also appear in the Robotaxi app, giving riders in the same location a notable distinction in an effort to avoid any confusion regarding who should get in each vehicle.
🚨 Tesla is using different light bar colors to help riders understand which vehicle is theirs
Pretty cool strategy pic.twitter.com/eGMpEMeRpc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 27, 2026
Other ride-hailing services use similar strategies: Lyft and Uber rides are recognizable through driver identity, vehicle type and color, as well as license plate. Waymo will display the rider’s initials on top of the vehicle, letting them know that the specific vehicle for them has arrived.
Tesla’s strategy is unique and interesting, but there are some flaws. Cybercab’s main purpose is aimed toward being an autonomous ride for all, including those who have disabilities like being blind or even color blind.
Tesla will likely have something in the pipeline for those who cannot see colors or have limited vision. There will definitely be multiple ways to identify which vehicle is the one that “you” specifically ordered.
Cybercab is set to start giving public rides next Thursday, September 3, in Austin, as it announced a dedicated event last week and invited many members of the Tesla community.
Additionally, members of the public will be invited as well. Tesla has been offering employee rides in Cybercab for nearly two months.
Tesla Theater might be getting plenty more streaming platforms
Tesla Semi’s biggest adoptee gives an update on production timeline
