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Jaguar I-PACE gets $3K ‘Tesla Conquest’ incentive in recent marketing push

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With the electric vehicle market in the United States practically being dominated by the Tesla Model 3, veteran automaker Jaguar appears to be putting some effort into pushing its own premium all-electric vehicle, the I-PACE. Among these efforts is a rather unique marketing campaign that has started making its way through social media, highlighting potential savings of up to $15,000 from the I-PACE’s MSRP. 

Based on the advertisement, the $15,000 total savings will be comprised of a $5,000 dealer discount, a $7,000 “Allowance Credit,” and an additional $3,000 “Tesla Conquest.” The ad, which could be viewed below, explains exactly what the I-PACE’s “Tesla Conquest” incentive entails. 

“For an owner or a member of an owner’s household where a Tesla vehicle is currently registered (proof of ownership/registration is required). Limit one incentive per eligible VIN. Can be used towards the lease or purchase of a new, unused 2019 Jaguar I-PACE. No trade-in required. Not redeemable for cash. Incentive paid to dealer and requires dealer participation.”

https://twitter.com/tesla_truth/status/1161189567686250497?s=20

Jaguar’s target demographic of choice is quite interesting, to say the least. It does, if any, suggest that the veteran British automaker is aiming to convert existing Tesla owners into I-PACE owners. This is a pretty common marketing strategy, though it does very little to help Tesla and Elon Musk’s aim of transitioning existing gas car owners to electric-powered transportation. 

Such a marketing campaign could potentially backfire on the I-PACE as well, considering that the vehicle lacks the support of a Supercharger Network for convenient, near-effortless long-distance travel and other common Tesla amenities such as free over-the-air updates (at least for now). It is also quite noteworthy to see Jaguar specifically targeting existing Tesla owners, and not other EV enthusiasts who drive electric cars like the Chevy Bolt and the Nissan Leaf.

It should be noted that Jaguar’s recent marketing efforts appear to be quite Tesla-focused as of late. Apart from this recent marketing push, printed I-PACE materials also mention comparisons to Tesla and its electric vehicles.

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The Jaguar I-PACE has earned multiple awards since its release. Just this past April, the I-PACE beat out its fellow “Tesla Competitor,” the Audi e-tron, to win the 2019 World Car of the Year, the World Car Design of the Year, and World Green Car of the Year awards. Overall, the I-PACE had gathered over 60 international awards from automotive industry groups and media publishers in areas such as design, handling and performance, technological innovation, and passenger safety.

The I-PACE appears to be experiencing some growing pains, with only select dealers in the United States being knowledgeable about the vehicle. This results in an ownership experience that has a hefty room for improvement. The I-PACE was also hit by a recall last June over a fault in the vehicle’s regenerative braking system, which could result in an “increased delay” when a driver hits the brakes and when the SUV begins slowing down.

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

The Boring Company’s latest Tesla tunnel truck mod “fits like a glove”

The Boring Company has modified a Tesla powered tunnel truck to carry freight containers underground.

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The Boring Company has found a second job for the Tesla hardware it already runs underground. In a post on X, Elon Musk’s tunneling company showed its latest Prufrock Liner Truck modified to carry a standard 20 foot shipping container. “Using TBC tunnels to transport freight,” the company wrote. “The latest Prufrock Liner Truck (using Tesla Model 3 batteries and drive units) has been modified to carry a standard 20′ shipping container. Fits like a glove!”

The photo shows a red container sitting on a long, low white chassis parked outside, with drive hardware visible at one end. The Boring Company did not say where or when freight hauling would start, which customers it has in mind, or how many trucks it is converting.

Until now, the liner trucks have hauled concrete. Teslarati reported in August on Liner Truck 3, which uses Model 3 battery packs and drive units to move more than 22,000 pounds of precast tunnel segments to the boring machine. It has 28 miles of range, tops out at 12 mph, and is piloted remotely from the company’s operations center in Texas. The freight version appears to be the same platform with a different bed, and The Boring Company has not said whether it will also be remotely piloted.

Freight has been on the company’s menu for years. When TBC updated its product lineup in 2021, its freight tunnel was described as sized to fit a standard shipping container, “barely.” The company later used the idea at Tesla’s own factory, where Prufrock 3 dug a tunnel to Giga Texas that now moves finished Cybertrucks away from the production line.

The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D in September at a $23 billion valuation, and Teslarati has covered how that money is tied to a UAE tunneling push and a faster Nashville build. In Nashville, Prufrock MB1 and MB2 are mining at the same time, and a third machine is expected to launch in late October. Each machine needs a steady supply of liner trucks, so any design that works for segments and containers alike gives the company more use out of the same Tesla parts.

The Vegas Loop remains the only Boring Company system open to the public, and it moves passengers in Tesla vehicles. A freight service would be a separate product, and the post gave no indication that one is close to launch. For now, it is a truck, a container and a short caption saying they fit together.

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Elon Musk will give ‘every kid in America’ a SpaceX share in 2027

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Elon Musk said he is planning to give “every one of his SpaceX shares to every kid in America” in 2027, stating that “this will be the first of many.”

SpaceX went public earlier this year, and its stock price has been relatively stable since leveling off shortly after its IPO. Based on its current price, it’s a gift of just over $10 billion to children across the United States.

It appears to be closely related to President Donald Trump’s bank accounts for children, which were set up earlier this year as Trump Accounts.

Just hours earlier, Anthropic had announced the establishment of its Anthropic Public Benefit Fund, “a new wholly-owned entity dedicated entirely to public benefit.” Musk responded by stating he recommended “giving the shares directly to the public,” and that he would be doing it that way.

Just a little bit later, Musk said children across the U.S. would be getting a share from him:

There are roughly 70 million children, meaning someone under the age of 18, in the United States, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Musk’s ownership of SpaceX stock shows he has around 849 million Class A shares of SpaceX stock, according to filings with the SEC.

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Elon Musk reveals why Boring Co’s biggest East Coast project never happened

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(Credit: The Boring Company)

Elon Musk revealed in a post on X that “Permits were impossible to get,” explaining the fate of The Boring Company’s most ambitious East Coast proposal.

The comment responded to a query about what became of his July 20, 2017 announcement that he had “just received verbal govt approval” for an underground Hyperloop connecting New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., capable of carrying passengers from the Big Apple to the Nation’s Capital in just 29 minutes.

The Boring Company receives verbal ‘approval’ to build NY to DC Hyperloop tunnel

The 2017 post, which envisioned city-center stations and multiple elevators in each city, sparked immediate scrutiny. Local and state officials in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. said they had no knowledge of any approval. A White House spokesperson confirmed only “promising conversations” about the transformative infrastructure.

Musk clarified shortly after that there was “still a lot of work” to do for formal approvals.

Limited progress followed, as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s administration issued a conditional utility permit and supported work near Fort Meade. In 2018, Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary permit for site preparation and excavation on a vacant lot at 53 New York Ave. NE in the NoMa neighborhood, which The Boring Company said could become a station.

A draft environmental assessment for a D.C.-Baltimore segment was released in 2019. Yet, by April 2021, the company had removed the project from its website, and the Federal Highway Administration reported receiving no indication of further interest. Communication with Maryland officials had ceased.

The full corridor would have required coordination among the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Park Service, and other agencies.

Environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, utility clearances, and approvals for novel infrastructure added to the overall complexity of the project and its approval.

Speculation on the permitting barriers centers around a few factors, but a multi-state, multi-level route involving unproven high-speed vacuum-tube technology inherently triggers exhaustive safety, environmental, and engineering reviews that can stretch for years, even for conventional projects.

There are also other elements, of course, like officials who may face political exposure if a privately funded, untested system encountered anything such as cost overruns, delays, or safety issues. On the outset of this project, there were limited things such as engineering plans or demonstrated technology maturity, which also added to the potential skepticism.

The East Coast vision for Boring Co., once framed as a privately funded revolution that could reshape Northeast travel, quietly ended without construction of the promised network. Musk’s recent statement frames the outcome as a regulatory impasse, unfortunate but not unexpected.

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