News
Layer3 TV plans to use 100 Tesla Model X fleet to deliver next-gen cable
Denver-based Layer3 TV, a next generation cable television service provider, is switching its service vehicles to a Tesla Model X fleet as the company aims to redefine the antiquated cable TV industry using modern day technologies. Layer3’s CEO Jeff Binder said that the company’s biggest advantage is in video quality, citing “It’s unanimous”.
With plans to purchase 100 Model X vehicles by the end of the year, Binder claims that the savings from their unique installation process and the low maintenance cost of the Model X enables the company to reap “substantial” savings. Their installation costs are nearly 50% lower than competitors, enabling the company to expand the Model X fleet and creating a “win-win” scenario.
“It’s a pretty different experience… Who doesn’t like driving a Model X?” – Layer3 TV CEO Jeff Binder
The company, founded in 2013 by cable veterans Jeff Binder and Dave Fellows, raised nearly $100M to fund its big plans to disrupt the cable service provider industry. Layer3 TV tells Teslarati that they had purchased a Model X to deliver their new service in Colorado earlier this year, and recently expanded the fleet nationwide. Layer3 currently services Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Dallas, and parts of Denver. While Binder didn’t release any subscriber numbers, he said the company is seeing double digit growth month-over-month.

Layer3 Originally planned to have a fleet of BMW i3s, but ultimately decided the Model X better fit their needs.
Multichannel reported that Layer3 TV is using a fleet of Teslas for their Colorado rollout stating, “For the rollout with NextLight in Longmont, Layer3 TV is using a fleet of Tesla vehicles to perform installs and other customer visits.” Layer3 TV initially envisioned using a fleet of BMW i3s but decided to go with the Tesla Model X after determining that they needed more space, all wheel drive, and more range.
The company plans to have a fleet of roughly 100 Teslas by the end of the year and currently has the Model X deployed in all of their markets. Jeff Binder told Teslarati via phone, “There is no downside… we are spending half as much as the competition on installs, our installers love the vehicles, it’s sustainable, and we get great marketing out of the vehicles.”
100 Tesla Model X Fleet
Layer3’s fleet of Model Xs are presumably the largest in the world, as not many company’s have adopted commercial uses for the vehicle. Binder told Teslarati that they haven’t adopted any custom fleet management systems in the Model X that’s out of the norm, but definitely plans to take advantage of the Model X’s large center screen. Binder is a bit surprised that Tesla doesn’t have much of a fleet management system, and hopes the company will develop such a program.

Layer3 has deployed their fleet nationwide, and plans to continue adding more vehicles to the fleet. Photo: Layer3 TV
Layer3 stated back in March, “Not only do we provide quick installs, but we do it in a Tesla. Rodney (a Layer3 TV installer) installs 6 boxes in a day with our eco-friendly Tesla.”
Before the company launched their service last year they had planned to deliver the service in the BMW i3. Layer3 is aiming to be the new “upscale” cable provider, while the company doesn’t lay its own fiber or cable lines, it delivers the service through advanced video technology riding through leased fiber and private IP. You can see if Layer3 TV is in available in your area.
Picking the Tesla Model X looks like the perfect way to show customers that they aren’t doing business in the usual way which stereotypically includes late arrivals and in a beat-up white van.
The nex-gen cable TV provider has released a video showing off their new wrap which we find simply stunning. Check out the video below to see how Layer3 TV “tricked out” their Model X!
https://www.facebook.com/inkmonstr/videos/1504959446214814/
https://instagram.com/p/BSv8UHOgGQ9/
News
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
Tesla has evidently revealed which of its vehicle models will be the first to receive Starlink integration: the Cybercab.
Tesla’s Santana Row showroom now has a full-fledged display of the Cybercab, with an extensive bit of information hung around an exhibit that seems to reveal the vehicle’s newest feature: an integrated Starlink antenna that will enable secure and reliable internet access during trips.

Credit: @Starscream_SJC | X
Cybercab is geared toward autonomous ride-hailing for one or two passengers. The production units rolling off the lines at Gigafactory Texas are built without steering wheels or pedals, meaning when public rides begin, passengers will not need to interact with a human being or control the vehicle in any way outside of what appears on the center screen for their entertainment during the ride.
Tesla Santana Row will be reopening tomorrow with a full focus on self-driving. Everything in the showroom is about Robotaxi and Cybercab with stats and information about the technology. The Cybercab on display is the production model. pic.twitter.com/yIUYdOGFOp
— Shaun Cassidy (@Starscream_SJC) July 20, 2026
Along the display, Tesla wrote this message about Cybercab:
“Cybercab is built for autonomy. It has no steering wheel, no side mirrors, and no pedals. It goes where you tell it to go and how you want it to, so you can relax along the way. It is hyper aware and responsive to your surroundings, monitoring other drivers, responding to emergency vehicles, utilizing its expertise in the rarest scenarios to help keep you safe.”
Tesla has been teasing a potential Starlink integration for quite some time now. In December, the company hinted at potential Starlink internet terminal integration within its vehicles in a patent that described a vehicle roof assembly with integrated radio frequency (RF) transparency.
The company wrote in its patent application that a new roof design built with materials that differ from the standard metallic or glass elements used in today’s cars would allow it to integrate modern vehicular technologies, in particular, ones that require radio frequency transmission and reception.
Tesla suggested high-strength polymer blends, like Polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate.
This is the first time we’ve seen Tesla officially confirm the Starlink integration into the Cybercab. It’s not much of a surprise considering the company’s intention behind the Cybercab, which is to make travel autonomous.
Productivity will now be at a maximum during a work-related commute, while the center screen could be utilized for Netflix or potentially even live TV for those who are heading to dinner or to a fun activity.
News
SpaceX adjusts Starship Flight 13 test launch target date once again
SpaceX has updated its target for the thirteenth integrated flight test of Starship, aiming for as early as Thursday, July 23. The 90-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. CT from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas.
The target flight was initially rescheduled for today, but SpaceX pushed it back again.
This latest adjustment follows an aborted attempt earlier in the week and reflects the iterative, rapid-development approach that has defined the Starship program. With the vehicle already stacked and ground teams making final preparations, the mission represents another step toward proving the full reusability of the world’s most powerful rocket system.
Now targeting to launch Starship’s thirteenth flight test as early as Thursday, July 23 → https://t.co/Rp7VwBzpWx pic.twitter.com/Y0YNzfc5zk
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 19, 2026
The original launch attempt on July 16 was scrubbed at T-0 when several Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster failed to ignite properly. The automatic abort system triggered just as the engines began their startup sequence, preventing liftoff.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed that some engines did not start as expected, prompting the decision to replace two Raptors on Booster 20 to ensure reliability. The issue occurred despite a successful full-duration static fire earlier, highlighting the complexities of coordinating 33 engines under flight conditions.
This cautious approach underscores SpaceX’s commitment to safety amid an aggressive test cadence.
Flight 13 builds directly on the lessons from Flight 12 in May 2026. The Super Heavy booster’s primary goals include a successful liftoff, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn, and controlled splashdown in the Gulf of America.
Hardware and software modifications address the off-nominal flip and boostback burn problems from the prior flight, where propellant slosh and engine relight issues led to an uncontrolled impact.
For the Starship upper stage, objectives include deploying 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites, the first real payload of this type, performing a single Raptor engine relight in space, and executing a controlled entry, descent, and splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Propulsion upgrades aim to improve engine-out capability after one vacuum Raptor was lost on Flight 12.
Additional test elements focus on heat shield performance. Six satellites carry cameras to image the tiles during flight, while white-painted tiles and upgraded attachments on flaps and the aft skirt will gather data for future reusability.
The FAA completed its mishap investigation into Flight 12 earlier this month, clearing the regulatory path.
This suborbital mission, the second with V3 vehicles, advances Starship toward operational missions, including potential crewed flights and support for NASA’s Artemis program. Success would mark significant progress in rapid reusability and satellite deployment from the massive system.
News
Elon Musk debunks $52 billion SpaceX-NVIDIA GPU deal
Elon Musk dismissed reports claiming SpaceX had placed a massive order for NVIDIA GPUs worth $52 billion. The denial came hours after Taiwanese media, citing unnamed industry sources, reported that SpaceX planned to acquire approximately 13,000 AI server racks, equating to roughly 1 million GB300 GPUs, from Foxconn.
Each rack was estimated at around $4 million, with deliveries potentially starting in late 2025.
The story suggested this would mark SpaceX’s first major foray into Foxconn-manufactured NVIDIA hardware, breaking from suppliers like Supermicro and Dell. Musk responded bluntly on X:
This is fake news
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2026
Despite the denial, the rumored scale aligns with SpaceX’s explosive growth in AI infrastructure. NVIDIA’s GB300 (successor to the GB200 NVL) racks deliver unprecedented performance for large-scale training and inference. A $52 billion commitment would dwarf most corporate AI budgets and provide the compute muscle needed for frontier models.
SpaceX already operates gigawatt-scale terrestrial clusters like Colossus in Memphis, Tennessee, and has monetized them aggressively through leasing deals.
SpaceX’s newest Starmind will make earth data centers obsolete
Major customers include Anthropic (paying ~$1.25 billion monthly for 220,000+ GPUs), Google (~$920 million monthly for 110,000 GPUs), and Reflection AI. These arrangements are projected to generate tens of billions in annual revenue, far outpacing traditional SpaceX businesses.
Such an investment would fuel internal AI efforts, particularly Grok models under the integrated SpaceXAI division, while supporting ambitious orbital data center plans. SpaceX envisions launching thousands of AI-optimized satellites powered by solar energy and cooled in space, bypassing terrestrial power and land constraints.
This “Starmind” constellation could position the company as a leader in space-based computing.
SpaceX as an Emerging AI Powerhouse
Once primarily known for reusable rockets and Starlink satellite internet, SpaceX has transformed into a multifaceted AI player.
The 2026 acquisition of xAI integrated Grok development directly into the company. Starlink’s low-latency global network complements massive compute clusters, enabling efficient data flow for training and serving AI models.
Musk has long argued that AI scaling demands solutions beyond Earth, citing things like real estate and electricity limits on the ground.
While the Foxconn deal may not be in the cards, SpaceX’s trajectory is continuing on the path of blending aerospace engineering with hyperscale AI to dominate both launches and intelligence infrastructure.