News
Musk’s Boring Co reveals plan to support Hyperloop in published FAQ
Elon Musk’s plan to integrate Tesla electric sleds traveling through underground tunnels dug by The Boring Company will also include support for vacuum-sealed tunnels used by 600+ mph Hyperloop Pods.
The reveal comes from the company’s newly published Frequently Asked Questions page that does away with introductions and cuts straight to the chase.
“A large network of road tunnels many levels deep would fix congestion in any city, no matter how large it grew (just keep adding levels). The key to making this work is increasing tunneling speed and dropping costs by a factor of 10 or more – this is the goal of The Boring Company. Fast to dig, low cost tunnels would also make Hyperloop adoption viable and enable rapid transit across densely populated regions, enabling travel from New York to Washington DC in less than 30 minutes.” reads the FAQ.
The company isn’t even traveling at a snail’s pace, yet it has big plans to do just that – dig tunnels faster than a snail travels. In this case, resident snail Gary (who lives in a pineapple under the sea) can move at 14 times the speed of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and represents the target speed for the company’s boring machines.
The Boring Company’s pet snail named Gary
The Framework for Hyperloop
The FAQ sheet broke news that Musk and the team at The Boring Company, in cooperation with Tesla, are planning to build tunnels that can support multi-payloads including that of a Hyperloop Pod. In addition to enabling travel and transport at much higher speeds, this addition is likely to set the Tesla electric sled platform as the standard track that will be used to support mobility of the Hyperloop Pod.
Certain segments of the underground tunnels will have a vacuum shell, if not the entire track, that will allow the tunnel to be held at vacuum. Long distance travel would likely be performed in tunnels held at vacuum, enabling for higher speeds of travel. This format of local versus long distance is the same used by train systems in Europe that have different trains and tracks depending on train speed and distance of travel.
Converts Internal Combustion Vehicles into EVs
Another upside of the system is that it enables the conversion of internal combustion vehicles into zero emission vehicles. When a traditional petroleum powered vehicle is moved onto an electric sled, it will be moved through a system that emits zero emissions. This eliminates the emissions these vehicles would have emitted if they would had ordinarily travelled by road to their destination.
Many people will take Hyperloop Pods to their destinations due to the lower cost of travel. Logistics companies will also shift payload transportation to the tunnel system due to the lower cost as a result of not having a driver, higher speed and automated control over the load. With all of this traffic moving to the conceptual tunnel-based transportation system, it has the potential to radically slash the amount of transportation related emissions and demand for fossil fuels.
If the petroleum industry wasn’t paying attention to Musk and the impact Tesla may have on automotive related fuel consumption, this announcement is surely the wake up call they needed.
Earthquake!
Hollywood thrillers over the years have cast subway systems as the perfect set for apocalyptic thrillers where only a muscular hero armed with backpack full of lithium ion batteries, a stick of bubblegum and the copper from the wiring for the lights can save the day.
The truth, it turns out, is much different. The FAQs relay the facts that structural engineers have know for ages – that properly designed tunnels are one of the safest places to be during an earthquake. The tunnels is not subject to surface forces and instead of resisting the movement of the earthquake, moves with the ground.
Dirty Business
When tunneling in the Minecraft video game, the tunnel materializes and the blocks smashed with a pickaxe or sword simply disappear or move into inventory. The real world is unfortunately not so simple, but The Boring Company has plans to make it just a bit more like Minecraft.
Two major challenges with traditional tunneling are the massive amount of earth being displaced by the tunnel and the equally as challenging amount of concrete that is required to seal the circumference of the tunnel. To solve these challenges together, The Boring Company hopes to develop a process for using the resulting soil to produce earthen bricks. These bricks could even be used as a component of the tunnel lining itself or simply sold as a product.
This is yet another piece of evidence that Tesla truly is attempting to create Minecraft in the real world, reviving the ancient practice of crafting bricks from dirt.
In addition to turning a liability into an asset, this has the potential to drastically cut the amount of concrete used in the production of the tunnels it is constructing. Because of the sheer mass of concrete and the effort required to extract its components, and ship them to the destination, concrete production accounts for a staggering 4.5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Boring Company hopes to take a chunk out of those emissions by using bricks where possible in the construction of its tunnels.
Where The Boring Company will go from here is anyone’s guess but this latest update makes it clear that Musk is never willing to settle for the status quo, and always begins working from the ground up – or in this case, from the ground down – when moving into a new business.
Tesla rolled out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.3.5 yesterday, and about fifty miles of driving on the new version has given me enough time to highlight what seems to be strong about the release and what is not.
Additionally, Tesla has added a few new features with this specific update, which we’ll highlight as well.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Performance
The new update is business as usual. Things seem to be running completely normal and necessary, but there are a few things that we’ve seemed to pick up on based on our own experience with v14.3.5, as well as what other users are seeing.
Initially, it seems to be more aware of its surroundings, making moves that are incredibly courteous to other drives and operating just a tad more reserved than what the suite might have done previously.
We had two instances where it showed this, the first being FSD needing to pass a Flagger Force vehicle that was placing down signage for the day. Their work truck was right at the front corner of a right-hand turn; typically where most cars travel when they take that turn.
FSD v14.3.5 recognized this, slowed down, and took the turn wide with no issues:
🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 takes a wide turn as flagger crews set up signage for the day https://t.co/3v0PL9qhlI pic.twitter.com/i4CKqxE16c
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 13, 2026
Additionally, v14.3.5 backed up for a semi truck that was making a wide turn onto a road my car was on. This is not new, but it seemed to be backing up for courtesy; it didn’t seem completely necessary, but it might have put some peace of mind in the truck driver’s head:
🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 backs up for an oncoming tractor trailer taking a wide turn https://t.co/0WuAqNMpRR pic.twitter.com/s6yZGVm5Te
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 13, 2026
X user Mike P, also a Pennsylvania native like myself, shared three clips of his Tesla running v14.3.5 performing similar maneuvers. He said:
“FSD turns right into a small alley that only fits one car at a time, sees oncoming car, reverses out of alley to make space, realizes oncoming car is actually parking, re-enters alley.”
Check it out here:
Rapidfire epic moments on FSD V14.3.5
1) FSD turns right into a small alley that only fits one car at a time, sees oncoming car, reverses out of alley to make space, realizes oncoming car is actually parking, re-enters alley.
2) Insane speed to vehicle cues. As FSD approaches… pic.twitter.com/bSnySSlFHR
— Mike P (@mikepat711) July 13, 2026
It seems like Speed Profiles are still in need of some tweaking; I am adjusting what Speed Profile I’m in frequently, constantly changing it to get it to travel at the correct speed. This was an issue for me on v14.3.4. It seems like they’re just a little inconsistent.
Terrible Parking
Parking attempts on v14.3.5 were not good. There are quite a few people who have said this:
Yeah it seems like FSD v14.3.5 is having some issues with parking early on https://t.co/Bw5ULfVmDq pic.twitter.com/RHdpjOEpIo
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 13, 2026
David Moss, the Tesla owner who has taken multiple coast-to-coast drives without any interventions, also has had some issues with parking early on with v14.3.5:
Horrible first impression v14.3.5 on my 2025 Tesla Model 3 LR RWD Premium 😭
3 terrible parking jobs in 23 min including parking on a ramp in a business park & parking perpendicular out in the road on street only parking situation.
Wish I had a better drive but I still believe… pic.twitter.com/TtyhRHAFG7
— David Moss (@DavidMoss) July 13, 2026
New Features
Tesla has added the ability to open Camera Preview at any time. Previously, it was only available in Park. Here’s what that feature looks like in action:
🚨 Here’s the new Camera Preview feature on FSD v14.3.5 pic.twitter.com/OodfZgDppy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 13, 2026
Check back later this week for a longer review of what we’ve noticed on Full Self-Driving v14.3.5.
Lifestyle
Tesla makes the cut on California’s newest EV Rebate program
California just signed a $270 million EV rebate into law and it starts this summer.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 168 into law on Monday, July 13, 2026, creating a $270 million EV rebate program that delivers money directly at the dealership rather than as a tax credit applied months later. The program, called MyFirstEV, is funded equally by California’s state budget and participating automakers, with each contributing $135.5 million to make the math work.
The timing is directly tied to the loss of federal support when the $7,500 federal EV tax credit ended, removing the most significant consumer incentive that had driven EV adoption in the U.S. California, which accounts for roughly one-third of all EVs sold nationally, moved to fill that gap with a state-level replacement.
The rebate structure is straightforward. First-time EV buyers can receive $3,500 off any new battery-electric vehicle with an MSRP up to $50,000. Used EVs priced at $25,000 or below qualify for a $1,750 rebate. The credit is applied at the point of sale, which removes the friction of the old federal system where buyers had to wait for tax season to see the benefit. The program goes live later this summer, with the California Air Resources Board expected to release full participation details next month.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
For Tesla buyers, the implications are mixed. The Tesla Model 3 RWD at $42,490 and the Model 3 Long Range at $47,490 both fall under the $50,000 cap and would qualify for the full $3,500 rebate for first-time buyers. The Model Y, which starts at $44,990 after Tesla’s recent price adjustment, also qualifies. The Model X, Model S, and Cybertruck all exceed the cap and receive no benefit. As Teslarati has reported, the program also includes a carve-out exempting California-based automakers like Rivian and Lucid from the price cap entirely, a provision that puts Tesla at a disadvantage since it relocated its headquarters to Texas in 2021.
Other qualifying vehicles include the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4.
The Tesla Semi is entering a new Pilot Program with Paper Transport, LLC (PTI), a Wisconsin-based transportation provider. The company will test the Semi’s Long Range configuration through “dedicated operations within the Chicago market.”
Chicago presents an interesting challenge for the Semi, as it will be a colder-weather climate that will test the Semi’s ability to operate in lower temperatures and in potentially large accumulations of snow. This is something Tesla has been testing with the Semi in Alaska and even in Northern California during the colder months, but Chicago will present a truly tough midwestern winter.
Tesla Semi spotted on journey home after winter performance testing
PTI says it is using the Semi to evaluate its strategy of reducing transportation emissions while maintaining performance, reliability, and cost efficiency. These are major arguments for the Semi being introduced into new fleets.
CEO of PTI Tyler Ellison said:
“PTI has been a leader in sustainable transportation solutions for over 15 years. We take a consultative approach to helping customers identify and implement the right transportation solution for their network. Our partnership with Tesla expands our portfolio alongside renewable natural gas and intermodal, giving customers more ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions without compromising service or economics.”
PTI is far from the first company to adopt the Semi within a fleet, as Tesla entered strategic agreements with PepsiCo. and its subsidiary Frito-Lay for a Pilot Program that extended throughout the California region.
Tesla has let companies like those utilize the Semi to determine whether it would be suitable for their operations. Additionally, Tesla gets valuable information regarding the Semi’s performance, knowing what to improve and what is ideal for companies that will utilize the all-electric truck for regional and nationwide logistics.
PTI plans to utilize the Long Range configuration, which is priced at $290,000 and features a range of approximately 500 miles, a three-motor powertrain, up to 800 kW of drive power, and consumption of just 1.7 kWh per mile.
Tesla Semi pricing revealed after company uncovers trim levels
VP of Maintenance at PTI, Bryan Ellen, added:
“We are excited to partner with Tesla, leveraging their ever-evolving technology. We are bullish in our estimation of the parallels available between our dedicated model and the efficiency of their fully electric Class 8 tractor. We anticipate a growing synergy between our businesses as we work to facilitate this sustainable solution for our customers.”
PTI has logged more than 87 million miles using sources like compressed and renewable gas, but now is looking to take it a step further with fully electric operations.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.5 Early Impressions: new features and early performance
Tesla makes the cut on California’s newest EV Rebate program
