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NIO ET7 audio system reveals how important software will be in future vehicles [Editorial]
NIO went the extra mile—and then some—when it conceptualized the audio system for the ET7. The NIO ET7 has 23 speakers powered by Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac’s Opteo Professional audio software and Dolby Atmos technology.
NIO and Dirac’s work on the ET7’s audio system reveals the changing design of the car’s cabin and the role software plays in its redesign.
The NIO ET7’s Sound
Every automaker has a specific sound they would like their passengers to enjoy in their vehicles. NIO also has a particular sound target, and for the ET7, the Chinese automaker wanted it to come through crystal clear.
NIO worked closely with Dirac to create its sound. The NIO ET7’s official online page states that the four-seater car has 23 speakers, four overhead speakers, and a subwoofer. It also has a 20-channel amplifier and comes standard with Dolby Atmos Technology.
NIO didn’t just add lots of speakers to the ET7, though. The China-based automaker together with Dirac were meticulous and intentional with the ET7’s audio system.
Redefining the Cabin
Audio experts must consider the environment the sound will be played in, making it challenging to work with vehicles. Lars Carlsson, the Head of Business Development Automotive Audio and Vice President at Dirac, told Teslarati that audio experts have to consider many things when creating the perfect sound inside a vehicle. They have to consider the number and position of the speakers and the number of seats in the vehicle. Audio experts must also consider how sound reflects on the cabin’s different surfaces and windows.
Each speaker output in the NIO ET7 was measured with 16 microphones, positioned in each seat for a total of 64 measurement positions in the cabin. The measured data gave Dirac a good overview of the acoustic performance of the car’s cabin and creates the base for Dirac’s patented algorithms to optimize the sound.
“We base everything on measurements and data. Our process really saves audio engineers a lot of time. They can tune on their computer instead of spending weeks in the car,” Carlsson said.
After measuring the cabin, Dirac used algorithms to “derive the optimum solution” for its sound field control technology. With sound field control, Dirac created “super speakers” for the ET7. Typically, there are three speakers in a car door: low frequency, mid-range frequency, and a tweeter for the high frequency. Dirac uses sound field control to digitally align the speakers, making them collaborate to realize one full, quality sound.
“In addition our algorithm lets the speakers in the cabin and the subwoofer collaborate to create an even sound field in the car, which means we can actually create an equal audio experience in every seat. You get the voice right in front of you and a good imaging and a very even bass distribution and tight bass,” explained Carlsson.
Software’s Critical Role in Future Vehicles
Software is playing an increasingly important role in the auto industry as automotive OEMs and startups reconceptualize the idea of the vehicle. Now, automakers are reimagining the use of the car cabin as more vehicles integrate autonomous software.
Software lies at the center of redesigning the cabin space for passenger activities. Many automakers have started investing in software for their vehicles. For instance, Volkswagen invested €2 billion in a joint venture with China-based Horizon Robotics. And Stellantis launched a software development center in India recently.
Audio, in particular, is beginning to play a more significant role in the cabin as automakers introduce more types of media for passengers to enjoy while on the road. Electric cars coming out on the market have fun new features now, like karaoke, videos, games, and more which rely heavily on audio systems. However, it is autonomy that drives the cabin’s redesign.
“We have an enormous interest for our solutions because audio is getting more and more important in the car. This is true for electric cars because it’s a quieter environment but also when looking into autonomous cars, where maybe you’ll be working in your car, you’ll be listening to music, you’ll be watching videos, you’ll have maybe rotating seats,” said Carlsson.
“There’s a lot of challenges also coming ahead, but I would say that Dirac is very well equipped for future challenges because software for anything in the cars is key,” he added.
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
SpaceX is preparing for the 13th integrated flight test of its Starship system, with a targeted launch as early as Thursday, July 16. The 90-minute launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. CT from Starbase in South Texas.
This comes roughly seven weeks after Flight 12 on May 22, underscoring the company’s accelerating pace in its rapid development campaign. The mission will use the latest Starship and Super Heavy V3 vehicles equipped with Raptor 3 engines. Booster 20 will attempt a controlled boostback burn, followed by a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while Ship 40 will follow a suborbital trajectory.
Starship’s thirteenth flight test is preparing to launch as early as Thursday, July 16 → https://t.co/Rp7VwBzpWx pic.twitter.com/jdpFlQUEpF
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 11, 2026
Key objectives for Flight 13 will include demonstrating reliable stage separation, engine performance under various conditions, and controlled reentry.
A major milestone for Flight 13 is the first deployment of 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. These satellites feature advanced laser links for inter-satellite communication, deployable solar arrays, and onboard cameras, six of which will capture imagery of Starship’s heat shield during flight.
Several heat shield tiles on Ship 40 will be painted white to serve as imaging targets, while additional experiments test upgraded tiles on aft flaps, modified attachments on the aft skirt, and load-sensing tiles to measure stresses. The upper stage will also attempt a single Raptor engine relight in space before a targeted splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
These tests build directly on lessons from Flight 12, which introduced the V3 configuration but encountered issues including a booster flip anomaly during boostback and an engine-out event on the ship. Hardware and software modifications on Booster 20 and Ship 40 aim to improve engine relight reliability, startup sequencing, and overall robustness.
Next Starship launch aiming for Thursday https://t.co/SajPPd4pdb
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2026
The short interval between Flights 12 and 13 highlights SpaceX’s iterative approach. Elon Musk has repeatedly emphasized that Starship launches will become “incredibly common” in the coming years.
The company envisions scaling to rates as high as one launch per hour within 4-5 years, potentially enabling thousands of flights annually. Such cadence is essential for Starship’s goals: establishing orbital refueling for lunar and Mars missions, deploying massive satellite constellations, and making life multiplanetary.
With each flight, Starship edges closer to full reusability and operational maturity. Success on July 16 would mark another step toward routine access to space and the ambitious vision of humanity becoming a spacefaring civilization.
Tesla shared a striking video showcasing the decommissioning of the original Model S and Model X assembly line at its Fremont Factory in Northern California. Completed in just 46 days, the teardown involved heavy machinery dismantling concrete pits, removing robotic arms and conveyors, and clearing the space for new production.
The post, captioned “End of an era,” captured both the end of a historic chapter and Tesla’s aggressive pivot toward its next major initiative, Optimus.
End of an era: Decommissioning the original Model S & X assembly line in just 46 days pic.twitter.com/kGEdfhl62h
— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) July 10, 2026
The decision to retire the Model S and Model X originated during Tesla’s Q4 2025 Earnings Call in late January 2026. CEO Elon Musk announced that production of the company’s flagship sedan and SUV would wind down by the end of Q2 2026, describing it as bringing the programs to an “honorable discharge.”
Custom orders ceased around early April 2026, with the final vehicles rolling off the line in early May. A special signature delivery ceremony on May 20 marked the emotional close for these vehicles, which had defined Tesla’s early success and luxury EV segment since the Model S launch in 2012.
The primary reason for tearing down the lines was to repurpose the valuable factory floor space for high-volume production of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. Musk had indicated on Earnings Calls that the Fremont S/X line would be replaced by a dedicated Optimus manufacturing line targeting a capacity of one million units per year.
This move aligns with Tesla’s broader strategic shift from traditional vehicle manufacturing toward robotics and artificial intelligence, leveraging the company’s expertise in autonomy, AI training, and high-volume production.
Optimus, Tesla’s general-purpose humanoid robot, is designed to perform repetitive or dangerous tasks in factories, warehouses, and eventually homes. Powered by Tesla’s AI and Neural Networks, it aims to be a versatile, affordable platform. Production of Optimus Gen 3 is already underway in limited form at Fremont, with full-scale output on the converted line expected to begin in late July or August.
Tesla is targeting rapid scaling, with internal ambitions pointing toward tens or even hundreds of thousands of units annually by the end of 2026.
Longer-term, Tesla is constructing a much larger second-generation Optimus facility at Giga Texas, with potential capacity reaching millions of units per year. The company views Optimus as a transformative product that could eventually surpass its automotive business in scale and value, enabling widespread deployment of useful robots across industries. CEO Elon Musk has even predicted it would be the most popular product of all-time.
As one era closes at Fremont, another is rapidly taking shape.
Elon Musk posted a candid admission on his social media platform X on June 9, declaring that he had been “clearly wrong” about Anthropic. The statement marked a notable reversal from his earlier skepticism toward the AI company.
In September, Musk had written, “Winning was never in the set of possible outcomes for Anthropic,” reflecting his view at the time that the startup had lacked the foundation or even the trajectory to succeed in what is an incredibly intense race for advanced artificial intelligence.
Musk’s latest post came amid discussion of Anthropic’s reliance on external compute resources. He praised the company’s progress, stating that Anthropic is “obviously currently the leader in AI” and that “no company has released a model as good as Mythos/Fable,” with expectations of a strong follow-up in Mythos 2.
The tone shifted dramatically from dismissal to acknowledgement of superior performance.
I was clearly wrong about Anthropic. They are obviously currently the leader in AI. No company has released a model as good as Mythos/Fable and they will undoubtedly have Mythos 2 ready soon.
And I would never cut them off in a way that hurt them badly, even as a competitor.…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 9, 2026
The context of Musk’s comments added significance. Anthropic has been operating under a recent compute deal with SpaceXAI, Musk’s AI infrastructure-focused venture. The pair entered a short-term GPU lease agreement initiated in May, providing Anthropic access to critical computing power for training and deploying its frontier models.
SpaceXAI signs agreement with Anthropic for massive AI supercomputer access
Some observers had speculated that Musk could leverage this dependency to disadvantage a rival. Musk directly addressed the possibility, writing, “I would never cut them off in a way that hurt them badly, even as a competitor. That’s not my style.”
To support his commitment to ethical competition, Musk referenced concrete examples from his other companies. Tesla famously open-sourced its entire portfolio of electric vehicle patents in 2014. The move was designed to accelerate the global adoption of sustainable transportation technology rather than protect proprietary advantages.
Tesla also made its Supercharger network available to competing electric vehicle manufacturers, transforming what could have remained an exclusive charging ecosystem into a shared infrastructure that benefits the broader industry and reduces barriers for EV adoption.
Musk further pointed to SpaceX’s practices, noting that the company launches satellites for competing commercial systems “with no increase in price or use of unfair terms.” He extended the principle to his social platform, observing that “even my worst enemies attack me on this platform,” underscoring preference for open discourse over retaliation.
These examples have illustrated Musk’s long-standing philosophy that long-term technological progress is best served by open competition and infrastructure sharing rather than leveraging market power to stifle rivals. In the fast-evolving AI sector, where compute resources and model capabilities determine leadership, Musk’s stance suggests a willingness to compete on innovation and performance alone.
Musk’s admission arrives as SpaceXAI itself advances its own frontier models while maintaining business relationships across the ecosystem. By publicly correcting his earlier assessment and reaffirming principles of fair play, Musk highlights a model of competition that prioritizes advancement of the field over short-term tactical advantages.
SpaceX reveals Starship Flight 13 launch date
Tesla shows rapid teardown of Model S and X lines, paving the way for Optimus at Fremont
