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Exclusive: Porsche’s electric heart beats in the Taycan’s Zuffenhausen factory
Beside the red-bricked walls of Porsche’s headquarters at Zuffenhausen, an electric transformation is taking place. It is a transformation that echoes back to its earliest days, despite the company’s pedigree with the internal combustion engine. Tall, modern-looking buildings sit side-by-side with older factories and shops that have literally witnessed history. The faint sounds of heavy machinery are audible in the distance, a reminder that work in the historic site is ongoing.
“We’re building a factory within a factory within a city with residences close by, hardly any space, and this in high speed,” says Porsche representative of the project David Tryggvason, lightly pointing out that the timeframe of the project is very Porsche-like: Sporty.
Porsche is actively engaged in a massive construction project in its Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen site, roughly 120 miles from Frankfurt, with the company running full throttle as it prepares for the production of the Taycan. The result of these efforts could only be described as a rebirth of sorts, since the company that started with an electric car is now pushing itself to re-embrace all-electric vehicles, perhaps just as intended by its founder, Ferdinand Porsche, more than a hundred years ago.
An electric transition
A lot is riding on the Porsche Taycan. During the company’s annual press conference, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Lutz Meschke emphasized how all-electric vehicles like the Taycan and its lineup of hybrid cars are pertinent for the company’s future. In a statement, Meschke noted that by 2030, vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine would likely be the exception to the rule.
“One thing is clear: from 2030 onwards; there probably won’t be any vehicle model from Porsche without an electric variant. I actually presume that by 2025, we will have electrified significantly more than half of our entire model range. But the combustion engine will still be around in 2030. Our 911 will hopefully still be driving with them for a long time to come. Conventionally powered vehicles will at that point be the niche in our electric fleet,” he said.
Before it can produce a successful electric vehicle, Porsche needs to ensure that it has the facilities necessary to build a completely different type of car. The veteran automaker opted to construct several new facilities to accommodate the Taycan’s production, and it had to overcome numerous challenges to make the buildout possible. The Zuffenhausen site is a stone’s throw away from a residential neighborhood, and the site itself is split by a four-lane road. With space being scarce, Tryggvason notes that the company did the only thing it can do: it built up. Overall, building the Taycan is complex. Setting up the facility even more so. For the project manager, the challenges were worth it. “We believe in the product,” David said.
A high-stakes, collective effort
The company’s bet on the Taycan is evident in its investment for the vehicle and the actions of its own employees. Porsche is spending about 6 billion euros (around $6.81 billion) for the development of its electric mobility initiatives. Porsche Production 4.0, a campaign aimed at ushering in a new era of vehicle production, is also underway. Accelerating these developments is a deal that the carmaker struck with its employees, who agreed to forego a small part of their collective salary increase in exchange for their participation in the Taycan’s production and release.
David Tryggvason and Porsche Press Spokesman Jorg Walz later directed me to the roof of one of the new buildings, and I was able to get a pretty good view of the factory itself. They pointed out how the Taycan starts its life by having its electric motors, batteries, and axles assembled. The electric car’s body then gets put together, painted, and transported across a long conveyor system where it can go through final assembly and married to its electric drive unit.
A key to the successful production run of the Porsche Taycan is the company’s target of manufacturing the vehicle in a “smart, lean and green” manner. Examples of these include a flexi-line that uses automated guided vehicles for simpler assembly despite the expansive customization requests from Taycan buyers, optimizations in the use of resources and space, and an initiative to ensure that the entire production process of the all-electric car at Porsche’s Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen site is CO2-neutral. This is made possible through several programs such as the electrification of logistics vehicles, the use of waste heat in the paint shop, and a pilot trial that involves the adoption of nitrogen-absorbing facade surfaces, to name a few.
Race-bred batteries for a race-bred electric car
Not one to waste a rare opportunity to ask for details about the Taycan, I decided to ask a little about the electric car’s battery performance. Over the past year, several great electric vehicles were released by veteran carmakers such as Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz, but inasmuch as the machines themselves were impressive, their batteries left much to be desired. The I-PACE, for all its stunning interior and excellent design, is pretty much the electric equivalent of a gas guzzler. The Mercedes-Benz EQC seems to be the same.
Porsche uses pouch cells from LG Chem in the Taycan’s battery pack, which is expected to give the vehicle over 300 miles of range per charge under the NEDC standard. The company is aiming for ultra-fast 350 kW charging as well, thanks to its 800-volt technology, which was used first in Porsche’s LMP1 racecar 919 Hybrid. I asked how the Taycan’s battery holds up when charged continually with such a high rate of charge. Walz smiled and candidly stated “We’re very optimistic.”
After the annual press conference, I was able to sit in for an informal discussion of Porsche’s electrification with executive board member Detlev von Platen. The Porsche exec highlighted that the Taycan’s battery cells were closely developed by the company, thanks to its experience from its high-performance hybrid vehicles. Examples include the legendary Porsche 918 Spyder hypercar and the three-time Le Mans-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid racecar, both of which required some work in their batteries.
“So we’re absolutely involved, deeply involved, in the development of the (Taycan’s battery) cells and the technology behind it. We haven’t started last year with the Taycan. We have worked since a long time already on battery technology from motorsport. Our prototypes like the 919 Hybrid was electrified. So I would say, in general terms, that we have started to work on battery technology at least ten years now,” Von Platen candidly said.
I was reminded of David Tryggvason’s overview of the Taycan’s components a couple of days before, when he remarked that some of the Porsche personnel who worked for the 918 Spyder hypercar also worked in the development of the Taycan. Upon hearing Von Platen’s description of Porsche’s work with batteries, I couldn’t help but agree with his point. Porsche has produced several iconic vehicles in the past, and the majority of them are powered by the internal combustion engine. Despite this, it is difficult to argue that the best cars the company has ever produced, such as the 919 Hybrid, are imbued with electric propulsion at their core. Beneath the roaring engines of the vehicles were electric motors and batteries that ultimately unlocked the cars’ real potential.
From the past to the future
An engineer at heart, Ferdinand Porsche started with an electric car at the end of the 19th century. He later dipped his feet in hybrid propulsion, before going ahead and gaining mastery of the internal combustion engine. From this perspective, the development of the Taycan feels like a homage to the company’s roots, and this is a big reason why Porsche is dead serious about the vehicle. In what appears to be a gesture to prove this, the Taycan is being built on the company’s most historic site, and it will be produced alongside the 911, a vehicle that can only be dubbed as the quintessential Porsche.
As I grabbed my travel gear and scurried to the remaining shuttle that was awaiting my presence, I looked back at Porsche’s headquarters one last time. There in the dark sky stood a marvel of orderliness in this ever-changing world. It was a moment that can only to be described as surreal, when the past breathes new life into the future. Seconds later, as I buckled myself down on the shuttle seat and gazed into a disappearing Zuffenhausen site, the sounds of whirring machinery and vehicles rolling off the factory floor can be heard in the distance. Beneath this orchestra of sounds were the rhythmic thumps of heavy equipment that continued to work tirelessly to build Taycan’s upcoming production facilities.
I couldn’t help but imagine that the sounds were representative of the electric heartbeat of a carmaker, coming to life once more.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk proposes Grok 5 vs world’s best League of Legends team match
Musk’s proposal has received positive reception from professional players and Riot Games alike.
Elon Musk has proposed a high-profile gaming challenge for xAI’s upcoming Grok 5. As per Musk, it would be interesting to see if the large language model could beat the world’ best human League of Legends team with specific constraints.
Musk’s proposal has received positive reception from professional players and Riot Games alike, suggesting that the exciting exhibition match might indeed happen.
Musk outlines restrictions for Grok
In his post on X, Musk detailed constraints to keep the match competitive, including limiting Grok to human-level reaction times, human-speed clicking, and viewing the game only through a camera feed with standard 20/20 vision. The idea quickly circulated across the esports community, drawing commentary from former pros and AI researchers, as noted in a Dexerto report.
Former League pro Eugene “Pobelter” Park expressed enthusiasm, offering to help Musk’s team and noting the unique comparison to past AI-versus-human breakthroughs, such as OpenAI’s Dota 2 bots. AI researcher Oriol Vinyals, who previously reached Grandmaster rank in StarCraft, suggested testing Grok in RTS gameplay as well.
Musk welcomed the idea, even responding positively to Vinyals’ comment that it would be nice to see Optimus operate the mouse and keyboard.
Pros debate Grok’s chances, T1 and Riot show interest
Reactions weren’t universally optimistic. Former professional mid-laner Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani argued that even with Grok’s rapid learning capabilities, League of Legends requires deep synergy, game-state interpretation, and team coordination that may be difficult for AI to master at top competitive levels. Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng was similarly skeptical, publicly stating he doubted Grok could beat T1, or even himself, and jokingly promised to shave his head if Grok managed to win.
T1, however, embraced the proposal, responding with a GIF of Faker and the message “We are ready,” signaling their willingness to participate. Riot Games itself also reacted, with co-founder Marc Merrill replying to Musk with “let’s discuss.” Needless to say, it appears that Riot Games in onboard with the idea.
Though no match has been confirmed, interest from players, teams, and Riot suggests the concept could materialize into a landmark AI-versus-human matchup, potentially becoming one of the most viewed League of Legends events in history. The fact that Grok 5 will be constrained to human limits would definitely add an interesting dimension to the matchup, as it could truly demonstrate how human-like the large language model could be like in real-time scenarios.
Tesla has passed a key milestone, and it was one that CEO Elon Musk initially mentioned more than nine years ago when he published Master Plan, Part Deux.
As per Tesla China in a post on its official Weibo account, the company’s Autopilot system has accumulated over 10 billion kilometers of real-world driving experience.
Tesla China’s subtle, but huge announcement
In its Weibo post, Tesla China announced that the company’s Autopilot system has accumulated 10 billion kilometers of driving experience. “In this respect, Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot technology can be considered to have the world’s most experienced and seasoned driver.”
Tesla AI’s handle on Weibo also highlighted a key advantage of the company’s self-driving system. “It will never drive under the influence of alcohol, be distracted, or be fatigued,” the team wrote. “We believe that advancements in Autopilot technology will save more lives.”
Tesla China did not clarify exactly what it meant by “Autopilot” in its Weibo post, though the company’s intense focus on FSD over the past years suggests that the term includes miles that were driven by FSD (Beta) and Full Self-Driving (Supervised). Either way, 10 billion cumulative miles of real-world data is something that few, if any, competitors could compete with.
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Elon Musk’s 10-billion-km estimate, way back in 2016
When Elon Musk published Master Plan Part Deux, he outlined his vision for the company’s autonomous driving system. At the time, Autopilot was still very new, though Musk was already envisioning how the system could get regulatory approval worldwide. He estimated that worldwide regulatory approval will probably require around 10 billion miles of real-world driving data, which was an impossible-sounding amount at the time.
“Even once the software is highly refined and far better than the average human driver, there will still be a significant time gap, varying widely by jurisdiction, before true self-driving is approved by regulators. We expect that worldwide regulatory approval will require something on the order of 6 billion miles (10 billion km). Current fleet learning is happening at just over 3 million miles (5 million km) per day,” Musk wrote.
It’s quite interesting but Tesla is indeed getting regulatory approval for FSD (Supervised) at a steady pace today, at a time when 10 billion miles of data has been achieved. The system has been active in the United States and has since been rolled out to other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, China, and, more recently, South Korea. Expectations are high that Tesla could secure FSD approval in Europe sometime next year as well.
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Elon Musk’s Boring Company reveals Prufrock TBM’s most disruptive feature
As it turns out, the tunneling startup, similar to other Elon Musk-backed ventures, is also dead serious about pursuing reusability.
The Boring Company has quietly revealed one of its tunnel boring machines’ (TBMs) most underrated feature. As it turns out, the tunneling startup, similar to other Elon Musk-backed ventures, is also dead serious about pursuing reusability.
Prufrock 5 leaves the factory
The Boring Company is arguably the quietest venture currently backed by Elon Musk, inspiring far fewer headlines than his other, more high-profile companies such as Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI. Still, the Boring Company’s mission is ambitious, as it is a company designed to solve the problem of congestion in cities.
To accomplish this, the Boring Company would need to develop tunnel boring machines that could dig incredibly quickly. To this end, the startup has designed Prufrock, an all-electric TBM that’s designed to eventually be fast enough as an everyday garden snail. Among TBMs, such a speed would be revolutionary.
The startup has taken a step towards this recently, when The Boring Company posted a photo of Prufrock-5 coming out of its Bastrop, Texas facility. “On a rainy day in Bastrop, Prufrock-5 has left the factory. Will begin tunneling by December 1. Hoping for a step function increase in speed,” the Boring Company wrote.
Prufrock’s quiet disruption
Interestingly enough, the Boring Company also mentioned a key feature of its Prufrock machines that makes them significantly more sustainable and reusable than conventional TBMs. As per a user on X, standard tunnel boring machines are often left underground at the conclusion of a project because retrieving them is usually more expensive and impractical than abandoning them in the location.
As per the Boring Company, however, this is not the case for its Prufrock machines, as they are retrieved, upgraded, and deployed again with improvements. “All Prufrocks are reused, usually with upgrades between launches. Prufrock-1 has now dug six tunnels,” the Boring Company wrote in its reply on X.
The Boring Company’s reply is quite exciting as it suggests that the TBMs from the tunneling startup could eventually be as reusable as SpaceX’s boosters. This is on brand for an Elon Musk-backed venture, of course, though the Boring Company’s disruption is a bit more underground.
Tesla is being accused of infringing robotics patents by a company called Perrone Robotics, which is based out of Charlottesville, Virginia.
The suit was filed in Alexandria, Virginia, and accuses Tesla of knowingly infringing upon five patents related to robotics systems for self-driving vehicles.
The company said its founder, Paul Perrone, developed general-purpose robotics operating systems for individual robots and automated devices.
Perrone Robotics claims that all Tesla vehicles utilizing the company’s Autopilot suite within the last six years infringe the five patents, according to a report from Reuters.
Tesla’s new Safety Report shows Autopilot is nine times safer than humans
One patent was something the company attempted to sell to Tesla back in 2017. The five patents cover a “General Purpose Operating System for Robotics,” otherwise known as GPROS.
The GPROS suite includes extensions for autonomous vehicle controls, path planning, and sensor fusion. One key patent, U.S. 10,331,136, was explicitly offered to Tesla by Perrone back in 2017, but the company rejected it.
The suit aims to halt any further infringements and seeks unspecified damages.
This is far from the first suit Tesla has been involved in, including one from his year with Perceptive Automata LLC, which accused Tesla of infringing on AI models to interpret pedestrian/cyclist intent via cameras without licensing. Tesla appeared in court in August, but its motion to dismiss was partially denied earlier this month.
Tesla also settled a suit with Arsus LLC, which accused Autopilot’s electronic stability features of infringing on rollover prevention tech. Tesla won via an inter partes review in September.
Most of these cases involve non-practicing entities or startups asserting broad autonomous vehicle patents against Tesla’s rapid iteration.
Tesla typically counters with those inter partes reviews, claiming invalidity. Tesla has successfully defended about 70 percent of the autonomous vehicle lawsuits it has been involved in since 2020, but settlements are common to avoid discovery costs.
The case is Perrone Robotics Inc v Tesla Inc, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, No. 25-02156. Tesla has not yet listed an attorney for the case, according to the report.
Elon Musk proposes Grok 5 vs world’s best League of Legends team match
Elon Musk’s Boring Company reveals Prufrock TBM’s most disruptive feature
