

News
Rivian is setting the stage for a test drive program for the R1T and R1S
Rivian appears to be setting the stage for the introduction of a test drive program for its first two vehicles, the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV. Such a program will bode well for Rivian, as it will give potential customers a chance to experience the company’s vehicles firsthand.
The first hints of a potential Rivian test drive program came in the form of a Reddit post on the r/Rivian subreddit. One of the online community’s members, u/Knight_of_r_noo, attended the New York Auto Show, where he was reportedly able to speak with Rivian’s team, including CEO RJ Scaringe. According to the electric truck enthusiast, Rivian is planning on doing a roadshow around the United States to let people experience the R1T and R1S. Details of the program are reportedly being ironed out by the electric truck maker.
Yet another hint at Rivian’s test drive program came in the form of a job listing that the company recently posted online. The listing, which could be found on jobs.lever.co, was specifically for a “Test Driver” that will be tasked to perform “over the road durability testing” and “ride and drive demos of Rivian vehicles (Marketing Events, Customer Trade Shows),” among other responsibilities.
Rivian seems to be intent on hiring a veteran for the post, as the company noted in the posting’s qualifications that test drivers with “off-road/racing drivers training/experience” and “durability/professional driving” background are preferred. Rivian’s post for its Test Driver lists Wickenburg, AZ as its location, though the company highlighted that applicants must be willing to travel “upwards of 75% of the time.”
Rivian’s electric trucks are marketed as luxury adventure vehicles that are equally capable on both paved and unpaved roads. As vehicles that are designed for those that love the outdoors, there is simply no better way to market the R1T and the R1S than to have potential customers actually experience the pickup truck and SUV for themselves. By doing so, Rivian could show precisely what the company’s “electric adventure” mantra is all about.
Done correctly, test drives are powerful marketing tools. Tesla, a first mover in the electric car industry, has utilized test drives as one of its key sales drivers. If Rivian could adopt a similar strategy, the R1T and the R1S could very well make an impact in their respective segments upon their release. The Rivian R1T pickup starts at $69,000, while the R1S SUV is listed with a starting price of $72,500 before incentives. Both vehicles are expected to enter production in 2020 and can be pre-ordered on Rivian’s official website today.
News
Tesla Model Y L’s impressive specs surface in China’s recent MIIT filing
The Tesla Model Y L is expected to launch later this year.

The specs of the upcoming Tesla Model Y L has appeared in new Chinese regulatory filings, revealing key specifications including a six-seat layout and an extended range of up to 751 kilometers. The variant is expected to launch later this year alongside a new long-range Model 3 variant rated at 830 kilometers.
The updates were listed on the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) latest batch of new energy vehicle models that are eligible for vehicle purchase tax exemptions.
Model Y L to debut with larger battery, six-seat layout
Listed under the model code TSL6500BEVBA0, the Model Y L will feature dual motors producing 142 kW at the front and 198 kW at the rear. It will be powered by a 465-kilogram 82.0-kWh lithium-ion battery from LG Energy Solution, with a pack energy density of 176 Wh/kg, as noted in a CNEV Post report. The long-range crossover achieves 751 km on the lenient CLTC cycle, making it Tesla’s highest-range Model Y to date in China despite its curb weight of 2,088 kg.
The “L” designation is believed to refer to the vehicle’s larger size and seating configuration, as the new variant is listed with six seats. It builds on Tesla’s strategy to diversify offerings in the Model Y lineup, which currently includes both RWD and AWD five-seat versions.
Model 3+ breaks record with 830 km CLTC range
Alongside the Model Y L, Tesla China also registered a new rear-wheel-drive Model 3, which was designated with the model code TSL7000BEVBR1. The vehicle boasts either 800 or 830 km of range on the CLTC cycle, depending on its trim. This marks the highest range yet for any Tesla vehicle in China.
The variant will use a 448-kilogram, 78.4-kWh LG-supplied battery with an energy density of 175 Wh/kg and a peak motor output of 225 kW. The vehicle’s curb weight is listed at 1,760 kg. The model was previously identified in filings as “Model 3+,” hinting at a possible tier above the existing long-range variant, which tops out at 753 km CLTC.
News
Elon Musk explains why Tesla stepped back from Project Dojo
The update was initially reported by Bloomberg News, which cited people reportedly familiar with the matter.

Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla is stepping back from its Dojo supercomputer initiative and focusing instead on the company’s in-house AI5 and AI6 chips.
The update was initially reported by Bloomberg News, which cited people reportedly familiar with the matter.
Project Dojo Ends
As per Bloomberg, Peter Bannon, who led Project Dojo, will be departing Tesla following Elon Musk’s decision to shut down the initiative. The publication claimed that Tesla’s Project Dojo team has lost about 20 members recently, and the remaining members of the initiative would be reassigned to other data center and compute projects within Tesla.
Dojo was expected to help Tesla train its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. With this change, Tesla will reportedly be increasing its reliance on external partners for its training hardware. These partners reportedly include Nvidia, AMD, and Samsung, among other companies.
Musk Explains Dojo Shutdown
In a series of posts on X, Elon Musk explained that it doesn’t make much sense for Tesla to divide its resources to scale two different chip designs. And since the company is putting in a lot of effort in its AI5 and AI6 chips–which would be used not for training but in actual products like Optimus and the Cybercab–it was time for Project Dojo to take a bow.
“It doesn’t make sense for Tesla to divide its resources and scale two quite different AI chip designs. The Tesla AI5, AI6 and subsequent chips will be excellent for inference and at least pretty good for training. All effort is focused on that.
“In a supercomputer cluster, it would make sense to put many AI5/AI6 chips on a board, whether for inference or training, simply to reduce network cabling complexity & cost by a few orders of magnitude. One could call that Dojo 3, I suppose. The difference in real-world performance between AI4 and AI5 is far more than any chip version I’ve ever heard of by a lot. It’s real good,” Musk wrote in his post.
News
Tesla creates clever solution to simplify and improve its Service
Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.

Tesla has created a clever solution to simplify and improve its Service. Tesla performs most of the services that are needed on its vehicles at its company-owned Service Centers.
However, service has been a weak point of the company, as some regions have fewer Service Centers than others. This can cause long wait times for Tesla owners in some parts of the country.
There are also instances where customers do not agree with what Tesla is saying about their vehicle. In fact, one instance that revealed this new change Tesla is making to its Service was precisely that.
One owner posted on X that his vehicle’s battery seal had failed after a recall was issued. Tesla insurance and Tesla Service both did not assist, and it took CEO Elon Musk stepping in to get the issue resolved:
Will investigate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2025
Another owner suggested there should be a more streamlined communications process between the customer and the Service Center, a solution that has been missing.
Raj Jegannathan, a Vice President of IT/AI-Infra, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, revealed that Tesla has started a small pilot program at a few service locations to combat this issue.
Elon Musk wants Tesla Service to fix two-thirds of cars in the same day
Jegannathan said that Tesla has started to share local and regional leader contact information so customers have the ability to reach out when they have complaints or disagree with warranty claims, changes in estimates, or initial diagnostics.
It is available in a handful of locations already, and Jegannathan said that once abuse guardrails are built, this will expand to all locations:
In few service locations, started to share local and regional leader contact information via service in-take in mobile in-app messages so customers can reach out via phone when they disagree with initial diagnostic/warranty/changes in estimates. (Once we build guardrails from…
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) August 7, 2025
This would be a major improvement in the Service portion of Tesla’s business. There are common disagreements between Service and customers, specifically when Service’s suggestions don’t align with the customer’s beliefs.
When it comes to things like a warranty claim, these issues are not really up for interpretation. Instead, the repairs should be made. If there is a misunderstanding on Service’s side, a simple message from the customer could have resolved the issue. That’s basically what happened here.
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