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Rivian prepares owners for Tesla Supercharger use in latest OTA update

Credit: MKBHD | YouTube

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Rivian is preparing owners to use Tesla Superchargers fitted with the “Magic Dock” in its newest Over-the-Air update.

Tesla opened select Superchargers in the United States to other electric vehicle manufacturers last month, which has been a successful program thus far.

The decision by Tesla to open various charging piles around the U.S. to other EV makers helps it qualify for a slice of $7.5 billion in government funding, which required charging makers to develop non-specific or non-dedicated chargers that were only operational with set manufacturers.

Tesla makes its own chargers and has long held a sizeable advantage in EV charging due to the sheer size of its infrastructure and its dependability.

Here’s how Tesla appears to be rolling out the Magic Dock

Now, Rivian is helping owners take advantage of the Supercharger Network by adding locations in the in-car navigation.

As a part of Rivian Software Update 2023.10.00, Tesla Superchargers will now appear in Rivian’s in-car navigation:

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“Your vehicle now shows select Tesla Supercharger locations with a Magic Dock in the Navigation app’s charger filters. A Magic Dock allows you to charge your Rivian at select Tesla Supercharger locations. These locations also show in the Rivian mobile app version 1.12 or later. To charge at a Tesla Supercharger, you need to download the Tesla app.”

Select Rivian owners have already utilized the Supercharger Network run by Tesla, and reviews have been mixed thus far. The most notable is that of well-known tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, who said his experience was chaotic due to the congestion the program could cause.

“Suddenly, you’re taking up two spots for what would normally be one,” he said.

The Superchargers are already optimized for Tesla vehicles, which have their port located on the rear of the vehicle. Other cars are forced to double park or park awkwardly to take advantage of the charging system.

“If I was like a huge Tesla person I would probably be worried about you know my own Tesla experience,” Brownlee added. “Will it get worse because more people are charging? Potentially, you’ll have more people waiting in line more people taking up more spots.”

Rivian is also adding a new TuneIn Premium Trial, giving owners a year of free service. Plug and Charge will also allow a more seamless experience at Rivian Adventure Network and Waypoint Chargers.


Rivian’s full 2023.10.00 release notes are available below (via Rivian.Software):

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New TuneIn Premium Trial

An exclusive TuneIn Premium trial for 365 days is now available for Rivian customers. With TuneIn Premium you have access to:

  • Every MLB and NHL game. Live. No blackouts.
  • Nonstop news coverage. Commercial free.
  • Less ads on 100,000 radio stations.
Note: You may lose access to TuneIn Premium channels unless you activate the free trial or have a Premium account.

Tesla Supercharger Network Now Available In Navigation Charger Filters

Your vehicle now shows select Tesla Supercharger locations with a Magic Dock in the Navigation app’s charger filters. A Magic Dock allows you to charge your Rivian at select Tesla Supercharger locations. These locations also show in the Rivian mobile app version 1.12 or later. To charge at a Tesla Supercharger, you need to download the Tesla app.

Plug and Charge

This release enables vehicle Plug and Charge functionality when charging on the Rivian Adventure Network and Waypoint Chargers, in order to provide a seamless experience.

Note: This feature will be introduced on the Rivian Adventure Network and Waypoint Chargers on a rolling basis.

New Third Row Fan Control (R1S ONLY)

The second- and third-row seats now have separate controls for your convenince. For access, choose the temperature with the Fan icon on the center display. Then choose Middle to access the second-row climate controls, or choose Back to access the third-row fan controls.

Additional Improvements

  • Highway Assist has been improved to reduce the frequency of hands-on warnings when Highway Assist is active in stop-and-go traffic scenarios. You still must remain attentive and should be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any time while Highway Assist is engaged. For more information, please see the Owner’s Guide.
  • You can now open and close your liftgate with the mobile app version 1.12 and later (R1S ONLY)
  • You can now open your tailgate with the mobile app version 1.12 and later (R1T ONLY)
  • Improved range loss when a phone key is near the vehicle for long periods of time.
  • Improved phone key and key fob proximity unlocking consistency.
  • You can now toggle exterior lock sound on and off. Choose Settings > Vehicle > Access > Lock Sound (exterior).
  • Added a text label to state your key fob’s battery level inside of Settings > Drivers and Keys. The indicator text will appear when the battery level is medium or low only.
  • Hotspot Improvements
    • You can now choose the Hotspot button in the status bar to toggle the hotspot on or off and open hotspot settings.
    • Fixed an issue where quickly toggling the hotspot on and off indefinitely disabled it until you restarted the vehicle.
  • Media Fixes and Improvements
    • You can scroll through your Favorites with the left thumb control on the steering wheel.
    • Fixed a rare issue where TIDAL crashed when trying to perform a text search.
    • Fixed an occasional issue where the Bluetooth media player showed the incorrect play/pause state.
    • Fixed an occasional issue where the radio wouldn’t resume playing after returning to your vehicle within five minutes.
  • After you remove the charging cable, the charge port door no longer automatically closes after 30 seconds. The charge port door closes automatically when you drive the vehicle. You can also manually close it from the center display or using the sensor on the charge port door.
  • Fixed an issue where an erroneous notification was shown when attempting to use Adaptive Cruise Control while stability control was disabled in vehicle settings.
  • Fixed a rare issue that caused inconsistent lane centering when Highway Assist was active.
  • Fixed an occasional issue where you would see an unrelated notification when switching between day and night mode.
  • Fixed a very rare issue that caused an internal loss of communication when turning on a vehicle, which drained the 12 V batteries.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla reveals plans for Robotaxi charging hub in Austin

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla has revealed plans through permit submissions for a massive Robotaxi charging hub in Austin, Texas.

Tesla plans to build the Supercharger hub in multiple phases, with the second phase potentially introducing wireless induction charging, something the company has been developing for the Robotaxi fleet.

Initially, 48 Tesla Robotaxi-geared Superchargers will be built on a lot just across from the St. Elmo, Texas, Service Center. There are about 80 additional spots that will not be impacted by phase 1 of the construction process.

Filings show that the second phase of the project will turn those 80 additional spots into wireless charging for Robotaxi, but it might be an error. The Key Notes state that item 3 is listed as “V4 Charging Cabinet to Support 80 Wireless Chargers in Phase 2. However, the drawings point to V3 Cabinets that are already tied to Superchargers:

There are roughly 128 total spots in the lot, but it is unclear if they will all be used for charging based on what appears to be some sort of typo in the blueprint.

This is among the first Robotaxi charging hubs Tesla has started to develop, as it currently has four others planned throughout various areas: one in Phoenix, one in San Antonio, another in Irving, which will serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and another in Las Vegas.

These projects are necessary as Tesla expands its Robotaxi program. Now that preparations have started for the public launch of Cybercab, Robotaxi will likely be expanding aggressively, especially over the next two to three years.

Last night, The Information reported that Tesla was planning to launch Cybercab as soon as the end of August. Hours later, Tesla then announced it was launching a competition for fans to potentially ride in Cybercab during its first public rides.

Tesla Cybercab launch preparations have begun

Tesla’s plan to expand its charging infrastructure in the regions where Robotaxi will initially operate is great preparation for the expanding service. There is still a lot to do, including launching the Cybercab on time.

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Tesla Semi gets its largest order yet

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Credit: Einride

Tesla got its largest order for the all-electric Class 8 Semi yet, a 500-unit order from Einride AB, a Swedish trucking company.

Einride made the announcement this morning following its second-quarter earnings call. The company said it plans to use 500 Tesla Semi units on its fleet intelligence platform, called Saga AI. The deployments will serve large companies like Amazon and will extend Einride’s electric freight network across logistics routes in California, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, and Georgia.

The deployment is being carried out in several phases over the next two years as Tesla ramps production of the Semi at its dedicated production facility in Sparks, Nevada. Einride will receive its first Semi units in September.

Saga AI

Saga AI is Einride’s dedicated fleet intelligence platform. It enables scaled adoption of electric trucks for freight use and allows shippers to integrate electric capacity without the operational burden or capital risks of managing a fleet. This helps integrate cost-efficient logistics and makes budgeting and forecasting much more accurate.

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Tesla Semi’s Adoption

The Tesla Semi is now gathering large-scale clients past those who have helped the company operate a Pilot Program to gain initial information and feedback from real-world drivers.

Perhaps the biggest and most notable is that of Frito-Lay and PepsiCo., who have worked with Tesla for the past several years to dial in the finer details of the truck, including its efficiency and operation-related components.

Tesla Semi gets strange-but-understandable comparison from Jay Leno

There has been tremendous progress in that time, and it even catalyzed Tesla to make some design changes, which were unveiled earlier this year.

But Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli says his company’s partnership with Tesla will continue to push those things forward:

“This deployment is yet another proof point that we can execute at the scale our customers demand. Working closely with Tesla to bring next-generation Semis into active operations quickly and at scale is a testament to the strength of that partnership, and how quickly this technology is maturing from promise to daily operations.”

Tesla Semi is already winning over truck drivers

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Additionally, Dan Priestley, the Director of the Semi Program at Tesla, said the partnership is ideal due to Einride’s focus on sustainable transport:

“Einride is at the forefront of sustainable freight, and we are thrilled to deepen our relationship with them through this order of 500 Semis. EV heavy trucks provide lower costs per mile from fuel savings, reduced maintenance, and better uptime over diesel trucks. These savings increase further through operational efficiency when deploying EV trucks at scale, and we are excited that Einride recognizes this and look forward to supporting their deployments.” 

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India tells Elon Musk’s X to “Follow the Law” in latest censorship update

Elon Musk says X now exposes government censorship, but India’s secrecy laws complicate that promise.

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Elon Musk’s promise to make government censorship requests on X “clearly visible” is running into a wall in India, where the law forbids the very disclosure Musk is promising.

On August 15, Musk responded to an update from X’s open-source algorithm team by writing “Any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible.” The claim referred to a change X pushed two days earlier to its public xai-org/x-algorithm repository, which now includes a controversial filter written directly into the code. The filter suppresses posts from 665 accounts flagged by Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court from appearing in the For You feed of any viewer located in Brazil, unless the viewer already follows the account. The election tied to the filter is scheduled for October 4.

India’s government wasn’t as impressed, and responded on Monday that “X will have to follow the law of the land,” in response to Musk’s transparency push covered by the Times of India. The problem is structural rather than political. India issues content blocking orders under Section 69A of its IT Act, and Rule 16 of the accompanying 2009 Blocking Rules requires those orders to stay confidential. Publishing an India equivalent of the Brazil filter, naming specific accounts and citing specific government orders, would itself violate Indian law. Government use of Section 69A has grown from roughly 6,000 orders a year between 2018 and 2023 to about 24,300 in 2025, according to a Tech Times report.

Elon Musk shares details on X vs. Brazil conflict

The contrast puts Musk’s transparency pledge in an odd spot. It works largely as advertised in Brazil, where electoral law requires disclosure and X can point to specific account IDs and a specific court order in public code. It cannot work the same way in India, where the law requires the opposite. X users in India will keep seeing content disappear from search and their feeds without any public accounting of why, even as X tells the rest of the world that its censorship compliance is now inspectable.

This isn’t the first time X’s fights with a national government have shaped how the platform operates. Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered X to suspend the accounts of sitting lawmakers and journalists in 2024, a standoff that cost X its Brazilian revenue for months and froze Starlink’s local accounts before the investigation into Musk and X was closed in March with no evidence of wrongdoing found. X also sued California over a state law requiring moderation disclosures, arguing the mandate itself violated the First Amendment.

Whether India’s government pursues anything beyond a public statement remains to be seen. For now, the mismatch between what X can legally publish and what different governments legally allow it to publish is the real story behind Musk’s seven word claim.

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