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SpaceX Starlink internet approved in Canada, beta invites imminent
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet has officially won regulatory approval in Canada and CEO Elon Musk says that the first beta invites will begin to be sent out a matter of days from now.
Known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the decision was made well before most – including Musk himself – expected it, suggesting that the Canadian agency may have been responding to growing consumer enthusiasm and interest in Starlink internet. Since SpaceX began shipping Starlink user terminals to US beta testers less than two weeks ago, rural Americans have quickly come to heap praise on the new technology – warts and all.
Transparently deemed the “Better Than Nothing Beta” by SpaceX itself, the user-side hardware is still in its infancy and the satellite constellation is far smaller than optimal, resulting in the occasional dropped connection and inconsistent speeds and latency. Nevertheless, the service SpaceX has managed to deliver before anyone else appears to be extremely promising and is now poised to expand beyond the United States for the first time.
In the Northern US, particularly Montana, new Starlink beta users have already begun to demonstrate that the cutting-edge technology is impressively resilient in the face of extreme weather. Thus far, users have already shown their Starlink antennas happily chugging along in blizzard conditions – covered in snow, icicles hanging off – without significantly disrupting the quality of the internet they are delivering.
Canada will likely serve as an additional torture test for the Starlink antennas and services sent that way, although the far north will have to wait for the time being. At the moment, according to email correspondence between SpaceQ and Elon Musk, Starlink’s Canadian foray will be significantly limited at first. To understand why, one must first understand how Starlink works.
At the moment, each orbiting Starlink satellite services as a separate node in the network, only capable of communicating with user terminals (antennas) on the ground or more substantial SpaceX-operated hubs known as ground stations. Those ground stations are the backbone of the internet service, linking the orbiting network to the rest of the Earth-based internet. To connect end-users, a satellite orbiting over head will connect to their user terminal, receive uplink requests (clicking on a link, watching a video), route those requests through a separate beam to a ground station, which then beams that content back to the Starlink satellite before being beamed down to the end-user.
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Without those ground stations, Starlink is (somewhat) akin to a home network WiFi router without a cable modem. Unfortunately for SpaceX, radiocommunication hardware installation is often strictly regulated and the process is almost always unique and non-transferable in every country on Earth. As such, even with approval to serve Starlink internet in Canada, SpaceX still has to wait for individual approvals for each ground station, of which one or several dozen are necessary. Until those ground stations are approved, Starlink will only be available to Canadians below the 55th parallel, give or take.
On top of ground stations, SpaceX will also need to launch many, many more batches of Starlink satellites to be able to offer reliable and uninterrupted internet in most of the northern hemisphere (and the rest of the world). Nevertheless, with nearly 900 operational Starlink satellites launched less than a year after the first operational mission, it’s difficult to doubt that SpaceX will make it happen – and far sooner than most would reasonably expect.
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Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
“Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just made a key detail about Optimus official. In a post on X, the CEO clarified some key wording about Optimus, which should help the media and the public become more familiar with the humanoid robot.
Elon Musk makes Optimus’ plural term official
Elon Musk posted a number of Optimus-related posts on X this weekend. On Saturday, he stated that Optimus would be the Von Neumann probe, a machine that could eventually be capable of replicating itself. This capability, it seems, would be the key to Tesla achieving Elon Musk’s ambitious Optimus production targets.
Amidst the conversations about Optimus on X, a user of the social media platform asked the CEO what the plural term for the humanoid robot will be. As per Musk, Tesla will be setting the plural term for Optimus since the company also decided on the robot’s singular term. “Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote in his reply on X.
This makes it official. For media outlets such as Teslarati, numerous Optimus bots are now called Optimi. It rolls off the tongue pretty well, too.
Optimi will be a common sight worldwide
While Musk’s comment may seem pretty mundane to some, it is actually very important. Optimus is intended to be Tesla’s highest volume product, with the CEO estimating that the humanoid robot could eventually see annual production rates in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even more. Since Optimi will be a very common sight worldwide, it is good that people can now get used to terms describing the humanoid robot.
-->During the Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk stated that the humanoid robot will see “the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever,” starting with a one-million-Optimi-per-year production line at the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas would get an even bigger Optimus production line, which should be capable of producing tens of millions of Optimi per year.
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Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
Tesla will expand its factory shuttle service in Germany beginning January 4, adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide.
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
New shuttle route
As noted in a report from rbb24, the updated service, which will start January 4, will run between the Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station and the Erkner Station at the Gigafactory Berlin complex. Tesla stated that the timetable mirrors shift changes for the facility’s employees, and similar to before, the service will be completely free. The train will offer six direct trips per day as well.
“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany stated.
Even with construction continuing at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the company said the route has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. The update follows earlier phases of Tesla’s “Giga Train” program, which initially connected Erkner to the factory grounds before expanding to Berlin-Lichtenberg.
-->Tesla pushes for majority rail commuting
Tesla began production at Grünheide in March 2022, and the factory’s workforce has since grown to around 11,500 employees, with an estimated 60% commuting from Berlin. The facility produces the Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, for both Germany and other territories.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its goal of having more than half its staff use public transportation rather than cars, positioning the shuttle as a key part of that initiative. In keeping with the factory’s sustainability focus, Tesla continues to allow even non-employees to ride the shuttle free of charge, making it a broader mobility option for the area.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominate China’s real-world efficiency tests
The Tesla Model 3 posted 20.8 kWh/100 km while the Model Y followed closely at 21.8 kWh/100 km.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y once again led the field in a new real-world energy-consumption test conducted by China’s Autohome, outperforming numerous rival electric vehicles in controlled conditions.
The results, which placed both Teslas in the top two spots, prompted Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun to acknowledge Tesla’s efficiency advantage while noting that his company’s vehicles will continue refining its own models to close the gap.
Tesla secures top efficiency results
Autohome’s evaluation placed all vehicles under identical conditions, such as a full 375-kg load, cabin temperature fixed at 24°C on automatic climate control, and a steady cruising speed of 120 km/h. In this environment, the Tesla Model 3 posted 20.8 kWh/100 km while the Model Y followed closely at 21.8 kWh/100 km, as noted in a Sina News report.
These figures positioned Tesla’s vehicles firmly at the top of the ranking and highlighted their continued leadership in long-range efficiency. The test also highlighted how drivetrain optimization, software management, and aerodynamic profiles remain key differentiators in high-speed, cold-weather scenarios where many electric cars struggle to maintain low consumption.
Xiaomi’s Lei Jun pledges to continue learning from Tesla
Following the results, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun noted that the Xiaomi SU7 actually performed well overall but naturally consumed more energy due to its larger C-segment footprint and higher specification. He reiterated that factors such as size and weight contributed to the difference in real-world consumption compared to Tesla. Still, the executive noted that Xiaomi will continue to learn from the veteran EV maker.
“The Xiaomi SU7’s energy consumption performance is also very good; you can take a closer look. The fact that its test results are weaker than Tesla’s is partly due to objective reasons: the Xiaomi SU7 is a C-segment car, larger and with higher specifications, making it heavier and naturally increasing energy consumption. Of course, we will continue to learn from Tesla and further optimize its energy consumption performance!” Lei Jun wrote in a post on Weibo.
-->Lei Jun has repeatedly described Tesla as the global benchmark for EV efficiency, previously stating that Xiaomi may require three to five years to match its leadership. He has also been very supportive of FSD, even testing the system in the United States.
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
