Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship launches face pushback in Florida over noise, flights—and nudists
SpaceX is seeking permission to fly its fully reusable Starship system from Launch Complex 39A.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has wrapped up a series of public hearings on SpaceX’s proposal to launch its Super Heavy Starship rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The sessions, held both in-person and online, form part of the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) review that will determine whether SpaceX would be cleared to conduct Starship launches and landings from Florida’s Space Coast.
FAA review and Starship launch plans
According to the FAA’s draft EIS, SpaceX seeks permission to fly its fully reusable Starship system from Launch Complex 39A, where construction of a dedicated tower and infrastructure has already begun. Proposed operations could involve landings at KSC or droneships positioned across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. The FAA emphasized that final approval is not guaranteed with the completion of the EIS, as safety and financial requirements must still be met, as noted in a Space.com report.
Starship’s larger scale compared to Falcon 9 means expanded exclusion zones for air, sea, and beach access. The analysis also projected more than 60 annual closures of Playalinda Beach, alongside potential flight delays across Florida airports lasting 40 minutes to two hours. Port Canaveral would also be affected by maritime restrictions.
Local concerns
Public comments reflected a mix of optimism and unease. Aviation officials, such as Tampa International Airport COO John Tiliacos, warned of significant disruption to commercial flights. “There is the potential that there’s going to be significant impact to commercial aviation and the traveling public. That’s something that certainly the FAA needs to give consideration to and, frankly, come up with a plan to mitigate,” he stated.
Others raised health concerns, noting that chronic sleep disruption from launch noise could impact veterans and trauma survivors. Robyn Memphis, a neuroscience and psychology graduate student, stated that sleep disruptions from launch noise and sonic booms could carry lasting effects. “Chronic sleep disruption is not just inconvenient. This is directly linked to depression, anxiety… cardiovascular disease, even suicide risk. And being in Florida, we have many veterans and trauma survivors in the community,” she said.
Nudist protests and responses
Erich Schuttauf, the executive director of the American Association for Nude Recreation, also argued that places like Playalinda Beach, a nudist beach, are crucial for people who travel to places where public nudity is legal. His sentiments were echoed by fellow nudist Sue Stevens, who noted that “It’s probably a quarter million people that travel and think like I do, who look for destinations that are beautiful and surrounded by like-minded people.”
Photographer Max West, who plans to move to Florida to photograph Starship, noted that the spacecraft presents a notable step forward for humanity. And while its impact to communities is not marginal, the progress it offers is well worth it. “I’m not going to say that there is zero environmental impact there,” he said, though he also stated that there has to be some “little sacrifices along the way. “The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate. That’s the cost that you have to pay for this incredible stuff that’s happening.”
Elon Musk
Tesla removes Autopilot as standard, receives criticism online
The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders.
Tesla removed its basic Autopilot package as a standard feature in the United States. The move leaves only Traffic Aware Cruise Control as standard equipment on new Tesla orders, and shifts the company’s strategy towards paid Full Self-Driving subscriptions.
Tesla removes Autopilot
As per observations from the electric vehicle community on social media, Tesla no longer lists Autopilot as standard in its vehicles in the U.S. This suggests that features such as lane-centering and Autosteer have been removed as standard equipment. Previously, most Tesla vehicles came with Autopilot by default, which offers Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer.
The change resulted in backlash from some Tesla owners and EV observers, particularly as competing automakers, including mainstream players like Toyota, offer features like lane-centering as standard on many models, including budget vehicles.
That being said, the removal of Autopilot suggests that Tesla is concentrating its autonomy roadmap around FSD subscriptions rather than bundled driver-assistance features. It would be interesting to see how Tesla manages its vehicles’ standard safety features, as it seems out of character for Tesla to make its cars less safe over time.
Musk announces FSD price increases
Following the Autopilot changes, Elon Musk stated on X that Tesla is planning to raise subscription prices for FSD as its capabilities improve. In a post on X, Musk stated that the current $99-per-month price for supervised FSD would increase over time, especially as the system itself becomes more robust.
“I should also mention that the $99/month for supervised FSD will rise as FSD’s capabilities improve. The massive value jump is when you can be on your phone or sleeping for the entire ride (Unsupervised FSD),” Musk wrote.
At the time of his recent post, Tesla still offers FSD as a one-time purchase for $8,000, but Elon Musk has confirmed that this option will be discontinued on February 14, leaving subscriptions as the only way to access the system.
Elon Musk shared an incredible detail about Tesla Cybercab’s potential efficiency, as the company has hinted in the past that it could be one of the most affordable vehicles to operate from a per-mile basis.
ARK Invest released a report recently that shed some light on the potential incremental cost per mile of various Robotaxis that will be available on the market in the coming years.
The Cybercab, which is detailed for the year 2030, has an exceptionally low cost of operation, which is something Tesla revealed when it unveiled the vehicle a year and a half ago at the “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles.
Musk said on numerous occasions that Tesla plans to hit the $0.20 cents per mile mark with the Cybercab, describing a “clear path” to achieving that figure and emphasizing it is the “full considered” cost, which would include energy, maintenance, cleaning, depreciation, and insurance.
Probably true
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 22, 2026
ARK’s report showed that the Cybercab would be roughly half the cost of the Waymo 6th Gen Robotaxi in 2030, as that would come in at around $0.40 per mile all in. Cybercab, at scale, would be at $0.20.
Credit: ARK Invest
This would be a dramatic decrease in the cost of operation for Tesla, and the savings would then be passed on to customers who choose to utilize the ride-sharing service for their own transportation needs.
The U.S. average cost of new vehicle ownership is about $0.77 per mile, according to AAA. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft rideshares often cost between $1 and $4 per mile, while Waymo can cost between $0.60 and $1 or more per mile, according to some estimates.
Tesla’s engineering has been the true driver of these cost efficiencies, and its focus on creating a vehicle that is as cost-effective to operate as possible is truly going to pay off as the vehicle begins to scale. Tesla wants to get the Cybercab to about 5.5-6 miles per kWh, which has been discussed with prototypes.
Additionally, fewer parts due to the umboxed manufacturing process, a lower initial cost, and eliminating the need to pay humans for their labor would also contribute to a cheaper operational cost overall. While aspirational, all of the ingredients for this to be a real goal are there.
It may take some time as Tesla needs to hammer the manufacturing processes, and Musk has said there will be growing pains early. This week, he said regarding the early production efforts:
“…initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast.”
Elon Musk
Elon Musk to attend 2026 World Economic Forum at Davos
The Tesla CEO was confirmed as a last-minute speaker for a session with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.
Elon Musk is poised to attend the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos. The Tesla CEO was confirmed as a last-minute speaker for a session with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, signaling a thaw in Musk’s long-strained relationship with the event.
A late addition
Organizers of the World Economic Forum confirmed that Elon Musk was added shortly before the event to a Thursday afternoon session, where he was scheduled to speak with Fink, as noted in a Bloomberg News report. Musk’s upcoming appearance marks Musk’s first participation in the forum, which annually draws political leaders, business executives, and global media to Davos, Switzerland.
Musk’s attendance represents a departure from his past stance toward the event. He had been invited in prior years but declined to attend, including in 2024. His upcoming appearance followed remarks from his political ally, Donald Trump, who addressed the forum earlier in the week with a wide-ranging speech.
A previously strained relationship
Musk had frequently criticized the World Economic Forum in the past, describing it as elitist and questioning its influence. In earlier posts, he characterized the gathering as “boring” and accused it of functioning like an unelected global authority. Those remarks contributed to a long-running distance between Musk and WEF organizers.
The forum previously said Musk had not been invited since 2015, though that position has since shifted. Organizers indicated last year that Musk was welcome amid heightened interest in his political and business activities, including his involvement in the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk later stepped away from that role.
Despite his friction with the World Economic Forum, Musk has remained central to several global events, from SpaceX’s provision of satellite internet services in geopolitically sensitive regions through Starlink to the growing use of xAI’s Grok in U.S. government applications.
Tesla makes big Full Self-Driving change to reflect future plans
Tesla Model S completes first ever FSD Cannonball Run with zero interventions
