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SpaceX Starship rocket could move to the launch pad today
SpaceX has finished stacking its fourth full-scale Starship prototype and public schedules show that the rocket could be moved to a nearby launch and test pad as early as April 20th.
Known as Starship serial number 4 (SN4), the rocket will be the third full-scale vehicle completed since the start of serial production, while Starship Mk1 – the first full-scale prototype – was built far more slowly and with different methods. Mk1 was destroyed during one of its first cryogenic liquid nitrogen ‘proof’ tests in November 2019, nearly nine months after assembly began in February. After Mk1’s failure, SpaceX spent about two months rapidly expanding and upgrading its Boca Chica, Texas Starship factory.
Around the end of January 2020, SpaceX kicked off the production of its first serial prototype – logically deemed SN1. Less than a month after its first steel rings were stacked and welded together, SpaceX transported the completed prototype to the launch pad. On February 28th, what CEO Elon Musk later described as a fault in its engine section “thrust puck” destroyed Starship SN1 during one of its first cryogenic proof tests. Barely a month later and after SN2 was modified into a “thrust puck” test tank and successfully tested, Starship SN3 rolled to the launch pad and was destroyed by operator and test design errors on April 3rd. Now, barely two weeks after SN3, Starship SN4 is about to begin testing.
By all appearances, work on Starship SN4 began around March 23rd, continuing a production schedule that has been consistently completing a full-scale rocket prototype every four or so weeks. While SpaceX has taken the unprecedented step of reusing a section of a prototype (SN3) destroyed during testing, every other aspect of the rocket is new and built more or less from scratch.
Just two days after Starship SN3’s salvaged skirt and SN4’s new engine section and aft liquid oxygen tank dome were stacked and welded together, SpaceX technicians attached a crane to the upper two-thirds of the rocket’s tank section and stacked it on top of the newly-finished engine section. 24 hours later, SpaceX teams have completed at least one circumferential seam weld, with a second soon to be finished.
Once that last weld is complete and passes inspections, Starship SN4 will be ready to be lifted onto a transporter and rolled down the road to SpaceX’s dedicated launch and test facilities. Of course, like SN3 and SN1 before it, SpaceX will likely still have a few days of work to get Starship SN4 ready for testing once it’s been moved to the pad.
Using Starship SN3’s timeline, Starship SN4 could be transported to the pad as early as April 19th or 20th and ready for testing by April 24th or 25th. This meshes well with a publicly-available road closure schedule, required because SpaceX often needs to close a public highway for certain Starship transport and testing operations. Per Cameron County’s website, SpaceX has a transport-related closure planned on April 20th. The first testing-related closure begins on Sunday, April 26th and lasts from 9am to midnight, with backups on Monday and Tuesday.
As always, delays should come as no surprise with prototype testing, and schedules are always fluid and liable to change at any second. Regardless, it looks like Starship SN4 is perhaps just a week from its first round of testing.
Tesla’s new Full Self-Driving pricing strategy will eliminate one recurring complaint that many owners have had in the past: FSD transfers.
In the past, if a Tesla owner purchased the Full Self-Driving suite outright, the company did not allow them to transfer the purchase to a new vehicle, essentially requiring them to buy it all over again, which could obviously get pretty pricey.
This was until Q3 2023, when Tesla allowed a one-time amnesty to transfer Full Self-Driving to a new vehicle, and then again last year.
Tesla is now allowing it to happen again ahead of the February 14th deadline.
The program has given people the opportunity to upgrade to new vehicles with newer Hardware and AI versions, especially those with Hardware 3 who wish to transfer to AI4, without feeling the drastic cost impact of having to buy the $8,000 suite outright on several occasions.
Now, that issue will never be presented again.
Last night, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on X that the Full Self-Driving suite would only be available in a subscription platform, which is the other purchase option it currently offers for FSD use, priced at just $99 per month.
Tesla is shifting FSD to a subscription-only model, confirms Elon Musk
Having it available in a subscription-only platform boasts several advantages, including the potential for a tiered system that would potentially offer less expensive options, a pay-per-mile platform, and even coupling the program with other benefits, like Supercharging and vehicle protection programs.
While none of that is confirmed and is purely speculative, the one thing that does appear to be a major advantage is that this will completely eliminate any questions about transferring the Full Self-Driving suite to a new vehicle. This has been a particular point of contention for owners, and it is now completely eliminated, as everyone, apart from those who have purchased the suite on their current vehicle.
Now, everyone will pay month-to-month, and it could make things much easier for those who want to try the suite, justifying it from a financial perspective.
The important thing to note is that Tesla would benefit from a higher take rate, as more drivers using it would result in more data, which would help the company reach its recently-revealed 10 billion-mile threshold to reach an Unsupervised level. It does not cost Tesla anything to run FSD, only to develop it. If it could slice the price significantly, more people would buy it, and more data would be made available.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y continued to overwhelmingly dominate the United States’ electric vehicle market in 2025. New sales data showed that Tesla’s two mass market cars maintained a commanding segment share, with the Model 3 posting year-to-date growth and the Model Y remaining resilient despite factory shutdowns tied to its refresh.
The figures were detailed in Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report.
Model 3 and Model Y are still dominant
According to the report, Tesla delivered an estimated 192,440 Model 3 sedans in the United States in 2025, representing a 1.3% year-to-date increase compared to 2024. The Model 3 alone accounted for 15.9% of all U.S. EV sales, making it one of the highest-volume electric vehicles in the country.
The Model Y was even more dominant. U.S. deliveries of the all-electric crossover reached 357,528 units in 2025, a 4.0% year-to-date decline from the prior year. It should be noted, however, that the drop came during a year that included production shutdowns at Tesla’s Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas as the company transitioned to the new Model Y. Even with those disruptions, the Model Y captured an overwhelming 39.5% share of the market, far surpassing any single competitor.
Combined, the Model 3 and Model Y represented more than half of all EVs sold in the United States during 2025, highlighting Tesla’s iron grip on the country’s mass-market EV segment.
Tesla’s challenges in 2025
Tesla’s sustained performance came amid a year of elevated public and political controversy surrounding Elon Musk, whose political activities in the first half of the year ended up fueling a narrative that the CEO’s actions are damaging the automaker’s consumer appeal. However, U.S. sales data suggest that demand for Tesla’s core vehicles has remained remarkably resilient.
Based on Kelley Blue Book’s Q4 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Sales Report, Tesla’s most expensive offerings such as the Tesla Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X, all saw steep declines in 2025. This suggests that mainstream EV buyers might have had a price issue with Tesla’s more expensive offerings, not an Elon Musk issue.
Ultimately, despite broader EV market softness, with total U.S. EV sales slipping about 2% year-to-date, Tesla still accounted for 58.9% of all EV deliveries in 2025, according to the report. This means that out of every ten EVs sold in the United States in 2025, more than half of them were Teslas.
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Tesla Model 3 and Model Y earn Euro NCAP Best in Class safety awards
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Tesla won dual categories in the Euro NCAP Best in Class awards, with the Model 3 being named the safest Large Family Car and the Model Y being recognized as the safest Small SUV.
The feat was highlighted by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
Model 3 and Model Y lead their respective segments
As per a press release from the Euro NCAP, the organization’s Best in Class designation is based on a weighted assessment of four key areas: Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, and Safety Assist. Only vehicles that achieved a 5-star Euro NCAP rating and were evaluated with standard safety equipment are eligible for the award.
Euro NCAP noted that the updated Tesla Model 3 performed particularly well in Child Occupant protection, while its Safety Assist score reflected Tesla’s ongoing improvements to driver-assistance systems. The Model Y similarly stood out in Child Occupant protection and Safety Assist, reinforcing Tesla’s dual-category win.
“The company’s best-selling Model Y proved the gold standard for small SUVs,” Euro NCAP noted.
Euro NCAP leadership shares insights
Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen said the organization’s Best in Class awards are designed to help consumers identify the safest vehicles over the past year.
Van Ratingen noted that 2025 was Euro NCAP’s busiest year to date, with more vehicles tested than ever before, amid a growing variety of electric cars and increasingly sophisticated safety systems. While the Mercedes-Benz CLA ultimately earned the title of Best Performer of 2025, he emphasized that Tesla finished only fractionally behind in the overall rankings.
“It was a close-run competition,” van Ratingen said. “Tesla was only fractionally behind, and new entrants like firefly and Leapmotor show how global competition continues to grow, which can only be a good thing for consumers who value safety as much as style, practicality, driving performance, and running costs from their next car.”
Tesla Full Self-Driving pricing strategy eliminates one recurring complaint
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dominates U.S. EV market in 2025
