News
SpaceX reschedules Starship static fire amid deadly Texas cold snap, power grid failure
After extreme weather and a once-in-a-decade cold snap ground SpaceX’s Starship launch preparations to a halt, the company’s next critical preflight test is back on the calendar.
SpaceX received permission to close Boca Chica Boulevard from 9 am to 6 pm CST (UTC-6) on Monday, February 22nd, with identical backup windows available on Tuesday and Wednesday. An agreement with Cameron County currently requires SpaceX to avoid road closures (and thus testing) on weekends – a compromise to preserve some level of access to Boca Chica’s public beaches for local residents.
Over the last several days, Texas has been in the throes of an unusual – but far from unprecedented – cold snap. With temperatures well below freezing in many regions and snow building up for the first time in years, the state’s systematically dysfunctional power grid – intentionally separated from the rest of the US grid and effectively left to the “free market” wolves – almost instantly collapsed. Effectively unregulated, patchwork utilities and power companies left to their own devices unsurprisingly chose to save money and maximize profits in the short term by deploying non-winterized powerlines, substations, and power plants.
It’s a ‘mistake’ – really more of an intentional design flaw – that’s been repeated twice before and as recently as 2011. Once again, power outages have mostly been caused by a lack of winterization at natural gas and coal-fired power plants throughout Texas, which forced the state’s so-called Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT) to enforce systematic rolling blackouts. The state inexplicably went as far as allowing the same utilities and power companies whose conscious failures caused the outages to then raise gas and electricity prices to astronomic levels, resulting in bills on the order of thousands, tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in a handful of days.
Additionally, the cold has shocked other Texan infrastructure, throwing no less than 1/50th of the entire American population into darkness and without running or potable water. SpaceX hasn’t been spared by any means and both Boca Chica and greater Brownsville have been subjected to multi-day power outages. SpaceX, however, has built up an extensive footprint for its growing Starship factory, including an installation of Tesla solar panels and Powerpack batteries that have likely helped keep the lights on, for the most part. SpaceX is even doing its best to save cold-stunned sea turtles, performing hundreds of rescues on its own and providing generators and help wherever possible.
“Like a ray from heaven, yesterday at 7:30 p.m. the site director and operations manager for SpaceX Boca Chica and two electricians and engineers from SpaceX showed up on our property with the largest generator I’ve ever seen,” Knight said. “And at 1:30 a.m. this morning, we turned the lights and the power on.”
(Trained SpaceX employees have also rescued some 850 of the turtles, Knight said, initially storing them in their gymnasium while coordinating transportation. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.)
NPR – Rachel Treisman – February 17th, 2021
High winds, cold temperatures, and no guarantee that employees will be in a condition to work have meant that SpaceX’s rocket factory and latest Starship test campaign have both slowed considerably. Thankfully, weather-wise, next week is looking somewhat more positive as forecasts show winds dropping and temperatures rising well above freezing. With a little luck, SpaceX will be able to put Starship serial number 10 (SN10) through its first triple-Raptor static fire(s) and qualify the rocket for flight between Monday and Wednesday, potentially opening the door for a third high-altitude launch and landing attempt as early as the end of the week.
News
Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Tesla Diner, the all-in-one Supercharging and dining experience located in Los Angeles, will transition to a full-service restaurant in January, staff said, as Chef Eric Greenspan said he would take on a new project.
A report from the Los Angeles Times says Greenspan confirmed through a text that he would leave the Diner and focus on the opening of his new Jewish deli, Mish.
Greenspan confirmed to the paper:
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli. Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Greenspan took on the job at the Tesla Diner and curated the menu back in March, focusing on locally-sourced ingredients and items that would play on various company products, like Cybertruck-shaped boxes that hold burgers.
Tesla Cybertruck leftovers are the main course at the Supercharger Diner
The Tesla Diner has operated as somewhat of a self-serve establishment, where Tesla owners can order directly from their vehicles through the center touchscreen. It was not exclusive to Tesla owners. Guests could also enter and order at a counter, and pick up their food, before sitting at a booth or table.
However, the report indicates Tesla is planning to push it toward a sit-down restaurant, full of waiters, waitresses, and servers, all of which will come to a table after you are seated, take your order, and serve your food.
It will be more of a full-featured restaurant experience moving forward, which is an interesting move from the company, but it also sounds as if it could be testing for an expansion.
We know that Tesla is already considering expanding locations, as it will be heading to new areas of the country. CEO Elon Musk has said that Tesla will be considering locations in Palo Alto near the company’s Engineering HQ, and in Austin, where its HQ and Gigafactory Texas are located.
Musk said that the Diner has been very successful in its first few months of operation.
News
Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
Tesla has added a new and somewhat surprising fee to the Robotaxi program. It’s only surprising because it was never there before.
Tesla shocked everyone when it launched its Robotaxi platform and offered riders the opportunity to tip, only to tell them they do not accept tips. It was one of the company’s attempts at being humorous as it rolled out its driverless platform to people in Austin.
As it has expanded to new cities and been opened to more people, as it was yesterday to iOS users, Tesla has had to tweak some of the minor details of the Robotaxi and ride-hailing platforms it operates.
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more
With more riders, more vehicles, and more operational jurisdictions, the company has to adjust as things become busier.
Now, it is adjusting the platform by adding “Cleaning Fees” to the Robotaxi platform, but it seems it is only charged if the vehicle requires some additional attention after your ride.
The app will communicate with the rider with the following message (via Not a Tesla App):
“Additional cleaning was required for the vehicle after your trip. A fee has been added to your final cost to cover this service. Please contact us if you have any questions.”
The cost of the cleaning will likely depend on how severe the mess is. If you spill a soda, it will likely cost less than if you lose your lunch in the back of the car because you had a few too many drinks.
This is an expected change, and it seems to be one that is needed, especially considering Tesla is operating a small-scale ride-hailing service at the current time. As it expands to more states and cities and eventually is available everywhere, there will be more situations that will arise.
The messes in vehicles are not a new situation, especially in a rideshare setting. It will be interesting to see if Tesla will enable other fees, like ones for riders who request a ride and do not show up for it.
News
Tesla Model Y sold out in China for 2025
Customers who wish to get their cars by the end of the year would likely need to get an inventory unit.
It appears that the Model Y has been sold out for 2025 in China. This seems to be true for the four variants of the vehicle that are currently offered in the country.
Tesla China’s order page update
A look at Tesla China’s order page for the Model Y shows a message informing customers that those who wish to guarantee delivery by the end of the year should purchase an inventory unit. This was despite the Model Y RWD and Model Y L showing an estimated delivery timeline of 4-8 weeks, and the Model Y Long Range RWD and Model Y Long Range AWD showing 4-13 weeks.
As per industry watchers, these updates on the Model Y’s order page suggest that Tesla China’s sales capacity for the remainder of 2025 has been sold out. The fact that estimated delivery timeframes for the Model Y Long Range RWD and AWD extend up to 13 weeks also bodes well for demand for the vehicle, especially given strong rivals like the Xiaomi YU7, which undercuts the Model Y in price.
Tesla China’s upcoming big updates
What is quite interesting is that Tesla China is still competing in the country with one hand partly tied behind its back. So far, Tesla has only been able to secure partial approval for its flagship self-driving software, FSD, in China. This has resulted in V14 not being rolled out to the country yet. Despite this, Tesla China’s “Autopilot automatic assisted driving on urban roads,” as the system is called locally, has earned positive reviews from users.
As per Elon Musk during the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, however, Tesla is expecting to secure full approval for FSD in China in early 2026. “We have partial approval in China, and we hopefully will have full approval in China around February or March or so. That’s what they’ve told us,” Musk said.
Tesla Diner to transition to full-service restaurant as Chef heads for new venture
Tesla adds new surprising fee to Robotaxi program
